Sandra Ingerman leads workshops in shamanism around the world. A former educational director of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies, she holds an MA in counseling from the California Institute of Integral Studies. For more information visit her website.
Ingerman is a leading practitioner of shamanic journeying, an ancient healing tradition. In this classic book, she explains soul retrieval as a way of dealing with physical and emotional illnesses. For centuries shamans have been called upon to help those experiencing "soul loss" — the loss of crucial parts of themselves that provide life and vitality. This malady can be caused by loss of a loved one, abuse, surgery, miscarriage, the stress of combat, or addiction. Symptoms include feeling fragmented, a gap in memory, chronic depression, and feelings of being disconnected from the body and loved ones.
In response to soul loss, the shaman has the job of bringing back what is missing and restoring wholeness. This entails a trip into the spirit world where guardians and power animals assist them. Ingerman offers a prayer used in soul retrievals:
"Mother, one of your children wants to come home. Help me bring her back to you so that she can take her rightful place on earth."
Ingerman includes case histories of clients who have benefitted from soul retrieval along with her own experience of getting her soul back.
