What do shamans do?

Shamans work with the spirit or the soul.  They heal illness at the soul level.  They gain knowledge and insight from working with the spirits of nature such as rocks and trees, the land, and they gain knowledge from working with spirits of animals and humans such as their ancestors.  For the shaman everything is alive and carries information, you can call this spirit, energy, or consciousness.

In order to communicate with the spirit or consciousness of these things, the shaman will shift his or her own state of awareness.  Shamans can do this through various means, such as meditation, repetitive sounds such as that of the drum or rattle, or through the help of plants.  The shaman will then "see" through a new set of eyes, they will see what is going on with you on a spiritual level.  The shaman's practice is also characterized by the soul flight.  The shift of consciousness that the shaman makes, which allows the free part of his or her soul to leave the body.  The shaman can then go retrieve information for your healing and growth.  They can retrieve healing power, or things that you have lost along the way in living your life.  During the soul flight the shaman is both in the room, and going on this "journey" so that he or she has an awareness of both at the same time.  More about the soul flight or journey.

The shaman sees illness as a lack of power because it was lost somewhere in your life.  In order to heal you the shaman returns your power to you.  She or he may perform a power animal retrieval, see link for more details.  A power animal is a protector, similar to a guardian angel, which protects you from harm and helps you with your spiritual growth by lending its power to you. 

The shaman also removes misplaced energy. The negative emotions you may feel, or the negative emotions that another can send at you are seen by the shaman to be stuck or stored in various parts of the body.  This can be seen with the example such as how stress causes ulcers or back pains.  The shaman will re-empower you by removing the energy that does not belong within your body.  This is called a shamanic extraction, other healing modalities in addition to shamanism practice this in various forms.  This energy is not bad, it is just misplaced.  Because it does not belong in your body, it is seen as causing illness that then shows itself in a physical way through pain, sickness or emotional difficulties.

In the shamanic system part of the soul is free to leave the body, so therefore it is also believed that soul parts of each individual will leave the body in order to protect itself from trauma.  This is considered a positive protection mechanism.  For instance, if someone were to be in a car accident, part of the soul would leave the body to protect itself from the trauma of the impact.  The soul does not always know how to return, however, and if it has not returned for whatever reason this is referred to as soul loss.  That is when the shaman would become involved, in order to assist with returning this missing piece of yourself.  The healer would perform a soul retrieval, see link for more information.  In indigenous cultures this was performed quite regularly.  In these modern times, a person may go a long time feeling like a part of him or herself has been missing.  

Soul loss would be comparable to the psychological concept of disassociation.

Other activities which shamans have traditionally performed, in addition to healing people, also involved healing the land.  For centuries, shamans for centuries have been involved with earth healing by using their ability to communicate with the consciousness of land, bodies of water and other such natural features of their landscape.  Whether it by determining why crops would not grow in a certain location, or reasons for draught; working with growing things, the weather, and the land has been a traditional activity for the shaman.  They would also communicate with nature to find plants to heal illness.  Many South American shamans are responsible for discovering the healing property of certain plants, which later formed the basis for specific medicines we use in the western health system today.

In most cultures, even in current times, a particular shaman will be gifted in working with one or another shamanic activity.  A shaman may be more called to do soul retrieval, extraction, to work with death and dying, or to work with the land to name a few.  Some will specialize in one particular activity, some will be gifted in several areas.

The effectiveness of a shaman is generally measured by the results he or she is able to achieve.  It is believed that unless the shaman is able to call power animals and spiritual aid to help her, she will not be effective.  Indeed that individual could not be called a shaman.  The teaching of detachment, and letting go of one's ego is a central lesson for the shaman.  If the individual cannot let go of pride and self interest, he or she are not considered to be a good healer, and may not be able to enlist the spiritual aid considered necessary for effective healing.  There is a concept that the spirits must take pity on the healer and the one being healed.  If the shaman cannot evoke compassion from those that would aid her or him, but instead offends with his or her pride - no assistance will be given to that person for the healing work.

