Page 25 - The New Age Chronicles Newspaper No 1 Vol 1

Soul Retrieval and EMDR 25

Soul Retrieval and Freeze is a recent addition to “fight/flight,” experiences and deeper integration.
which is the arousal of the autonomic nervous
EMDR: Integrating system that we learned about in high school EMDR and Soul-Retrieval for

Shamanism and biology. Integrative Healing
The freeze response happens when an
Psychotherapy animal or human is threatened with danger, but Clients need to be ready for Soul Retrieval, and
can neither fight back nor run away. Rabbits also willing to spend time tending to the Soul
freeze. A deer caught in the headlights is a Part that they bring back. They should want to
classic freeze response. really get to know and nourish that part of them
Often, children can’t fight back or run that was lost, hidden, or fragmented.
away from painful or dangerous situations. But if their Soul Loss was from
Sometimes they freeze. Sometimes they cut childhood, an abusive relationship, war trauma,
themselves off from their feelings. Sometimes or other intense events, clients often need
they dissociate, or “space out,” or go numb. support in learning skills for emotional
Sometimes the numbness turns into depression. containment and positive self-care.
Later, as teens, sometimes they cut themselves EMDR is a type of therapy that helps
to release their feelings, or restrict eating to them learn those skills in safe, incremental
distance themselves even more from their steps, and to experience remembering painful
Edie Stone, MA, LPC,
bodies. events in safe, controlled ways.
Certified Shamanic Journey Guide I have studied trauma theory, EMDR – EMDR has been developed to treat
an excellent trauma treatment, Gestalt and trauma, but it is also effective for grief, anxiety,
family systems, and learned how all of us have fear of public speaking, stuck relationship
The Lost Inner Child self-parts — sub-personalities such as an Inner patterns, and other issues.
Critic or Judge, an Inner Teen or Rebel, a Trauma and fear-based memories are
The Little Girl was scared and confused. Her Worker Bee, a Lazy Bum, a Victim, a Rescuer, stored in the mid-brain, especially the right
uncle was driving so fast that the curves in the a whole cast of characters. amygdala. (You can visualize the brain by
road were making her tummy sick. Her Mommy We all have an Inner Child. Actually, we have a folding your fingers around your thumb. The
was very quiet, so she stayed still and didn’t talk number of Inner Children of various ages and thumb is the mid-brain, the two middle fingers
either. She didn’t cry, she was trying to be brave stages. If we suffered in childhood, our Inner are the frontal lobes, pointer and pinky are the
for Mommy. Children may still be holding onto the pain, the temporal lobes. The two parts of the amygdala
Then they were at a hospital. Her uncle wounds, the rage, or the freeze in various ways. are near the center.)
was yelling at a nurse to let her into the room to If an Inner Child was hurt enough or frozen too The amygdala takes information coming
see her Daddy. He was afraid her Daddy would often, it may have hidden, split off, or in from the senses, and makes an instant
die without seeing his Little Girl again. She was seemingly disappeared. The Adult Part may not decision to instruct the body and brain to go on
afraid of how loud her uncle was. realize the Inner Child is still split off, still alert if there is a threat. The amygdala can save
Her Daddy was in a bed. He had tubes in suffering. your life, but it is not good at turning itself off if
his nose. He had tubes on his arms. His voice The freeze response often accompanies trauma the threat is intense or ongoing.
was very weak. He told her he loved her. and can contribute to symptoms of PTSD. Unprocessed memories in the amygdala
40 years later, she is crying in my office. She is Freeze can also contribute to a spiritual illness can lead to volatile behaviors, physical
not sure why. known as Soul Loss. reactivity, chronic medical conditions, and/or
She had come in because she was
freeze patterns such as numbness or
anxious and had started having panic attacks.
Shamanic Journeys and Soul Retrieval dissociation. There also can be a sense that there
Her kids were growing up. She wasn’t sure what is something missing in life, depression, or
career path to take. She seemed spaced out, not
Shamanism is an ancient practice that treats alienation from parts of the self. These are also
very present. Her breathing was shallow.
spiritual illness. As a Certified Shamanic symptoms of Soul Loss or Soul Fragmentation.
She didn’t mention her father’s heart
Journey Guide, I help clients ease into a Rhythms of Healing
attack; she didn’t see the connection yet.
naturally altered state of consciousness called a EMDR uses simple bi-lateral rhythms –
If I were just a clinical counselor, if I
shamanic journey. eye movements, left/right tones, or alternating
just looked at her symptoms, I would give her a
Some shamanic journeys are vibrations (like holding two flip-phones) – to
diagnosis of Generalized Anxiety Disorder,
exploratory, with the intention of meeting and help process traumatic or painful memories.
noting the panic symptoms. We’d work with
forming an ongoing relationship with Spirit Researchers have found that the alternating
relaxation skills, reframe negative self-talk, Guides of all kinds … Power Animals, rhythms of EMDR help relieve highly charged
develop a plan including exercise and career
Teachers, Healers, Ancestors, Saints, Angels, emotional memories in several ways, including
counseling. These are all good interventions,
Light Beings, Gods/Goddesses, Source. finally getting neurons in the amygdala to
and she would feel better. For a while.
Power Recoveries are journeys focused discharge. The great thing about this process is
But that would be missing the deeper
on regaining power or energy that was lost, that the client does not have to understand any
picture.
taken, or given away at various times in the of this information about the brain. It just
As a holistic psychotherapist, I am
client’s life. This can be an important stage in happens in the brain when the client is ready
interested in the whole story. Later, when I
working with trauma. and the conditions are right.
heard about her father’s heart attack, I started to
Some journeys are focused specifically Many shamans also use rhythm to
realize this wasn’t just a mid-life career crisis, on Soul Retrieval. heighten and synchronize experiences in
but that she had suffered unresolved emotional
Soul Retrieval is usually done with the journeys and ceremonies, including drumbeats,
trauma. It wasn’t violent trauma, and it wasn’t
shamanic practitioner journeying on behalf of rattles, ankle bells, singing bowls, mouth harps,
emotional abuse. She wasn’t volatile or highly
their client. The practitioner may visit a “Cave and dance.
reactive – except for the new panic symptoms,
of Souls” or other metaphorical location where
she wasn’t stuck in fight/flight responses.
a Soul Part may be “stuck,” return with it, then (Continued on Page 26)
But she seemed disconnected, not aware
return it to the client.
of her body. Her breathing was shallow. That is
I don’t journey on behalf of clients, as For The Very Best Of
an important cue. As I got to know her better, I
some shamanic practitioners do. Because I am a Paranormal / Parapsychology
explained the “freeze response.”
therapist, I support and gently guide clients as New Age Radio Programming 24/7/365
they take their own deep journey to reconnect There Is Only One Radio Network
The Freeze Response, Trauma, and the with their own Lost Inner Child or Fractured That Supplys The World...
Lost Inner Child Soul Part of any age. I have found that this www.XZBN.net
process leads to profound emotional