Healing PTSD from War with Shamanism: A Journey to Peace

 Healing PTSD from War with Shamanism: A Journey to Peace

When Jacob (not his real name) reached out to me, he described feeling as though he was still in the war zone, even though years had passed since he had returned home. A veteran of multiple tours, Jacob struggled with PTSD—haunted by flashbacks, hypervigilance, and a deep, lingering anger that he couldn’t shake.

“I can’t connect with anyone,” he told me during our first session. “It’s like part of me stayed back there, and I don’t know how to get it back.”

His words were familiar to me. Trauma from war is often more than a psychological injury—it’s a spiritual wound. War tears at the soul, leaving pieces of it behind in moments of extreme fear, violence, and loss. Jacob came to me ready to try something different because the conventional therapies he’d sought had only scratched the surface.

The First Step: Grounding and Building Trust

Healing trauma from war requires creating a space where safety is paramount. Jacob was used to being on guard at all times, his body and mind conditioned for survival. We began with grounding techniques: breathwork, mindfulness practices, and a simple ritual of connecting to the earth.

Through these practices, Jacob learned to feel present in his body again—something he hadn’t experienced in years.

Uncovering the Layers of Pain

Over time, Jacob opened up about the guilt and shame he carried. He spoke of the lives lost, the comrades he couldn’t save, and the things he had done in the name of duty. These were wounds he had buried deep, believing they were too painful to confront.

Through guided shamanic journeys, we accessed these layers of pain without re-traumatizing him. In the spiritual realm, Jacob met his spirit guides—protective energies that helped him feel supported as he began to unpack his experiences.

Soul Retrieval: Reclaiming the Missing Pieces

In one of our sessions, I guided Jacob through a soul retrieval, a shamanic practice to recover fragments of the soul that were lost during moments of trauma.

Jacob described feeling like he was transported back to a battlefield where he had lost a close friend. In the journey, he saw himself kneeling beside his friend’s body, a part of him frozen in grief and unable to move forward. Through ceremony, we gently called that part of Jacob’s soul back to him, assuring it that it was safe to return.

After the session, Jacob shared that he felt a profound shift, as though a weight had been lifted from his chest.

Releasing the Energetic Imprints of War

War leaves its mark not just on the mind but on the energetic body. To help Jacob release the tension and fear he carried, we incorporated:

• Sound Healing: Drumming and chanting helped Jacob release the chaotic energy stored in his body, reconnecting him to a sense of rhythm and grounding.

• Fire Ceremony: Jacob wrote letters to those he had lost, as well as to himself. In a powerful ritual, we offered the letters to the fire, symbolizing transformation and release.

• Earth Work: We buried a small object Jacob had carried with him during the war—a talisman of protection that had come to symbolize the burden of his experiences. By giving it back to the earth, he invited healing and closure.

Finding Inner Peace

Over several months, Jacob began to transform. The nightmares that had plagued him for years became less frequent. His anger softened, replaced by a growing sense of compassion for himself and others.

One day, Jacob shared a dream he’d had. In it, he was standing in a field surrounded by the comrades he had lost. Instead of grief, he felt a deep sense of peace. “They were smiling,” he said. “It felt like they forgave me. Maybe it’s time I forgive myself too.”

The Bigger Lesson

PTSD from war is not just a psychological condition; it’s a spiritual injury that requires deep healing. Shamanic practices offer a unique path to address the soul wounds left by combat, helping individuals release the past, reclaim their wholeness, and find peace.

For Jacob, the process wasn’t about forgetting what had happened—it was about integrating those experiences into a larger story of resilience and purpose.

If you or someone you know is carrying the invisible wounds of war, know that healing is possible. Through shamanic work, it’s possible to release the pain, reconnect with the self, and rediscover a sense of inner peace.

~Shanti Freedom Das