Trauma has many faces. For some, it may manifest as the haunting memories of childhood abuse. For others, it's the heavy silence left behind by loss, rejection, or abandonment. Whatever the cause, trauma doesn’t just leave scars on the body and mind—it impacts us on a deeper, often overlooked level—the spirit.

Psychotherapist Benjamin Fry writes in The Invisible Lion about the necessity of addressing the whole self—mind, body, and spirit—on the path to healing. And yet, modern therapeutic approaches often leave the spiritual dimension out of the equation. This is where shamanic healing comes in. It offers a way to reconnect with the fragmented parts of ourselves and regain a sense of wholeness through practices like Soul Retrieval. Here, we’ll explore what Soul Loss is, how shamanic healing works, and how it can empower trauma survivors and their loved ones.

What Is Soul Loss?

Have you ever felt an inexplicable emptiness, a sense of dullness that refuses to lift no matter how much you talk through the pain or try to move forward? According to shamanistic perspectives, this is often the result of Soul Loss: a fragmentation of the spirit that occurs as a protective mechanism during overwhelmingly traumatic experiences. It’s as if a part of our soul leaves us to shield our psyche from disintegration.

But Soul Loss isn’t a permanent condition—it’s an invitation. It urges us to acknowledge the fracture and begin a process of reclaiming ourselves. This is where Soul Retrieval comes in, offering a path toward integration and healing.

What Causes Soul Loss?

Trauma is often at the root of Soul Loss, typically resulting from experiences that overwhelm us emotionally, physically, or spiritually. These can include:

Sexual, emotional, physical, or mental abuse
Prolonged periods of grief, helplessness, or fear
Addictions, such as substance dependency or gambling
Near-death experiences or intense altered states of consciousness
Witnessing unexpected loss or death
Betrayal, rejection, or abandonment
Unhealthy relationships that erode your personal boundaries
Sudden accidents or shocking life events

Every wound we carry is different, and so too is every path to healing. Realizing you’ve experienced Soul Loss is often the crucial first step in your personal restoration.

The Gift Hidden in Soul Loss

What if the emptiness you feel is not just a void, but an opportunity? Shamanic wisdom teaches us that while Soul Loss is painful, it also carries the potential for profound transformation. By becoming aware of our spiritual fragmentation, we ignite a process of longing, seeking, and ultimately reclaiming our true essence. It’s a form of spiritual alchemy that turns suffering into self-discovery.

The Benefits of Soul Retrieval

Soul Retrieval is a central practice in shamanic healing, where a trained practitioner facilitates the reintegration of the fragmented parts of your soul. The effects can be life-changing. Through Soul Retrieval, survivors often find themselves becoming more present, centered, and alive. The world begins to feel vibrant, no longer a dreary cycle of monotony. Life transforms into a gift—an adventure to savor.

You become ensouled.

Internal Family Systems (IFS): A Modern Echo of Soul Retrieval

Interestingly, modern trauma therapies echo some of the wisdom found in shamanistic practices. For example, Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy focuses on the concept of "parts"—inner voices or identities within a person that may conflict with one another. Much like Soul Retrieval, IFS seeks to harmonize these parts and create a sense of internal peace and wholeness. Both approaches teach us that healing comes not from disavowing the aspects of ourselves that carry pain or shame, but from reintegrating and transforming them.

Embodying Healing—Cacao Therapy and Release Practices

Spiritual healing doesn’t always involve transcendent visions or ethereal rituals—it can also be grounded in accessible practices. One of these is Cacao Therapy, a ceremonial use of cacao to create a safe container for emotional release and spiritual connection.

I’ll never forget my first cacao ceremony. Held by the grounded and compassionate Dr. Aki Lakani, the session wasn’t just about sipping a warm drink—it was a profound liberation of energy that I didn’t even realize I was holding onto. For four hours, I allowed myself to move freely, to shake, to weep, to feel without reservation. The cacao wasn’t hallucinogenic; instead, it was like a warm hug for my nervous system, creating the space I needed to release trapped emotions.

Sometimes, healing isn’t in the talking—it’s in the doing. Practices like this remind us that trauma tends to live in the body until it's given the permission to leave.

What Can We Learn From Shamanic Healing?

While the traditions of shamanism may seem foreign or out of reach to some, their relevance to trauma healing is undeniable. Here are a few lessons we can learn from shamanic healing approaches:

Healing Requires Whole-Person Integration

Your mind, body, and spirit all carry the impacts of trauma and deserve equal attention in your healing process.

The Journey is Personal

Unlike cookie-cutter solutions, shamanic practice acknowledges that healing is deeply individual. What works for one person might not work for another—and that’s okay.

Awareness is the First Step

Before healing can begin, we must first recognize the wounds we carry. This awareness often sparks profound transformation.

There’s Beauty in the Brokenness

Soul Loss isn’t just a tragedy—it’s an opportunity to come home to yourself, with a deeper understanding of your own resilience and worth.

For Trauma Survivors and Their Supporters

If you’re someone navigating life after trauma, or if you know and care for someone who is, shamanic healing offers perspectives that can complement more conventional therapeutic approaches. It’s not a substitute for medical or psychological care, but rather a powerful addition to the toolbox of healing.

Trauma is not the end of the road. More often than not, it’s the beginning of a new one—one that leads us to integration, presence, and a reawakening of life’s vibrancy.

Where will this path take you?

Final Reflection

Healing is rarely linear. It ebbs and flows, takes detours we didn’t anticipate, and humbles us along the way. But at its core, healing reconnects us with what it means to be fully alive. Whether it’s through Soul Retrieval, Internal Family Systems therapy, or something as simple and profound as a cacao ceremony, shamanic practices invite us to see the brilliance in our fragmented selves.

If something in these words spoke to you, perhaps it’s time to explore the alchemy of your own healing. What pieces of yourself are waiting to rejoin the whole? What hidden gifts might you uncover in the process?

See some of the services on Munay that can help you through self-forgiveness