Chronic pain is defined as pain lasting longer than the typical recovery period. It can also refer to pain associated with chronic diseases such as diabetes and arthritis. Because it’s chronic or persisting, it can dramatically affect one’s day-to-day life. Different treatment options are available to heal or alleviate this pain — from medications and physical therapy to surgery. One non-invasive alternative is to see a shaman healer.
What Is This Healing Method?
Seeing a shaman healer is an alternative method that has been practiced across different countries for thousands of years. Shamans use their knowledge of the natural world to diagnose and treat patients using techniques like massage, drumming, chanting, singing, and dancing. In addition to treating physical ailments through shamanic healing, shamans also help resolve emotional trauma and provide spiritual guidance and counseling.
Why Should You Try Shamanic Healing?
There are several reasons why seeking this kind of healing could benefit you.
Shamans believe that illnesses are often caused by emotional trauma. If you’re suffering from chronic pain, you may feel overwhelmed by memories of past traumas that contributed to your pain. A shamanic healer could help you identify these experiences and release them.
According to them, illnesses can also stem from imbalances in the body. You may feel emotionally out of balance when you suffer from chronic pain. As a result, your body becomes unwell (or even more unwell, if you’re already experiencing pain and discomfort). Shamans are there to help restore the harmony between your mind and body.
Shamans also believe in what lies beyond the physical world. They use their understanding of the spiritual realm to connect with spirits and use their wisdom to provide healing to their patients.
Finally, shamans believe that illness comes from the spirit world. Because they study nature, shamans understand how spirits influence the body. Through prayer and ritual, shamans hope to connect with the spirits that inhabit the land and guide them towards healing.
How Does It Work?
For shamans to help you treat your chronic pain, they must first know your personal history. How long have you been experiencing it? What’s your condition like? When did it develop? Are there significant events that could have led to your developing that disease? How’s your lifestyle? Your emotional and spiritual wellness?
By knowing these details, they can “read” you and identify underlying traumas that cause the pain you’re feeling.
There are different rituals that a shaman healer may undertake to help you relax and meditate — from chanting to beating a drum. Helping you relax makes it easier for them to guide you in knowing yourself better, coming to terms with your issues, and removing the negative influences and energies that hinder you from healing from your chronic pain. They also use these rituals to enter an altered state of consciousness, travel in the spiritual world, and seek help from spirits to help free you from your pain.
Shamanic healing can be combined with traditional medicine for a holistic treatment that tackles physical, emotional, and spiritual pain points.