with Lenore Norrgard, MA, Harner Method Shamanic Counselor
Soul retrieval healing is a shamanic process by which you may recover a part or parts of your soul that are missing.
One client's experience:
"This is the single best thing I have done for myself. Thank you for all the wonderful work you and your spirit helpers have done for me!
"I thought that you might like to know how my life has changed since the soul retrieval you did for me five years ago. These changes could not have been possible with out the work that we did:
"Since that time I have successfully changed my name, I have changed my career, and this month I will complete my 4-year Bachelor of Science degree in Business with a specialty in Information Technology. I find this amazing since prior to our meeting I was not able to finish anything I had started.
"My relationship is going well and we are about to celebrate our 14-year anniversary. I have recommended you to a friend of mine, who may be contacting you soon.
"Thank you so much for your help and wisdom! I am so much happier in my life."
--Isanna, a Bay Area soul retrieval client
- Soul Loss
- Common Symptoms of Soul Loss
- Soul Retrieval
- If You Want Soul Retrieval Healing
- Other Services
- Credentials
- Terms of Service
Every living being enjoys the vitality of life we call soul. Most people are born with their soul fully intact, which allows them, at least as children, to know who they are and what they want, to have the energy to pursue what they want, to trust how they experience the world and other people, and to know where they leave off and where others begin.
However, part of this essence, or soul, may be lost, most often through trauma. The trauma to the soul may be sudden, as in the cases of a physical injury, an incident of abuse, or the loss of a loved one; or it may take place gradually, as in the case of long-term neglect, lack of sufficient nourishment, or exploitation.
Soul loss can take place at any time in the course of one's life. The soul may leave the body to survive a trauma; this is why rape survivors often describe watching the rape take place from a vantage point across the room where it happened, and why people who have had a general anesthetic will sometimes remember floating above the surgery table and be able to describe the operation that took place.
Soul loss, when resulting from trauma, may be understood as a mechanism that allows the individual to survive. It is actually a good thing that the soul can leave the body while a trauma takes place: the problem is not that the soul leaves, but that it does not always completely return to the body.
Sometimes one may lose part of one's soul through soul theft, in which someone suffering soul loss tries to fill their own vacancy with part of the vital soul of another. Sometimes adults will give part of their soul away to someone else, usually in a misguided attempt to form an intimate bond.
Regardless of its cause, soul loss can lead to a lot of suffering. In fact, it is one of the most serious diagnoses known to shamans, our earliest known healers. Shamanic cultures consider soul loss to result in serious imbalances not only for the individual sufferer, but for the entire community of which the individual is a part.
(back to top)
Some Common Symptoms of Soul Loss
Feeling that something is missing
Lack of a clear sense of self
Lack of vitality/personal power
Feelings of watching life, rather than living it
Flat emotional affect
"Spacing out;" dissociation
Chronic depression
Addictive behavior
Difficulty with interpersonal boundaries
Memory gaps
Illness, especially autoimmune disorders
Healers in shamanic cultures the world over have, for thousands of years, restored balance by working with their respective spirit allies to locate the missing part of the soul and restore it to the body where it belongs.
This healing method has been revived in industrial culture by modern-day shaman Sandra Ingerman, author of the book Soul Retrieval: Mending the Fragmented Self You can find this book in your library or local bookstore, or you can buy it online on our Bookstore link (see menu bar, left).
Modern soul retrieval methods differ little from ancient ones; however, the context, and, therefore, the process, differ considerably. Because people in shamanic cultures were aware of such spirit-based maladies, a village or tribal member would typically suffer from soul loss for only a matter of days, or, at most, weeks.
In our society, on the other hand, a person may have been missing a part of their soul for decades, and got used to living, in a crippled way, without it. Also, it is not uncommon for an individual in our society to suffer from the loss of more than one soul part.
Once the soul part or parts are restored to the body, the modern person must go through a process of reintegration. After soul retrieval healing, the individual may experience a clearer sense of self, an increase in vitality, sharper perceptions, and/or a greater valuing of their own life and all life. Hence, bringing the soul back home may catalyze life changes.