Most of the techniques of a shaman are particular to the individual or culture.  Whether a rattle or a drum is used is not considered an essential difference for effectiveness.  The shaman must do what ever he or she finds effective to call forth the energy for healing.  Whatever the shaman does to shift his consciousness, must only achieve the results of shifting consciousness.  The trappings of what the shaman does is comparable to how a star athlete prepares for a game, whether they do calisthenics to prepare, or simply rub their lucky sock, these preparations are just the trappings around the work itself.  Once again it is the results that measure the skill level.

Therefore there can be a wide variety of tools and techniques used by shamans, although certain tools/techniques appear frequently.  Percussion instruments such as rattles or drums, plants, water, stones, fires, and singing often accompany shamanic work - but what is specifically used will vary with the shaman, who must achieve the shift of consciousness, receive information being communicated, and be able to direct the healing by whatever means are most effective for him or her.  The same applies to whether the shaman uses hawk medicine or bear medicine, although all of these things may change the texture or feel of the shamanic work, one is not better than another.

There are certain techniques or perhaps skills that are considered essentially different in shamanic work.  Shapeshifting, merging, journeying,  and seeing are some of the skills a shaman may or may not posses, the ability to work over a long distance.

Soul Retrieval

The Free Soul

In shamanism it is believed that part of the human soul is free to leave the body.  The soul is the axis mundi, the center of the shamanic healing arts.  Shamans change their state of consciousness allowing their free soul to travel and retrieve ancient wisdom and lost power.

Because a portion of the soul is free to leave the body it will do so when dreaming, or it will leave the body to protect itself from potentially damaging situations be they emotional or physical.  In situations of trauma the soul piece may not return to the body on its own, and a shaman must intervene and return the soul essence.

Reasons For the Soul's Departure

There are various reasons for soul loss.  If a person was in an abusive situation part of one's soul may leave to protect itself from the abuse.  Sometimes as a child, fighting parents may prompt the soul part to hide because the child is scared.  If a traumatic accident is about to occur such as an impact or accident the soul would leave so that it wouldn't be effected by the force of the accident. If a loved one is lost, the soul part may go until the person is ready to deal with their grief. All of these are very healthy mechanisms of protection.  In some cases the soul part will return on its own.  But if it does not realize how to return, or if it does not know that it is safe to return - the shaman may need to assist the return of that missing piece. 

Another way to lose ones soul is to give it to someone.  When two people are in love, or when they are in a family, it is sometimes occurs that they will give portions of their soul to their loved ones.  A mother may give some to her child because she wishes to protect him or her.  This type of soul exchange may seem acceptable because of a person's desire to share themselves with another, but it is generally not a good idea.  An individual can't use another person's soul, because simply: it is not their soul.  The person must then deal with this unusable energy in addition to his or her own problems.  In addition, the persons who have given a piece of their soul away have disempowered themselves.  The giver's journey is made more difficult because they are not fully present to do the living of their life.  It is a lose lose situation. 

Because we are not taught about soul loss we do this soul sharing unconsciously.  As individuals becomes more conscious of this dynamic they can find more empowering ways of sharing love and affection in their close relationships.  You can see the language of soul loss in everyday speaking, people referring to how they "lost a piece of themselves" when they parted with a lover, or people saying "you stole my life from me."

Another reason for soul loss is called soul stealing, perhaps we should say borrowing.  As we said before, the average person today is unconscious of the soul dynamic.  So soul stealing can be innocent, you see someone with lots of energy and you want to borrow some of it.  You are afraid of losing someone, so you take a piece of that person with you so that you will always have him or her close by.  Soul stealing can also be a way to dominate another.  For instance soul stealing may be seen where an abusive spouse has taken his or her partner's soul.  When you take someone's soul you take some of that person's power.

It is important to know that no one can take your soul without your consent.  If someone has stolen your soul, you have in some sense given it to them or allowed them to have it.  If you feel for some reason that someone is tugging at your soul, make a firm decision within yourself that they cannot have it and they will not be able to take it from you.

