One question I am often met with is whether the shamanic journeying and healing I do is as good or effective as being there and getting the work done in person.
Whereas actually being there in the room when the shamanic journey or healing is being done for you gives you a more personal experience, in my experience distance journeying works remarkably well both for humans and animals. And especially some animals might get nervous with strangers around, so reaching them can sometimes be easier from a distance.
What science says
Dr. Larry Dossey has in several of his books, for instance in “Healing Words” and “Prayer Is Good Medicine”, written about scientific studies that show that prayer works. He mentions a study that a hospital had done testing prayer on heart patients. The results were very interesting, showing that not only does prayer work, but it works from a distance – what he calls ‘distant, intercessory prayer’.
He points out that some studies have shown that having the simple “Thy will be done” approach actually works better than holding specific results in the mind. And he says that “in many experiments, a simple attitude of prayerfulness – an all-pervading sense of holiness and a feeling of empathy, caring and compassion for the entity in need – seemed to set the stage for healing”.
The shamanic approach
Shamanism and shamanic journeying is also based on the approach mentioned above. The key for the shamanic practitioner is to get him or herself out of the way, so to speak, and to be open to whatever healing and help is best for the client – whether the client is in the same room or in another country.