(back to top)
If You Want Soul Retrieval Healing
I have practiced shamanic healing since 1992, and have performed hundreds of soul retrievals. I have developed a way of working that has served my clients well, and that may also work for you. These are the key steps in the process:
Because I want my clients to be well informed about the process they are undertaking, I require that you first read several chapters in Sandra Ingerman's book, Soul Retrieval. You can find this book in your library or local bookstore, or you can buy it online on our Bookstore link (see menu bar, left). Please read chapters 1, 2, 6, and 8-11 prior to your first session with me.
The first session is fundamentally for assessment. I will ask you a series of questions that will help us both to determine whether soul retrieval or some other approach is most appropriate for supporting your goals. If soul retrieval is appropriate, we will consider the best timing for this work. We will discuss my approach to the work, and you will have the opportunity to ask any questions you may have about soul retrieval, my background and way of working, or anything else that may help you to feel comfortable or help you to make up your mind about how to proceed. Towards the end of the session, if you wish to continue with the process, we will discuss preparations for the soul retrieval session itself, and schedule the next step. I will also discuss with you the options for supporting yourself in the post-soul retrieval reintegration process. This session typically takes 1.5 hours.
The next step is to make any preparations we have discussed in the initial session. This may be work we each do outside the session, or we may have elected to do some other work in session before the soul retrieval. This varies with each client and their individual situation, needs and desires.
The soul retrieval session has three parts: A preliminary discussion that prepares us each for the ceremony; the soul retrieval ceremony itself; and a post-ceremony discussion of what took place, how you are feeling, and how to care for yourself until the next session. This session typically takes three (3) hours.
I encourage you to do a course of shamanic follow-up work to support the reintegration of returned soul part(s). This may be done individually or in a small group, and involves discussion of your process coupled with journey and ritual work on your part. Alternatively, you may elect to come for a single follow-up session of one (1) hour only, in which we will discuss what you have experienced since the soul retrieval, and I will help you to frame these experiences.
The above provides a fairly detailed description of my approach. If you feel comfortable with my way of working, you may call or email Circle of the Living Earth to schedule your first session.
(back to top)
In addition to soul retrieval healing I practice other shamanic healing methods, and offer shamanic journey instruction to individuals and in small groups. I offer training to qualified practitioners in soul retrieval and other shamanic healing and counseling approaches.
(back to top)I was trained as a Harner Method Shamanic Counselor by the Foundation for Shamanic Studies, and was granted certification by that organization in 1993 after completing its requirements, which included auditing of my counseling work with clients. I studied healing methods with anthropologist and Foundation founder Michael Harner; with Sandra Ingerman, then Foundation Education Director; and with other Foundation faculty. Non-Foundation teachers include Malidoma and Sobonfu Some, Ailo Gaup, Anaiis Salles and Martin Prechtel.
I am not a psychologist and do not perform psychological counseling. All the work I do is in the shamanic tradition and is solely spiritual in nature.
I am a member of the Circle of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies and the Society of Shamanic Practitioners, a minister ordained by the Association for the Integration of the Whole Person, and founder of the Circle of the Living Earth/AIWP. I hold an MA in International Studies from the University of Washington.
(back to top)Shamanic healing and counseling requires a collaboration and mutual commitment between my client and myself. When you schedule an appointment with me, I reserve for you the time you have requested, and then make the needed preparations for your session. I want you to understand that a lot of care goes into doing this work well. In exchange, I ask you to arrive on time for sessions and to complete whatever preparations we may have discussed.
When you make an appointment with me, you agree to the following:
If you wish to reschedule or cancel a non-ceremonial session, you will make this request at least 48 hours prior to your scheduled appointment.
Because healing sessions, such as soul retrieval, require much more preparation on my part, you will make any request to reschedule or cancel a minimum of 72 hours before your scheduled appointment.
Without the above notice of rescheduling or cancellation, you will be responsible for payment for the full amount of session time reserved.
The worth of the work I perform with and for clients cannot be calculated, so I simply charge for my time. My fees vary according to location, please inquire about your area. Fees are payable at each session.
(back to top)