Soul retrievals are a shamanic practice of escorting souls, or aspects of someone’s soul, to a more appropriate location in nonphysical reality. Soul retrievals can be done to help living people or to help those who have died (transitioned beyond the physical realm). Both are facets of the same thing. The first helps reintegrate “lost” aspects of a person’s personality. The second helps to reintegrate entire personalities or past lives into a person’s Higher Self.

A successful soul retrieval must have two key elements. First it must identify and release the trauma that caused the separation. Second it must effectively integrate the retrieved soul into the larger soul. Bringing home a lost aspect of the soul is like any homecoming. The process must be welcoming and hospitable or the prodigal soul may want to leave again.

Because the practice of soul retrieval literally dates back to prehistoric times there are countless ways to go about it. Soul retrievals can be done for you by someone else. You can do them yourself. Or you can do them in partnership with someone else. They can be done in person, by telephone, or remotely with no live personal contact.

Traditional shaman use rituals that involve drumming, rattles, totem spirit animals as assistants, and the sacred act of blowing the soul back into the person. You can check out Sandra Ingerman or Michael Harner for more information.

While I greatly respect their work and have read much on the subject I’ve never been formally instructed in traditional shamanic techniques. Consequently, I prefer to work on a modern freelance basis, trusting my training from the Monroe Institute, past experience, and inner guidance regarding the most appropriate procedures for a particular circumstance.

To help you better understand soul retrievals, in the next three posts I’ll describe the types of soul retrieval work I do: splintered-self recoveries, soul rescues, and past life integration.