What is Soul Retrieval?
Soul Retrieval was pioneered by Sandra Ingerman. She has published two books on the topic, Soul Retrieval: Mending the Fragmented Soul — which was a best-seller, and The Soul Retrieval Journey.
​
Before I get into the shamanic views of soul loss & retrieval, which can sound sort of woo-woo, I want to explain what Medicine + Science knows so far. Psychologically, when we experience a shock, we dissociate. Whether it is physical, emotional, or soul pain, if it is too much to bear, our mind can separate us from the experience. This is a brilliant survival tactic, and a common symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) — occurring after one massive incident, and complex PTSD (C-PTSD) — which occurs over a long period of time and is common in domestic abuse situations. A fully sensual experience of a traumatic event can literally kill a person by causing a fatal physical health issue like a heart attack, or making them slip into a coma or become catatonic — where the body lives, but the personality is gone. What Science can’t answer is where that part of us goes and how can we get it back.
​
Indigenous cultures all over the world actually do have records of performing their own version of a soul retrieval after someone experienced a shock or trauma. This usually occurred about three days after the incident, giving the person time to recover. The part of us, of our soul, that leaves will not want to return if we are stuck in the same situation. So when the person is ready, the village shaman would perform a soul retrieval where they would go on a shamanic journey, ask a trusted Healing Spirit to help them locate the piece of the person’s soul’s essence that left, bring it back with them, and blow it back into the client’s body. The client would then do the integration process over the coming months with the help of their family and community.
What part of my soul leaves after a shock?
So many times, I hear a story from a client that begins, “I’ve never been the same since _______ happened. It’s been decades, and I can’t get that part of me who can _______ back.” We have modern language to describe this instinctive and ancient process of soul loss, we’ve just lost the hand-me-down elders’ wisdom to understand and recognize it.
​
When a soul retrieval is performed, the trauma does not return. A traumatized soul part is not brought back. The part of you that could not honor its power and its gifts while enduring the trauma does. If we are being abused by a partner, the part of us who can trust may leave, or the part who can be in a good relationship, or who wants to have children, and so many other possibilities as unique as each person alive can be. It is that inner self who returns during a soul retrieval.
Where do soul parts go during trauma?
The way my Spirits have explained it to me, our soul is an individual piece of the greater Spirit that inhabits all things. Our soul never forgets this, even if we are not consciously aware of it in our mind. So our soul goes to the Spirit World to wait in comfort and safety until it’s time to come back.
​
Sometimes, our soul part(s) will come back on their own spontaneously. However, in western culture, this is less common/consistent than needing a shaman to go and retrieve it for us. Since we cannot both be constantly open to receiving and doing this work, it is NOT advised to attempt to do a soul retrieval for yourself, especially if it’s been a long time since the incident(s) happened.
​
MY PROCESS
​
My specialist helping spirit for soul retrievals lives in a den with a wall that houses all the lost soul parts. When I arrive on behalf of my client, my soul retrieval teacher brings me to their soul part, and helps us be introduced so that I can begin the healing process of returning it to my client.
Note: This will look different for every practitioner, based on what makes sense for them and their soul retrieval spirit teacher.
​
The soul retrieval method has evolved over time. Some will go to great lengths to negotiate in the Spirit World for a soul part to return. I generally prefer Sandra’s intention of looking for a soul part who is willing to return (at least to try this way first). I find this to be a much more powerful healing story for my clients, to hear how eager their soul with these innate gifts was to return to them, to help them heal, and to help them live in the best way possible going forward.