Symptoms of Soul Loss

Soul loss would be comparable to the psychological concept of disassociation.  Some of the symptoms that would indicate soul loss to a shaman include: depression, a feeling of incompleteness, an inability to move forward on some issue, lost memories, feeling like your not in control your life, people who say I felt like part of me died when..., or people who say I feel like so and so stole my soul.  Soul loss is often accompanied by a feeling that something is missing from life. 

Once again the language of our society refers to soul loss, I lost something when I lost my job, I never felt the same after my accident... 

Coma is a situation of extreme soul loss, where more of the soul is out of the body then in.  As with the other protective feature of soul loss, this can be very appropriate.  If the body is in a great deal of pain, or if the soul needs time to consider its situation a coma provides needed time.  Shock is another symptom of soul loss, where the individual's soul hasn't returned yet or hasn't fully reentered the body.  For information on  "How do I know if I need a Soul Retrival", click here or go to the bottom of this page.

A person frequently wishes to return to his or her lost soul.  So if the soul part was lost to a person, or in a specific place, an individual may feel an urge to return to that place or person even when there seems to be no outward reason to do so.  Occasionally, a person having suicidal thoughts may be because of a desire to reunite with one's lost soul pieces.

The Soul Retrieval Process

If the shaman suspects soul loss she or he would then journey shamanically to determine if the return of a soul piece is needed at this time.  Once the appropriate healing action is determined, the shaman would then take another journey to retrieve any soul pieces that want to come back at this time.

In the practices taught in the US and in many parts of the world, the shaman brings the soul pieces back with them from his or her journey.  The healer would then blow each piece back into the body of the client, one at time, focusing so that the soul essence fills that person's body. 

It is not usually the case that an individual would do this for one's self.  For one thing, an essential component of shamanic healing is the love that is felt when someone performs a healing for you.  The act of receiving, a feeling that the universe is wanting the best for you.  Also, it is not always easy for the person to perform the soul retrieval process on themselves.  Some possible ways however, include asking for the souls return - putting the question to the universe, or asking your guardian spirits to return soul pieces to you.  It is certainly within the power of the individual to release any soul parts they may have because of soul sharing. See Below for more information about this.

Don't overlook the importance of having someone perform a soul retrieval for you because you feel you must do it on your own.  It is important to be active in one's own healing, but an active part is generally essential once the soul is returned to you.  The soul retrieval itself is very much about receiving, so whether you engage the assistance of a shamanic practitioner or not, don't forget this essential component. 

When performing a soul retrieval the shamanic practitioner will create a sacred space for you, one where you are held in a container or love, and one that protects you from interferences of the outside world.  If a client becomes vulnerable during the soul retrieval the shamanic practitioner protects that vulnerability.  It isn't easy to do this for oneself, -and- perform the soul retrieval, -and- drum, -and- be receiving...  you get the idea.

The Soul's Return

Celebrate the joyous return to yourself.

In indigenous cultures with active shamans, individuals would not be without their soul pieces for very long.  The return would often be accompanied by celebration, or a joyous welcome from family members.  In today's culture however, an entire lifetime can go by before certain pieces come home such that the soul retrieval is a bit like the return of the prodigal son.  Whatever the case, its important to celebrate the return of your vital essence back to where it belongs - in the same way we would celebrate the return of a long lost loved one. 

People's reactions after their soul retrieval are very varied.  Just as varied as the wide array of people there are in the world.  You are unique and so is your returning soul.  The return will mean different things to different people so its important not to have any preconceived notions about what you might feel.  Some people feel great joy, some people sadness, some people feel fuller, some people feel lighter, some people feel nothing... The list is endless.

Some of the benefits that have been experienced by people who have received a soul retrieval include; a greater ability to make decisions in their life, a sense of being more present in their life, the ability to move pass an issue that previously could not, the beginning of a new growth or healing process, an ability to begin dealing with grief...  Each person is unique and will experience different results from their soul retrieval.  Some soul retrieval practitioners will tell you what gifts are returning more fully to you with the return of a specific part of yourself.  For instance the return of your ability to hope, or confidence in yourself.  The practitioner cannot tell you in advance what will come from the soul retrieval.  It is possible that the soul retrieval will complete a healing process, but it is also possible that it will begin the work of new healing and new growing. 

