By Judy Liu Ramsey

Jake, a lovebird, was devastated when his person died, carrying his own grief as well as the grief of his person’s widow. He began picking at his wingpit until it bled. Because of the grief and the pain of his chronic wound, Jake would cry at night, preventing his human from getting any rest and increasing her anxiety. Through shamanic healing, the shock aspect of his grief was removed, creating a more peaceful sense of the situation. A power animal, a golden eagle, was retrieved for Jake, giving him courage, a broader view, and a sense of his own strength. His wound was able to heal (with the help of a small collar to address the habitual nature of his picking), and he became calmer at night.

Shamanic practitioners believe that everything—people, animals, plants, the Earth and its minerals—has a spirit. When something happens to that spirit through trauma or life circumstances, there is soul sickness that expresses itself through the physical body and mind.

Shamanic healing addresses the spiritual aspect of an illness or injury. The practitioner acts as a bridge between this world of Ordinary Reality and the spirit world of Non-Ordinary Reality where compassionate spirits provide healing for the animal. As a witness to the healing performed by these compassionate ones, the practitioner brings through energy, communication, and strategies to further the healing of an animal.

Animals are particularly responsive to shamanic healing, because they mostly live in their soul spirit. As humans, most of us are focused on our body’s spirit and day-to-day functions. Animals inhabit their body as a vessel for their life force, their soul spirit that is connected to ‘all that is’. It is this soul spirit that enables them to communicate telepathically, to live in the present moment, and to leave their bodies at will to help manage their physical pain.

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The shamanic practitioner enters a trance-like state (called a shamanic state of consciousness) to connect with his/her personal helping spirits who want to assist the animal. This state is a deep, active meditation that is not difficult to achieve, but usually takes some training. While in the shamanic state of consciousness, the practitioner’s “connected self” is able to reach out and engage with the “connected selves” of other beings, including compassionate helping spirits who can directly show what is happening with a particular animal. This process of interaction is called a journey, and is similar to an active dream state.

In the shamanic perspective, there are three main causes of illness: power loss, fear, and soul loss. Loss of personal power may occur when life situations create disharmony, such as loss of home, partner, or purpose. When animals lose their best friend, human or animal, or experience chaos in their lives, they may exhibit behavioral issues like aggression, separation anxiety, or depression.

In cases of power loss, energy that is not associated with the animal’s highest good (called an intrusion), may be present. The energy can be extracted by a shamanic practitioner and moved to a neutral place where it can contribute to wellness instead of harm. After an extraction, animals frequently experience greater physical energy and confidence, as well as a joyful demeanor.

Another strategy used to remedy power loss is retrieval of a power animal by the shamanic practitioner. A power animal is an archetype that can restore those qualities for which it is known.

Prolonged fear destroys an animal’s sense of wellbeing, safety, and balance, the foundation for a healthy immune system. Chronic illness may appear at this stage as the energy of an animal is put off balance and the immune system becomes vulnerable to disease in the state of disharmony. The compassionate spirits working with the practitioner may offer several different remedies for the animal’s fear, including a “dismemberment”. Shamanically, a dismemberment of the spirit purges the spirit of fear and its effects by taking it apart and putting it back together like new.

Buddy, a large dog, had a chronic seizure disorder from the age of two that got progressively worse with age. During some of the more serious grand mal seizures, Buddy became fearful and anxious, creating an internal environment conducive to additional seizures. Shamanic journeying revealed strategies that his person could use to support him in his process when seizures did occur, and helped to identify the parts of his brain that were affected. His journey involved a rebirth with his mother, a type of dismemberment, which also restored parts of his soul spirit. Overall, his endurance of his seizures was much calmer.

Soul loss is the most serious of the conditions for illness. It happens during trauma or abuse, when the event is so overwhelming that a part of the spirit leaves so that the rest of the spirit and body can survive. That part takes with it those qualities that need to move to safety or be destroyed. Qualities such as courage, curiosity, trust, joy, or sweetness are most commonly dissociated from the animal’s spirit.

With the help of compassionate helping spirits, the shamanic practitioner can retrieve the lost soul parts and help the animal reintegrate them. This treatment is very effective for PTSD, abuse, bad experiences in rescue shelters, sudden life changes, and chronic or severe illness, and frequently results in significant behavioral changes.

Mack, a Quarter Horse gelding, was in a rescue shelter for two years, recovering from starvation abuse at an “upscale stable”. He was a walking skeleton when he was rescued. The male caretaker used to tease him with food and rattle plastic bags at him to scare him. When adopted, Mack exhibited fear and aggression toward men, and bucking behaviors that were very dangerous to his rider whom he injured more than once. Shamanic healing returned the piece of his soul that left during his worst abuse, and with it, a sense of trust and groundedness. During the healing journey, Mack’s spirit experienced dismemberment of his fear, and was also merged with a power animal that restored his confidence. Afterwards, Mack and his person were able to function normally without fear, and move forward together peacefully.

It is unusual for an animal to experience only one of these disease sources, and the three disease causes are sometimes indistinguishable as in the case of Mack, the horse. Frequently one state includes aspects of the others. The helping spirits of the practitioner prioritize both the sources of illness and the healing elements.

Communication with the animal’s holistic veterinarian is often helpful, as the journey may reveal sources of pain and discomfort that were not previously known. Shamanic animal healing is not a substitute for good veterinary care, as the two modalities work on different aspects of the animal’s illness or condition. Working with the animal’s highest good in mind, shamanic healing can help an animal restore itself to spiritual wholeness, timely healing, and balance.

Judy Liu Ramsey is a shamanic practitioner who provides treatments for both animals and people. She practices at Head To Toe Therapies in Ann Arbor, where she is also a professional animal communicator and craniosacral therapist. Contact her through Head To Toe Therapies at 734-665-3202 or ramsey.judy003@yahoo.com or visit her online at hearttoheartanimalcommunication.net.