Dear Conscious Community,

By now, many of you have heard of Shamanic healing. But you may not know what it actually is and what it does for people. According to The Power Path, “Shamanic healing is a spiritual and medical practice based upon the belief that all healing includes a spiritual dimension.” As a Shamanic healer, I find this to be a good general description, though every healer applies these tools in their own way.

But how about when Shamanic healing is linked to psychedelic medicine? Can hallucinogenic drugs like psilocybin or mushrooms actually help people heal from chronic and debilitating ailments?

Well, much research is underway, and we are close but not yet quite there. A major reason is that such drugs are still, for the most part, illegal in the United States. But it is certainly an interesting topic of discussion for both practitioners and users of the drug.

In many indigenous cultures, Shamanistic healing practices are intimately linked to psychedelic medicines – in the training of healers, their awareness of and access to spiritual powers, their diagnostic procedures, and their healing practices. The physiological effects of these psychedelic medicines produce specific psychological experiences that are core to their powerful and effective healing capabilities. That is why such medicines are also referred to as entheogens, or “generating of the god within” (Wasson et al. 1978; Ruck et al. 1979).

It is believed such practices started way back, tens of thousands of years ago, when the first psychedelic medicine called ayahuasca was used in South America. Shamanic healing rituals have been used to treat physical, spiritual, and psychosocial illness. The first kind of ritualistic healing using these substances is a priestly tradition which emphasizes the visionary experiences of both the healers and the patients. These ayahuasca ceremonies usually involve a small group of people in an intimate setting.

The second ritual healing uses Virola, an abstract from a type of tree, which is used for physical problems and psychocultural ailments. The third is Anadenanthera snuffs; these are used for medical, religious and social purposes and social rituals. Fourth, Banisteriopsis is used in divinatory and healing ceremonies to acquire protective spirits and to prophesize the future. Fifth, Lophophora williamsii, or peyote, is considered to have general healing properties in cleansing the stomach, kidneys, liver, and blood. Sixth, Trichocereus cactispp. are used to solve many different kinds of problems—witchcraft and hexes, illness caused by resentment and envy, and imbalances of the spiritual and natural forces in the patient’s life. Finally, Turbina, or morning glory, is spp. are used for physical conditions such as fevers, carbuncles, swollen or paralyzed limbs, rheumatic pains, and urinary retention or blockages.

As a Shamanic healer from the Middle East, I have used different ways of inducing altered states of consciousness in myself and my clients. In the past, I have primarily used guided visualization and sometimes music to facilitate this process. However, since cannabis became legal in California, I have assisted healing sessions using cannabis.

When I see clients who have had long existing mental, emotional, physical, or spiritual ailments, I often suggest a healing session. That way, when both my client and I are in an altered state, we can look at the issue from a different perspective and come up with creative and often more effective solutions for addressing the problem.

In the New Year, I expect to increase my work with cannabis as a healing modality. I find that given what people are struggling with these days and the difficulties that are happening in our environment, people need stronger medicine to support their healing process.

If you or anyone you know is suffering from a chronic mental, physical, or spiritual condition that they have not been able to find relief from, and you or they are open to this kind of a healing modality, then this may be a desirable alternative path.

If you are interested, I’ll interview you to see if you are a good candidate. If so, we will set up a healing session. After the healing session, we spend a few sessions processing what transpired in the healing session. Many individuals find this process transformative.

For more indepth reading on the shamanism and psychedelic medicine article go to this link.

For more information or to ask questions or address concerns, please feel free to contact Dr. Ellie by visiting https://centeronpeace.com/shamanic-healing/ .

With blessings,
Ellie Zarrabian, PhD