With the soul's return you must be open, not only so that you can fully receive what is being returned, but also so that you can notice any indications of new needs in your life.  Perhaps you need to have more fun to meet the needs of the returned piece of your self, perhaps you need to go outside more, perhaps you need to give your self a period of introspection after the soul retrieval has occurred.  Possibly, the soul's return will begin a new healing process.  Perhaps the soul retrieval was just the last of a missing piece in your healing process.  If the soul retrieval is to be effective you must listen to yourself.  You must care for yourself as you would a new born, and give your self whatever you find is needed now that the gift of you has been received. 

Do you need any more information?

If you would like to know more about the soul retrieval process, I would recommend a book by Sandra Ingerman:

Soul Retrieval: Mending the Fragmented Self Through Shamanic Practice, Sandra Ingerman

The book has been healing in itself for some people, and it will give you a full overview of Soul Retrieval.  Sandra Ingerman is a pioneer for the introduction of soul retrieval to the US and has taught thousands of students in the soul retrieval process during her 20 plus years as a shamanic practitioner.

If you would like to locate a shamanic healer for soul retrieval Sandra Ingerman has a list of practitioners at her shamanic practitioner website which you can check for a healer in your area: ShamanicTeachers.com

Her teaching schedule can be found on her website: http://www.shamanicvisions.com/ingerman.html
And she also has a website www.sandraingerman.com for general information.

When you are looking for a person to perform your soul retrieval it is essential that you feel comfortable with your choice.  People who know how to trust themselves are not likely to have any problems finding the right practitioner, but if this is a concern of yours here is some information about choosing: Find someone who has the right fit with you.  If you don't feel comfortable with a practitioner it doesn't matter that their name came highly recommended by someone or if they are highly skilled.  Some clients fit better with certain practitioners then with others.

A good practitioner will be very accepting of you, judgmental language is a warning sign.  The most important quality of a shamanic practitioner, a lesson we as practitioners and are taught frequently, is to remember that as the healer you are only the vehicle for healing.  So that is the sense you should get from your shamanic practitioner, that they understand the principal of "the hollow bone" - "I am but the vehicle for the healing of the universe, and it is the love in my heart that makes the difference."

 

Returning Soul Parts that you are holding:

If you feel that you have soul pieces to return to others: 

In the language of the soul, the way you "get things done" is by making clear what your intent is.  The job is accomplished by doing something as simple as - going outside, getting a twig, and snapping it in half to indicate that you would like to release the souls you are holding.  You can take an object such as a quartz stone that represents the person's soul and give it to the person as a gift.  Speak a request that your guardian spirits return the soul pieces you are holding.  These and many other techniques work.  It is only necessary for you to send clear a message that you wish to release the soul pieces, so whatever method that seems appropriate for you will work. 

IF you are actually willing to release the soul piece, that is.  In some cases it is difficult to let go when someone is no longer in our life, such as a lover we have broken up with.  You may need to first do the work of being willing to release what you are holding of them.  Perhaps you are unwilling to let go of the control.  Don't judge yourself but instead try to get to the bottom of why you are holding on.  Remember that this part of their soul is needed for them to live their life fully, and that it makes your life more difficult when you try to hold on.

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How Do I know if I need a Soul Retrieval?

Many people know instinctively that they are missing something.  They hear about soul retrieval and it makes sense to them, or they have an "Ah ha." moment where they realize that it is something that applies to them.  But for those people who aren't so well connected with their intuition, they might not have that awareness.

As mentioned above symptoms/indicators of soul loss can include:
-Feelings of depression
-A feeling of being incomplete
-Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, or PTSD like symptoms.
-Inability to move past an issue despite efforts to do so.
-Feeling like you've done everything you can do but are still stuck.
-Feeling disconnected from life, like you don't really feel anything, or you feel you can't connect to things.
-Memories or incident in your past when you can say, I feel that I lost something that I never got back.
-A sense that someone took a part of you, your heart, your soul, or that you were not the same once they left you or died.
-You keep wanting to return to a person, or a location that seems unhealthy or unlikely, even though there is no apparent reason for you to do so.
-Lost memories, like a part of your history is "missing"
-The feeling that soul retrieval may help you.

