Can Shamanism Heal the Soul?- A Return to Ancestral Wisdom

Caro Herrera
Jun 10
4 min read

Hello Beautiful Soul,

Have you ever wondered why, in the midst of so much technology and scientific progress, we still feel a deep emptiness in our hearts? Why does that inner disconnection seem to intensify, despite everything the modern world offers us?

Today, we want to invite you to remember something sacred: an ancestral medicine that has not lost relevance with time, in fact, it’s more essential than ever. We’re talking about shamanism, a path that doesn’t just heal, it transforms.

"More than a technique, shamanism is a return to yourself,

to your soul, to your origin."

The elders say that in the darkest nights of the soul, when the birds stop singing and the fire of the spirit dims, there are those who light the flame of the sacred. These are the shamans, guardians of the Earth’s medicine. With their chants and rituals, they bring life back to the heart of the community. And when the sun rises again, something has changed: the soul breathes once more. That is the power of shamanism.

This medicine doesn’t treat symptoms, it speaks to the soul. A shamanic session isn’t about “fixing” something specific. It explores the spiritual origin of pain. It listens to what the soul wants to reveal. Sometimes, persistent anxiety is the echo of a childhood wound. Sometimes, physical pain reveals unspoken grief. Shamanism goes beyond the surface, it touches the invisible, and in that space, true healing unfolds.

From the shamanic worldview, everything is connected. We are not separate from the trees, the animals, the stars, or our ancestors. Everything vibrates, everything breathes, everything carries spirit. The drum is not just an instrument; it is the heartbeat of the Earth. Fire is not just heat; it is consciousness transforming. This wisdom lives on through many traditions: the Q’ero of Peru, Siberian shamans, Mayan healers, Lakota elders. Different songs, same essence: a reminder that we are part of the sacred web of life.

Shamanic ceremonies are portals of transformation. Rituals such as soul retrieval, energy cleansings, and drum journeys help release energetic blocks, reconnect us with our essence, and ignite inner rebirth.

Sandra Ingerman, in her book “Soul Retrieval,” beautifully explains that when parts of our soul fragment due to trauma, we can lovingly call them back into wholeness. And when that happens, something within us reawakens.

This path also works with energy, the body, and the unconscious. A sacred song can unlock repressed emotions. The scent of copal can reveal hidden pain. The sound of the rattle can open the door to long-forgotten memories. Through this process, body, heart, and spirit come into alignment.

Shamanism is not here to save you. It’s here to return you to yourself.

To remind you of your power.

Your inner medicine. Your sacred purpose.

Medical anthropologist Alberto Villoldo has written extensively about how this ancient wisdom not only heals the soul but also reprograms the body and expands consciousness. Through his work with Andean shamans, he affirms that when we shift our energy, we shift our biology. That’s how deep this work goes.

I had the honor of studying directly with him, and those teachings didn’t just inform my practice—they reshaped my life from the inside out

And speaking of science, we can’t ignore Jacobo Grinberg. This Mexican neuroscientist dared to explore the invisible. His work with Pachita, a healer who performed psychic surgeries while in trance, guided by a spirit named Cuauhtémoc, defied all medical logic. Jacobo didn’t just witness inexplicable healings—he proposed that shamans access a matrix of information that connects all existence. For him, healing was not magic, but direct interaction with the universal field of consciousness. Though his mysterious disappearance in 1994 remains unsolved, his legacy continues to remind us that consciousness can shape reality.

Today, even science is beginning to listen to the soul. Researchers like Gregg Braden and Bruce Lipton have shown how our thoughts, emotions, and beliefs impact our biology. Heart coherence, intention, vibration—these are real forces of healing. What our grandmothers always knew is now beginning to find scientific backing.

And if all this still feels far away, let me share a real story with you. For years, my mother, Yolanda, struggled with something deeply frustrating: unwanted hair growth on her chin and upper lip. Nothing worked. Until one day, during a shamanic healing session, a childhood memory surfaced—she had mocked an older woman with that same issue. Guilt, judgment, shame... all of it had been living in her body for decades. We lovingly brought that memory into the light. She forgave herself. And then the unexpected happened: within two days, her skin was smooth, as if the burden of guilt had lifted. Her soul had let go, and the body followed.

That’s what shamanism does: it brings light to the shadows and, in doing so, returns our freedom.

Would you like to take the first step? Here's a simple ritual you can try:

Find a quiet space. Light a candle. Place a flower and a bowl of water. Take a deep breath and say aloud:

I call my soul

I call my truth

I call my medicine

May all that I am return to me

Stay with it. Feel. Listen. Receive.

And if you feel the call, write. Here are a few journaling prompts: