I first learned about soul loss in my early 20’s, and the shamanic healing method of soul retrieval.  It made so much sense to me, because I had seen and felt an emptiness in some people and didn’t know what was missing. 

I didn’t start studying shamanic practice with the intention of becoming a healer.  I found a presence in shamanic workshops, a sense of deep and intense energy that was compelling to me.  In those early years, I took many workshops and studied intensely for several years without realizing where the path was leading me.

People are often surprised that I am an engineer, and yet I do this more intuitive spiritual healing work.  While I have an analytical and logical side that is satisfied by engineering, the truth is that I would never have been happy if that had been all there was.  When I found shamanic practice, I realized that it was something that my mother had been teaching me all along… that everything is alive, that you should respect the earth and all of her creatures, that we need to help one another so that we can all move to a better place together.

My shamanic tradition is not one that comes from other cultures.  Every powerful teacher I’ve studied with has become part of work I do now, but I believe that we can only heal powerfully when we claim our own culture.  In my case, this is a woman from the mid-west and Chicagoland, a woman of mixed Anglo ancestry.  While I believe that my healing tradition was meant to come through my direct maternal line, and many strong and powerful teachings did come through that way, our traditions were lost to the dangers of being a female healer in an Anglo society that wished to eliminate such healers.

I became a healer, possibly because it was something I was meant to be, but also because I felt that, if I could help people so they didn’t have to go around missing essential parts of themselves, if they could shed burdens of energy that they didn’t need to carry around any longer… then I wanted to help them with that.  Shamanic healing is really done between the client and the spirit world.  A shamanic healer is a bridge that allows a person to connect with something that was always there and available to them. My job is to learn what I can to heal as powerfully as I can, but even more so to deepen within my own self… facing any shadows or any unhealed places in myself, in order to create a strong and clear bridge.

As I teacher, I find that being of two worlds… the analytical and intuitive, I can often find ways of explaining things that makes sense to the individuals in my class.  My goal is to help my students connect with and build their own understanding.  The most powerful shamanic workshops, are ones where you can intensely feel the presence of spirits.  Ultimately, it is the spirits of your ancestors, your helping spirits, the spirits of nature that teach and heal.  Its my intention to do my best to support you on your own unique journey so that you can be empowered and grounded on that path.

You are an interconnected being, who shares a deep commonality with other living beings and yet carries a wisdom and a soul that is unique to you.  I honor wherever you are at this time and place in your life, if painful or sad, if happy or joyful, or if uncertain.  Wherever you are meant to go, I wish you the blessings of clarity, joy, support and connection on your path.

Many good wishes,

Lauren Torres