It isn't necessary for you to have an extreme symptom, to indicate soul loss.  It is certainly true that some people have experienced benefits even though they were not sure that they had soul loss or not.  If you feel this is something you might want to try, that is a good reason to contact a practitioner.  They can go on a diagnostic journey to find out if this would be best for you at this time.

If you feel that you aren't ready that is an emotion to honor.  Sometimes a soul retrieval will bring up issues that need to be healed.  If you aren't in a place where you are ready to do that, it may be good for you to wait. 

The following benefits are possible with soul retrieval, although there is no guarantee what will happen, all soul retrievals are different:
-You may find it easier to move forward on an issue that has been troubling you.
-You may feel a sense of being more fully present in your life.
-You may find it easier to make certain decisions or make certain changes.
-You may find that some characteristic you have struggled with such as hopefulness, confidence, anger.. may improve or go away after a soul retrieval.
-You may find that you can connect to things more easily.
-You may feel more fully present

Additionally it is possible for the following challenges to be brought up with a soul retrieval:
-You may have feelings of sadness or depression because of the time that went by missing this part of you.
-Issues that you have previously been unwilling to deal with can come to the surface.
-You may find that you can no longer stay in a situation which you have been living with - such that you find you must make changes in your life.
-You may find feelings that you previously did not wish to deal with assert themselves, such as grief or anger.
-You may begin a long healing process.

There is no knowing what may happen as the result of a soul retrieval.  In a few cases a person may literally experiences a complete turn around of their life to a more joyful way of being.  In some cases it begins a process of changes that take time to fully emerge.  And of course some people feel that not much really happened as a result of their soul retrieval.  Your instincts should tell you what to do, and the practitioner can help you determine if a soul retrieval would be helpful to you at this time.

If you need support after a soul retrieval, your shamanic practitioner may be able to help you.  You can also find support from a therapist or a counselor.  If you feel that you would like a soul retrieval, but have a feeling of fear because it is unknown, you can always contact a practitioner simply discuss soul retrieval or your fears.  See how you feel after you have discussed it with him or her, and then decide whether or not you wish to proceed.

Finally, a benefit of a soul retrieval or any shamanic healing is seeing that someone cares enough to help you.  Most shamanic practitioners feel a strong desire to help make your road a little easier.  Some people say that this is the most helpful part of the healing process for them. 

Good luck with your journey.  Remember that whatever you decide, it is often the process of looking for healing that brings healing to you.  When we ask the question, what is it I need, what do I need to do next, the act of questioning will often bring a flow of answers into our lives from unexpected sources.

Shamanic Extraction

Shamans work with the spirit or the soul and they work with energy.  In the case of shamanic extraction they are working with misplaced energy.  No energy is truly bad from a shamanic perspective.  If energy is misplaced or it isn't in accord with the environment (the human body, or the body of land...) it will bring illness. 

Shamanic extraction is the removal of displaced energy, sometimes called intrusions.  This is energy that does not belong in the body and may cause illness.

 

Where does misplaced energy come from?

We all are aware that emotional states can effect health.  Stress is acknowledged to cause backaches and ulcers.  Shamans believe that your emotion takes the form of energy and can be stored throughout the body and eventually lead to illness.  So you store your stress or anger in your stomach, or you get angry and send your anger out at someone.  We can see this if can remember a time when someone's anger or sadness seemed to have an effect on a room: "her anger hit me like a blow" "you could cut the tension with a knife."

The energy that can be stored in the body does not have to be from anger but could be from other reasons as well.  In the shamanic mind there is no distinction made based on where the energy came from.  The shaman sees that the energy does not belong there and removes it. 

