Isa Gucciari, Ph.D., describes the Shamanic Journey as a way of accessing inner wisdom through a meditative state.
The Shamanic Journey is a method of accessing inner wisdom through a meditative state. It is derived from a practice done by the healers, or shamans, of indigenous shamanic cultures. It is performed to gain insight and effect healing, and has been a common practice of many indigenous cultures for thousands of years. Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D., is an early pioneer of adapting the shamanic journey to a therapeutic practice. Her unique style of teaching the journey includes a process of inquiry that is transformative and helps students step fully into their own personal power. In this workshop, Isa will offer an overview of shamanic healing practices such as power retrieval and soul retrieval and demonstrate how the shamanic journey is fundamental to these methods of healing and how these ancient methods of healing are relevant in today’s setting. In traditional settings, the journey is used as an access point to what in shamanic practice is called the spirit world.
In Applied Shamanism, which Isa has developed over 20 years of therapeutic practice, the journey is used in this way as well as a vehicle for understanding and resolving personal issues. With a focused and disciplined practice, the journey becomes an excellent vehicle for the exploration of the unknown. Through the journey, students learn how to establish reliable relationships with what in shamanic practice are called “helping spirits.” Isa places particular emphasis on helping students formulate the kinds of questions that will offer the most insight and in helping students learn how to interpret the responses they receive. She helps students understand how to use the journey to bring empirical inquiry into the world of spirit so they can establish a reliable vehicle for the exploration of even the most complex areas of their experience.
