Guest guest Posted January 30, 2004 Report Share Posted January 30, 2004 I saw a Shaman a couple of months ago and I can't wait to go back and see her again. It was so energizing and relaxing at the same time. She pinpointed a lot of things. When I went to see her, she only knew my first name and nothing more about me. She went straight to work on my feet and said was quite taken by my own energy. She said that my energy was incredible and hoped that I would learn to use it to heal. During the healing, my body contorted and twisted (this doesn't usually happen) I was amazed with the whole experience. When I left there, I felt like I was floating on a cloud for the rest of the day. It replenished my positive energy and outlook and I was very thankful for that. My husband calls her my " voodoo doctor " of course he doesn't believe. I explained to my husband that anything that made me feel so good and so completely ready to go on fighting, was totally worth it. I have a couple of friends that have also seen her and have had wonderful experiences. The Shaman I see warned me about seeking out spiritual healers because we all know that there are a lot of people out there who are out to scam you, not heal or help you. Some will charge $100 or more... She charges $40 IF you can afford it. She would do a healing for 40 cents just for the sake of helping someone. Onale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 30, 2004 Report Share Posted January 30, 2004 > Hello all > > I was wondering if anyone here had consulted a shaman; and if so - what was that experience like? > > laxity@e... ------------------------ I have never " consulted " a shaman as such, but one of our guest presenters when I was in school was a Lakota Sioux Shadow Warrior. Part of his presentation was to put the class through a Medicine Wheel ritual. His name was Quinn. I also have a couple of classmates who have done a fair amount of studying with various shamans. From a couple of posts of mine over the last couple of days, you already know that I have had first hand experience on the receiving end of " western " pyschology and psychiatry. In total candor and honesty, if I ever again felt the need for " counseling, " I would contact Quinn before I would any " western trained " counselor. Quinn had a sense of empathy that I have never experienced with any of the traditional head docs I have seen in the past. I was impressed. We have all been brainwashed into a mind-set that traditional, native culture, healers are just cartoon witch doctors, with all the negative connotations that the term implies. The reality is far different. Western science is constantly discovering that the herbs and potions being used do in fact have solid scientific validity. Many, many so-called wonder drugs being peddled by the big pharmaceutical companies are nothing more than chemical distillations of ingredients found in various plants being used all over the world by " shamans " and " witch doctors. " And the " scientific discoveries " came about because the native healers were getting obvious results. Samples of the plants were then taken to labs for chemical analyses and tests to determine if the active ingredients could be manufactured artificially, thereby allowing the drug company to patent it, market it, and make lots and lots of money. And then there is the issue of " energy. " I have paid particularly close attention the last couple of years to documentaries on native healers and other alternative approaches. The more involved I have personally become with energy work and alternative modalities, the more aware I have become of the prevalence of it across cultural lines. An untrained observer is simply going to see what looks like a " ritual " being performed. There have been many cases where I have seen something completely different because I know what they are doing with their hands and the results that can be expected of it. I have seen documentaries where the native healer is talking about moving evil spirits or vapors out of the patient's body, but the healer's hands are actually doing a form of lymphatic drainage. Or they talk about the patient being out of balance and they are doing a type of energy work. So, there is no way that I am going to automatically discount or downplay potential benefit or results from consulting a shaman. It is like any " profession. " There are good and bad, competent and incompetent, practitioners in all fields. You just need to do your own research and reference checking before you go that route. On the other hand, I am also going to issue a very strong warning. Since some shamanistic practices involve herbs and plant potions, you absolutely need to know what you are doing before you even consider taking any of them, especially if you are already taking serious doses of other medications. If you can't depend on your doctor or pharmacist to keep you adequately informed of all of the side effects and interactions of prescribed medications, how can you possibly make a rational decision about taking something about which you know nothing at all of the active ingredients? Some of the active plant ingredients are extremely potent and could pose a very serious risk of adverse interactions with something else you are taking. They could suppress the effects of your other meds, highten them, or turn toxic when used in combination. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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