Other types of misplaced energy could be the energy left behind from an injury.  Someone sprains his/her ankle and an energetic injury may remain which could perpetuate weakness in that location.  Organ transplants is sometimes an instance where shamanic extraction is needed.  Shamanically everything has a soul, so the heart transplanted from another may still contain energy from the organ donor.  This energy may or may not be compatible with the heart transplant recipient.  If its not, the shaman would remove the 'displaced' energy that is adding to the body's rejection of the heart so that the rejection will be less severe.

As you can see in the organ donor example, misplaced energy is not good or bad, it simply does not belong there.  Because it does not belong there it causes illness or weakness in the body.

 

The Extraction: Finding and Removing the Misplaced Energy

The shaman will first enter a shamanic state of consciousness to diagnose and find where misplaced energy might be in the body.  This change in consciousness allows the shaman to see in a different way, to see what is going on energetically. The shaman will perceive the energy in some way that will indicate to her or to him that it needs to be removed.  It may appear to shaman as black sludge, or as an attacking snake, have a smell, or be felt as heaviness.  The way each shaman perceives that there is misplaced energy varies, but there is always a signal of some kind which says 'this does not belong here.'

Once the shaman has located the misplaced energy, he or she will then merge fully with their guardian spirits or power animals.  This increases the shaman's power and allows them to remove the energy.  It also protects the shaman from taking the energy into her or his own body during the shamanic extraction.  This increase of power allows the shaman to pull the energy out, as if he or she has a stronger magnet to pull with.  If the shaman increases the power of his or her magnet sufficiently to overcome the displaced energy's hold on the body, it can be removed.

Depending on the shamanic practitioner and the nature of the displaced energy this can be a very quiet process, or some practitioners and especially in native societies the extraction can be quite a show.   The shamanic practitioner merged with a power animal may move similarly as his or her power animal, or may make the sounds of her or his animal.  For instance if the animal is a snake the practitioner may hiss while removing the energy block.  If you are interested in having an extraction you can discuss this with your shamanic practitioner, and they can perform the extraction in a way that you feel comfortable with.

In addition, sound instruments may be used, such as a rattle or a drum, to increase the power or the energy of the "magnet."  The shamanic practitioner may sing to maintain her or his shamanic state, or to increase her/his power during the process.

The shamanic practitioner will dispose of the removed energy in various ways.  She may transmute (transform) the energy into a more positive life enhancing energy.  He  may place it in water and have the water neutralize it. 

Once the extraction is performed the shamanic practitioner will fill the void that is created by the vacated energy in the person's body.  The practitioner may replace it with healing energy, perform a power animal retrieval, or perform a soul retrieval.  The shaman will not leave a void for other energy to fill.

 

Protecting Yourself

If you want to be proactive in avoiding misplaced energy in your body there are various thing you can to.  To protect yourself from outside energy you can imagine yourself surrounded by protection.  One commonly used method is to envision yourself surrounded by a blue translucent egg that allows only positive energy in and allows energy back out.  This can surround you as you go about your daily life.  If the environment is severe, or someone is combative you may wish imagine a brick wall for that time.

When you are feeling negative emotions it is important not to ignore them so that they will be stored in your body.  They need to be expressed and allowed to leave your body.  You do not want to send them to others either, so you can request that as you express your emotions they are transformed into more neutral or healing energy by the universe or your guardian spirits.

There are stones or other objects which are considered to absorb negative energy.  If this appeals to you:  Heavy leaden stones are thought to absorb energy, such as granite, galena, hematite.  There are stones which transform and lighten energy such as selenite, calcite, and quartz.  A dark purple amethyst may make a good protective stone.  Moldavite will transform the negative into positive, and has been known to get physically warm while doing so (this stone can be expensive however.)  You can have the stone in your pocket, wear it as a pendant, or place it on the desk where you work.  People who engage in this practice will clean their stones with water, or place them in a sunny window to clean up any energy that might get stored in the stones.  (Selenite does not need cleaning.)  If you feel your stones need a more radical cleaning they can be buried outside to be healed by the earth.  Stores that sell these items are often listed under "Rock Shops" in the yellow pages.

If you would like to remove some of your own intrusions, visualization can be helpful.  As you drink water imagine it filling your body and transforming misplaced energy.  Or you can go swimming and imagine this.  Lay out in the sun and imagine it melting away your intrusions and filling you with glowing healing energy.  Just be sure to imagine something replacing that which is removed.

