Shamanic Journey Series – 1: What is a Shamanic Journey?

A Brief Background on Shamanism

Let’s begin with a little background on Shamanism itself. Shamanism is the oldest known spiritual practice in recorded history. It has been practiced in various forms on every continent, aside from Antarctica, for tens of thousands of years. Though the specific forms of the practice vary greatly from culture to culture and in different periods of time, its core principles – altered states of consciousness, journeying, and communication with the spirit world – have remained consistent across time and cultures.

Shamanism is a spiritual practice, not a religion. It is an experiential path that invites direct connection with the unseen world, without requiring adherence to a particular doctrine or belief system. People from all walks of life, whether they follow a particular faith tradition or none at all, engage in shamanic practices to seek guidance, healing, and deeper understanding.

Having grown up in a Christian tradition myself, I’ve come to see shamanism as a path of direct revelation, where personal experience is the teacher, rather than prescribed doctrines and dogma. It allows each of us to explore spirituality in our own way, led by our inner wisdom and a direct connection to the insights, guidance, healing, and support that are always available to us.

As a person who was not raised with shamanic practices, but came to them in adulthood, I want to take a moment to deeply acknowledge and to honor the many indigenous cultures and people from around the world through whom these beautiful and powerful practices and teachings have come. Thank you for sharing your healing wisdom. I honor the wisdom keepers and the elders in all of my work, with a spirit of deep gratitude, holding consciously and carefully the fact that these ancient practices have a long and storied history that is not my own.

What Is a Shamanic Journey

and Why Go on One?

A shamanic journey is a shamanic experience in which we enter an altered state of consciousness in order to connect with the spirit realm for guidance, healing, and insight. This light trance state is fairly easy to enter into using a combination of our intention and tuning into a steady, rapid drum beat (or a rattle) at around three beats per second. There are other ways to journey, but this is certainly one of the most common ways and is very accessible for most people.

A few powerful reasons to embark on a shamanic journey are:

You want to seek guidance from a helping spirit – whether a power animal, teacher, or fully-ascended ancestor – to access your truest self and walk fully as your best and highest self.
You desire emotional, spiritual, or energetic healing.
You need clarity and insight into a situation you’re facing or struggling with.
You long to deepen your connection with your soul and your spiritual allies to grow and deepen your spiritual path.
You feel like a part of yourself is missing and you want to reclaim and heal it.
You are struggling with anger, bitterness, or other difficult emotions and wish to heal, grow, and release the past.
You want to clear trauma energy that has remained with you from painful experiences.
You feel a stir to awaken and develop your spiritual gifts.

Some Fascinating Science

If the idea that listening to a drum beating at three beats per second can help induce an altered state of consciousness which then enables access to profound insights sounds a bit far-fetched to you, check this out!

A fascinating scientific study published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience in 2021 examined the brain activity of shamanic practitioners during drumming sessions. The findings revealed that participants entered into an altered state of consciousness marked by increased gamma brainwave activity (30-45 Hz). This heightened gamma activity was linked to enhanced sensory experiences and vivid visual imagery, suggesting a direct connection between drumming and specific changes in brain function.