A spiritual practice called “soul retrieval” aims to bring back those lost parts of ourselves. Here’s how it works, plus signs you might be in need of soul healing. As therapist De-Andrea Blaylock-Johnson, LCSW, tells mbg, this usually happens as a result of trauma that leaves someone feeling detached, fragmented, or seemingly separate from their body. In soul retrieval, a person is typically guided by an experienced shaman through the process of bringing the lost soul back. The shaman will reach an altered state of consciousness, go into the unseen realms of spirit, find the soul, and then begin to address whatever it is that caused the soul to fragment. From there, they’ll bring the soul back into this plane. Of course, there is no scientific consensus on whether humans have souls, or whether they can get lost, no less—but the concept is accepted among shamans and some other spiritual healers. Hypnotist and author of WishCraft Shauna Cummins believes this can happen at any time and can also build up gradually. When we become burnt out (physically, mentally, emotionally, and/or spiritually), have strayed from our purpose, or experience something traumatizing, any of these things can cause the soul to “disconnect.” This encompasses a variety of felt experiences, including feeling a sense of purposelessness, feeling directionless, or worthlessness. “But the main thing is your reserves of that deep well of energy and resources within you are very low,” she adds, “and you become vulnerable to negative thought patterns and low energy.” “It can be helpful to work with a shaman or spiritual guide to work toward reunification of the soul,” Blaylock-Johnson says, adding, “If approaching this issue from a psychological standpoint, working with a therapist who honors various spiritual practices and ideologies can also be helpful.” Cummins, who practices timeline therapy and spiritual hypnosis, adds that hypnosis can also be helpful in allowing a person to enter a trance-like state and connect with themselves on a deeper level. “I think about how if we are wanting to get to know someone, we prioritize spending time with them. The same goes for working to become familiar with your soul,” Blaylock-Johnson explains. She adds that mindfulness and meditation can be great tools for this. “Additionally, doing things that bring you joy and allow you to be your most authentic self can provide ways for you to get in touch with the essence of who you are,” she says. She adds that it can also be helpful to receive these guides’ perspectives of unconditional love and hold that feeling wherever you need it. “It starts to be a channel that will continue to support you, a resource that will continue to bring you healing, wisdom, relief, and integration,” she says. When you get better at creating that trance-like state, Cummins explains you’re able to consciously see yourself, and “use your imagination to develop an intimate, well-wishing relationship with yourself as if you were your own best friend or loved one.” “Through this deep practice of hypnotic imagining and healing, you are increasing your intuitive felt sense, your psychic abilities, as well as your intimate supportive relationship with your spiritual world, with your soul, and with the reservoir of resources within you,” Cummins says.