Healing Extraction Song

This is an example of an extraction healing song which is sung in the morning to the sun, each line is repeated 4 times before going to the next as shown here:

Morning Sun, Morning Sun, Come my way, Come my way
Morning Sun, Morning Sun, Come my way, Come my way
Morning Sun, Morning Sun, Come my way, Come my way
Morning Sun, Morning Sun, Come my way, Come my way

Come my way, Come my way, Take my pain, Take my pain
Come my way, Come my way, Take my pain, Take my pain
Come my way, Come my way, Take my pain, Take my pain
Come my way, Come my way, Take my pain, Take my pain

Take my pain, Take my pain, down below, down below
Take my pain, Take my pain, down below, down below
Take my pain, Take my pain, down below, down below
Take my pain, Take my pain, down below, down below

Down below, Down below - healing waters down below
Down below, Down below - healing waters down below
Down below, Down below - healing waters down below
Down below, Down below - healing waters down below...

Shamanic Healing - Long Distance

Time and Space In Shamanic Practice

Time in space are relative in the Shamanic belief.  Those who practice shamanic techniques regularly find that many things can be accomplished in a short period of time.  And people often return from their journeys with surprise at how "it seemed like I was gone longer then that" or "I didn't think I had been gone that long."

Time and space are also considered relative  in science.  (Meaning not set in stone but flexible and changeable.  Lets say compressible.)  But we don't want to go into Quantum Physics here...  So we'll sum it up that the shamanic journeyer can take advantage of these principles of science because in the journey you aren't bound to the rules of matter/the physical form but can instead follow the rules of energy.

When on a journey great "distances" can be crossed quickly.  Time can expand or contract, so that you can accomplish what is needed in the time available, and the shaman can go to where he or she is needed.

Long Distance Healing

In a long distance healing a shaman healer will journey to where you are, and perform a healing on you in a similar way to what they would do if they were right there with you in physical form.  People may or may not have sensations when this healing is occurring, depending on the person's sensitivity.  Also, because time is relative, the person being healed may not receive the effects of the healing in the moment in which the shaman is performing the healing.  The healing may be "delivered" at a different time or date.

Healing such as soul retrieval, shamanic extraction, power animal retrieval, as well as any number of healing can be done at a distance by the healer for his or her client.  The healer may also simply send healing energy to the person.  Healing can be sent by a group of people to an individual, in a similar way to how a group prayer is performed.

Does it work?

Regardless as to whether it makes sense to our every day thinking, long distance healing is reported to work well.  There are certainly some practitioners who are more skilled at it then others, just as with anything.  But there are a significant amount of people who have reported powerful healing results when they have received long distance healing.  It also should be noted that shamanic healing is not the only healing modality which uses long distance healing.  Reiki, for instance, utilizes long distance healing.

Many long distance healers will state somewhere that they offer this service, but you can always ask.  Some healers specialize in long distance healing only.  As with any healing use your own judgment when selecting a healer for long distance healing.

Why long distance?

People do not always have success finding a healer who is close by.  Long distance healing offers the potential for an individual who is in a far removed location, or a location where such healing services seem unavailable, to receive healing from a shaman regardless of the distances.  It also allows an individual to receive healing from a shaman that they particularly want to work with.   The use of long distance healing can also be desirable in situations when it is not suitable to have a healer in the same place as the person being healed or directly touching the client.  Such as if the person to be healed has a contagious illness, cannot be touched for some reason, or feels more comfortable with the long distance method.  Long distance healing is frequently used with animals, who are sometimes unwilling to sit still long enough to be healed. ;)

It should also be noted that there are certain advantages that may be lost in a long distance healing.  When a shaman healer performs a healing in person, they create a sacred space for you.  They are there to support you directly in your healing process.  There are many good reports about long distance healings, so it is possible that some healers still create this supporting space for their clients regardless of the distance.  You should always feel free to discuss your needs and concerns with a potential shamanic healer.