Many practitioners claim to heal people or to work with trauma, and I have learned to be careful with that word. I experienced severe trauma in my own childhood, so I know from the inside that this work is rarely as clean or as simple as it is often made to sound. Trauma work with shamanism is real, and it can go very deep — but it asks far more honesty, patience, and self-knowledge from the practitioner than most people expect.
Shamanically, there are many approaches to these deep wounds. What follows is not a technique list to copy but a map of the terrain as I actually encounter it: the parts, the projections, the intrusions, and above all the responsibility that this work demands.
Introjects and Toxic Relationships
People often carry introjects from abusive relationships — most frequently from parents, and later from other toxic bonds. Traumatised individuals tend to become extremely sensitive to their environment, reading a room for danger long before anyone speaks. Where a parent showed narcissistic behaviour, the imprint is deeper and harder still. These internalised voices do not stay in the past; they shape how a person hears, trusts, and defends in the present.
The Victim and the Perpetrator Within
Here is the part that many practitioners who have not lived it tend to miss. Traumatised people usually exist in a dual reality: they are both the victim and, as a defence, the attacker. It is comfortable to see a traumatised person only as a victim, but in truth they are almost always both — and recognising and accepting that is a crucial part of healing.
Why does this happen? When a child experiences violence, the psyche forms one part as the victim — helpless in that moment — and, as a coping mechanism, also forms a part that carries the behaviour of the person being violent. There is no other way for the human psyche to survive the situation without building that second part. It is why children still, subconsciously, love parents who did cruel things to them: they have internalised that behaviour, and from time to time they express it, consciously or unconsciously, toward themselves or their environment. It is also why so many traumatised people end up harming themselves. In shamanic work, we sometimes find soul parts that do not really want to be there at all.
This also means there is no victim of narcissism without a narcissistic part somewhere within them — and it is exactly this recognition that makes healing possible. Which parts are not yet healed? Which shadow is the client not seeing? Identifying and integrating these aspects is essential. By acknowledging the dual nature of their experience, clients can begin to see the parts of themselves that mirror what they suffered, and work to heal those shadows rather than project them outward. This is the same principle that runs through all shadow work with NLP and shamanism, applied to the most tender material a person carries.
Spirit Attachments and Intrusions
Another dimension of this work is spirit attachments and intrusions that move into the gaps left by lost soul parts. Alongside the parts that have fled or been hurt, there may be several intrusions in the energy body that need to be extracted. This is done with an extraction helper spirit, usually from the upper world or heavenly realm. Where entities are involved, some depossession work may also be required, with the help of a psychopomp to escort what is ready to leave.
This process can take months, and it must be handled with great care, because traumatised clients tend to give their power away far too easily. I have experienced a teacher who, consciously or not, took on some of my own soul parts or power — which is exactly why care matters so much. Throughout the process it is paramount to be empathetic, warm-hearted, and patient.
Soul Retrieval
There are different views on how many parts the soul consists of, or whether one “retrieves” it in that sense at all. Honestly, I believe soul retrieval is not as universally central as it is often portrayed, especially in Western core shamanism — but for those who have experienced severe trauma, it holds real relevance. In the course of the work, we may find that a soul part needs to be brought back: perhaps it is still stuck in a childhood situation, or in another toxic relationship it never left. If you want to understand the journeying method that underlies this kind of work, I have written a fuller guide to shamanic meditation and journeying.
Compassion and Transformation
One thing I have come to trust is that even the ugliest demon can be transformed and sent on to the heavenly realm. Sometimes, once transformed, such a being even chooses to return as a powerful spirit helper for the very client it once burdened. The work is not about waging war on the dark; it is about meeting it with enough compassion that it can change.
Versatile Approaches and Self-Care
It helps to draw on more than shamanic methods alone. In my own practice I often combine shamanic work with tools like NLP or family constellations, choosing what serves the person in front of me. Be respectful and creative in this work — and allow yourself to take breaks whenever you need them. A depleted practitioner cannot hold a safe space.
The Responsibility This Work Demands
Trauma work through shamanism is deep and complex, and it asks for a great deal of sensitivity, understanding, and patience. It is demanding on both sides, and it must always be carried out with compassion and respect for every being and every part encountered along the way.
As a practitioner, you have to be aware that at some point you are likely to be attacked by your client — especially where entities are involved that do not want to leave, or where a perpetrator soul part feels threatened. Before you do anything, you need to earn the trust of all the parts. And you must be honest with yourself about whether you can genuinely hold space for all of this, and whether you have the understanding and patience to guide someone through it, because it carries enormous responsibility. If you are drawn to this path, begin by grounding your own practice — the beginner’s guide to shamanic journeying is a place to start, and building relationships with your own guides through the step-by-step guide to finding your spirit animal comes before ever holding this kind of space for others.
Trauma Work with Shamanism: Questions People Ask
Can shamanism really help heal trauma?
Shamanic work can be a meaningful part of healing trauma — through soul retrieval, extraction, and the integration of split-off parts — but it is not a replacement for professional mental-health care. In my experience it works best alongside therapy and other support, not instead of it, and only with a practitioner who is honest about the limits of what they can hold.
What is soul retrieval in trauma work?
Soul retrieval is the practice of recovering parts of the self believed to have split off and fled during overwhelming experiences. In trauma work these parts may still be “stuck” in a childhood scene or an old relationship. The aim is to bring them home gently, at a pace the person can integrate, rather than forcing a reunion they are not ready for.
Why does trauma work involve both a victim and a perpetrator part?
When someone survives violence, the psyche often forms both a helpless victim part and a part that carries the aggressor’s behaviour — a survival strategy, not a moral failing. Healing means recognising and integrating both, so the internalised aggression stops being turned against the self or projected onto others.
Is shamanic trauma work safe?
Only in careful hands, and never as a substitute for medical or psychological treatment. This is deep work that can stir powerful material, so it should be undertaken slowly, with a trustworthy and experienced practitioner, and ideally in coordination with a therapist when the trauma is significant.
This article discusses trauma and self-harm, which are sensitive subjects. If any of it touches something you are living with personally, please be gentle with yourself and consider reaching out to a qualified mental-health professional or a trusted person for support — you do not have to carry it alone.
