Trauma moves through our veins and our bodies whether it is from experiences we have gone through ourselves, or they have been lived by our ancestors. Trauma is stored in the body and more and more people are becoming aware of the impact trauma can have on our ability to connect with others. When we are living in fight or flight (or freeze) it can be a challenge to open our hearts and truly connect with those around us. We feel the need to protect ourselves.

This need to protect is real and comes naturally to our human bodies as we are wanting to survive. My personal experience with trauma has been a gradual yet intense opening to the truth of how I have showed up in my life. The need to protect myself in relationships with men, fear of showing up as my authentic self, and the difficulty sharing my emotions out of worry that I will be judged. These are just some of the ways in which my past sexual and childhood traumas have impacted my life. It is scary not knowing the direction to take and how to move past these challenging experiences, but it is possible to uncover them one by one, healing the wounds and living your life more fully.

I would be lying to you if I said I had it all under control, because some days I feel like I have taken five feet back. Yet I see the possibility of my life and what is unfolding and there is a strong sense of trusting the unknown. This is where shamanic healing has come to open up the doors of possibilities in my life.

Shamanic healing involves entering into the spiritual aspects of oneself through journeying (an inner process where you engage with the spirit world and its various forms), ceremony, and sound. All these aspects support you in clearing the old ways of showing up in life, such as living in ego – which means living in fear. By learning to connect to the divine source of all life, we are able to recreate our lives through the Dreamer (Higher Self) that seeks to bring us to our greatest potential. This sense of acceptance of ourselves no matter what we have done is so profound. To know that you are loved no matter what you have said, how you have acted, or who you have mistreated. You are here for a purpose and that purpose is to experience life in the most loving way you were meant to – and to have fun with it.

As you step into the deeper healing of your body and ancestral line through the use of shamanic practices, you are able to clear past traumas and the wounds and core beliefs associated with it. The freedom that comes with this is palpable and begins to radiate out into the rest of the world through your actions and thoughts. Imagine a world where those around you begin to mirror what it is you would like to see – more love, more acceptance, more joy – and this all because you begin to live your life knowing that you deserve these energies to be present.

As I continue on my path I pray that more and more people begin to realize that they no longer need to walk around with the pain and suffering that comes from holding onto past trauma and that they too can begin to live a life of power and deep inner knowing.

Be willing to be the change.