Healing and the Life Force

The old woman lay on the floor mat completely still, without any sign of breathing or movement.  Above her stood the tribal shaman.  He was a short man dressed in a loincloth with red paint streaked across his cheeks and a monkey bone protruding through his nostrils.  He was terrifying.  He had arrived an hour earlier at the bequest of the villagers. At first he did nothing except stare forward into space. Then slowly, almost imperceptibly, he bent down and spread his open palms over the woman’s body. 

 

    There was a murmur from the men and woman who stood in the corner of the hut watching. They had seen the shaman work his magic a dozen times before, each time restoring life to the almost dead.  This time it was no different. The shaman began to speak, not words but the sounds of the forest, ancient sounds of life and death and the fight for survival.  As he spoke, a soft light appeared at the center of his body and traveled down to his hands.  A moment later, the old woman’s body began to tremble in concert with the shaman’s fingertips. There was a gasp from the villagers as her chest heaved upward and she opened her eyes.  The woman’s daughter ran forward and embraced her mother, then looked up to the shaman to thank him.  But he was already gone.

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     Energy healing is a common practice among the Yanomami people who live in the Amazon rainforests of Brazil and Venezuela. Their shamanic practices are based on the belief that imbalances in energy, known as xapiri, cause sickness and that restoring harmony to the energy flow is crucial for healing. 

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     In some ceremonies, the shamans use sacred plants such as Ayahuasca to connect with the spirit world. In others, they employ chanting, rattles, and drums. Through these ceremonies, they seek guidance from their ancestors and spirits to understand the causes of illnesses and how to heal them. The Yanomami's belief in energy healing is deeply ingrained in their culture. For them, it is an essential aspect of their spiritual practices and communal well-being.

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     The Yanomami practices may at first seem strange to those of us whose only relationship with healing are either pills, therapy or a doctor’s office. Yet in recent years, there has been a growing interest in exploring the potential mechanisms of these practices and their effects on the human body.          

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     When I first heard about the Yanomami, I was fascinated and wanted to learn more.  My interest led me on a journey of discovery.  Over the next few years, I encountered an array of healing practices from around the world.  

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       This book is about those practices, as well as my experience as an energy healer.  My goal is to not only tell you about these therapies but to also share real-life stories about the power they possess.