Quick answer
Shamanic healing is a broad name for practices in which a specialist enters a trance, usually through drumming, song or fasting, to seek help from spirits on behalf of a person or community. Versions exist in Siberia, the Americas, Southeast Asia and elsewhere, each belonging to a particular people and passed down within it. The old version blurred all of that into a menu of chakra cleansing, aura reading, crystals and singing bowls, and promised it would fix depression and physical problems. This page describes the practice generally, without instructions, because the ceremonies belong to the traditions that hold them. What people take from a good session is real: attention, a ritual shape for grief or change, and a feeling of being cared for. What it cannot do is treat illness. Red flags and a fair table are below. The wider question of healing energy is in Healing Energy: Reiki, Distance and Shamanic Healing, What Research Finds, Why People Feel Better, Choosing a Practitioner.
What a session generally involves, and what people take from it
| Element | What it generally involves | What people often take from it |
|---|---|---|
| The practitioner | Someone trained within a tradition, often over years, and answerable to a community | Trust that the work is not improvised |
| Trance | Drumming, rattling, song or chant used to shift attention | Deep relaxation and vivid imagery |
| The journey | The practitioner reports what they saw or were told on the person’s behalf | A story that gives shape to a hard time |
| Extraction or retrieval | Ritual removal of something harmful, or return of something lost | A felt sense of a weight lifting; a marker of change |
| Community | Family or others present; the healing is not private | Being witnessed; support that outlasts the session |
| Aftercare | Instructions about rest, offerings or conduct | A period of attention to oneself |
- A self-titled shaman with a weekend certificate and no tradition behind them
- A promise to cure or treat a diagnosed condition
- A diagnosis of a curse, attachment or block that costs money to remove
- Pressure to stop medication or medical care
- Substances presented as safe with no medical screening
- Escalating fees, or a request for gift cards
Safety: Shamanic healing does not treat depression, anxiety or physical illness. Symptoms go to a doctor; in a crisis in the US, call or text 988. Report a practitioner who charges to remove a curse to the FTC or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. For where the word shaman comes from and why the self-titled kind is a problem, see What a Shaman Is.
Read the full healing-energy guide
The hub covers Reiki, distance and shamanic healing, what research finds, why people feel better, and how to choose a practitioner.
Wow, I had no idea chakras were so complex and colorful! This was very informative.
This article really opened my mind to different spiritual practices and healing methods, thank you!
I think chakra cleansing could be really beneficial for people struggling with stress and trauma in their lives.
The idea of using shamans as a way to gain insight into yourself is intriguing. It’s an interesting alternative approach to finding purpose and meaning in life.
Shamanic healing is so fascinating, I would love to learn more about this ancient practice!
I’m not convinced about all these spiritual practices, but it’s interesting to learn about them.
This seems like a load of nonsense to me. People will believe anything.
I can’t believe people actually pay money for these types of spiritual healings. Seems like a scam.