The word shaman comes from Siberia, meaning, "the hollow bone”,"spiritual healer", or, "one who sees in the dark". Shamanic healing is multidimensional. We work on many levels at once; it is both ethereal and concrete, and the positive results are both instantaneous and long-lasting.

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Some of the key concepts and techniques associated with shamanic healing include:
 

1. Interconnectedness and Nature: Shamanism is deeply connected to nature. It teaches us that everything that exists is alive and has a spirit. We are joined with the universe, the earth, and all of life. The entire universe interacts through vibration and can be influenced. Just as quantum physics illustrates that a field of energy connects everything, shamans also speak of the web of life, or energy, that connects everything.
    

2. Journeying: Shamans enter altered states of consciousness through ceremony, using various methods such as drumming and prayer to travel into the spirit world. During the journey we meet and work with spirit guides, for example: our ancestors, historical figures, gods and goddesses, mythological creatures, animals, deities and angels. These beings (or archetypes) are seen as having great wisdom and power, and are here to assist with guidance, empowerment, and healing.
    

3. The Core Causes of Illness: All physical and mental illness stems from spiritual or vibrational disruption. According to shamanism there are three core causes of illness: The loss of personal power, soul loss, and the invasion of unwanted energies. 
    

4. Energy Work: At the core of shamanic work is energy work. Shamanic healing is based on the foundation that healing begins at the spiritual or vibrational level, and moves slowly into the denser energy levels - mental, emotional, and then physical. Therefore, shamanic practitioners do most of their work in the spirit world, on the vibrational level. We follow the energy as we journey into the other dimensions to effect healing and to shift or clear stuck vibrational patterns. 
    

5. Soul Retrieval: It is believed that traumatic experiences cause the soul to fragment, leading to emotional and spiritual imbalances. Therefore, shamanic healers may perform soul retrieval to locate and reintegrate lost soul parts, in order to restore power and wholeness.
    

6. History and Evolution: Shamanism is the most widespread and ancient form of healing, originating over 25,000 years ago. Evidence of shamanism can be found in every culture, in every corner of the world. It involves a shaman or healer acting as an intermediary between the physical world and the spiritual realms to facilitate healing on behalf of individuals or the community. 
   
   Though the shamanic practices of many cultures were destroyed or lost due to colonialism and other factors, aspects of shamanism can still be found in later, organized religions in their mystic and symbolic practices.
   
   Shamanism in its purest form survived primarily among indigenous peoples, but a revived interest and reemergence of shamanism is becoming more and more common as people seek to find a deeper sense of meaning and connection in today's complex and disconnected world.