What is soul retrieval?
Soul retrieval is when we intentionally reclaim parts of ourselves that had been lost (soul loss).
Sandra Ingerman’s book, Soul Retrieval, Mending the Fragmented Self, says it very well:
What constitutes trauma varies from one individual to another.
Soul loss can be caused by whatever a person experiences as traumatic, even if another person would not experience it as such.”
Traditional psychology might think of this as a dissociated or fragmented part of consciousness.
Shamanic practitioners view it as an actual loss of part of the soul.
My experience and witnessing of my clients is that it often is felt as a reclaiming of a vital part of their essence – when a soul retrieval is done, the person may feel as though she or he got back their joy, power, or innocence. They may feel a new energy or life in a part of their body that had felt empty, numb or cold.
Symptoms of Soul Loss
You have a difficult time staying present in your body
You feel like an ‘airhead’ or are spacey
Sometimes you feel like you are outside your body, observing
You tend to fade into the background
You have a hard time feeling innocent, playful, joyful, trusting or spontaneous
You look for external things to fill an internal void
You struggle with addictions to mood-altering substances
You experience chronic depression, apathy or numbness
You feel overwhelmed, like you can’t cope
You were chronically ill as a child
You have problems with illnesses or a weak immune system
You feel a void, emptiness, like a hole in your heart
You have gaps in your childhood memories or sense that you may have blocked out portions of your life
You have difficulty moving on with your life after the loss (separation, divorce, death) of a person or loved one, a favorite pet, or even a beloved stuffed animal
Soul retrieval is a gentle process, generally done as part of a hypnotherapy session. Typically, we will first address the trauma that caused the soul loss. to release any residual effects of that trauma in mind and body. Whenever we remove something negative, we want to replace it with something positive, so trauma release often is followed by soul retrieval, to restore the innocence, joy, capacity to love, playfulness, etc. that had been lost as a result of the trauma.