Whether it’s working within the confines of psychotherapy or the limitless realms of Shamanic medicine, there are several values that inform my practice:

 

• Everything we do, think and feel matters.  The question is: do we want to effect change consciously or unconsciously?  Healing our wounds and the attunement of our consciousness lifts the world and opens us to our divinity.  This work helps to lift the veils of shame, doubt, self loathing, and fear to allow release from what we work so hard to keep in shadow, thus bringing about a shift in perspective that enhances awareness, empowerment and self-love. 

 

•  All healing is inherently a relational accord between the receiver, the giver, and spirit.  The giver, whether therapist or Shaman, is the go-between or the energetic conduit.  This position is a sacred trust that requires the giver or practitioner to maintain the highest integrity and to be well aware and ever vigilant of her own ego issues.

 

• Shamanic energy medicine offers healing of wounds from their source as they affect the mind, body, soul of the client.  Healing sometimes but not always includes curing.  The essence of Shamanic work is to work in the realm of the energetic, which informs the mental/emotional realm, which informs the physical realm.  There are some cases where a person with cancer, for example, might not be cured of cancer, but might be healed from the wound(s) that are continuing to plague the person.  Thus they may be relieved of their soul, emotional, and mental suffering and still live with the diagnosis.  

 

• Everything and everyone holds the beauty, wisdom, strength, and love of the divine.  Everything and everyone teaches.  It is essentially a matter of learning how to receive what is offered with gratitude.  Even the most harmful actors are just that, actors playing their roles.  What can we learn about ourselves from their actions?  This is not to say we shouldn’t have emotional reactions and take action when necessary, rather it is a way of holding an overview that places us all in this together.