Healing Through Shamanism: A Journey to Freedom from Alcohol

 Healing Through Shamanism: A Journey to Freedom from Alcohol

When my client (let’s call her Anna) first walked through the door, she carried a heaviness that spoke louder than her words. On the surface, she was seeking clarity, healing, and balance. But beneath it all, she was entangled in a complicated relationship with alcohol—one that had taken root over years of self-doubt, emotional suppression, and unresolved pain.

Anna wasn’t here to “quit drinking.” She hadn’t even named alcohol as a problem in her life. Instead, she came to me feeling stuck, disconnected from her sense of purpose, and searching for a path back to herself.

The First Step: Creating Sacred Space

In our first session, I created a safe and sacred container where Anna could unravel her story. We began with ceremony, grounding her with breathwork and connecting her to the elements. In these spaces, truths often surface unbidden. And so, over time, the real work began.

Shining Light on the Shadows

Through journeying, deep meditation, and ancestral work, it became clear that Anna’s drinking wasn’t just a bad habit or a way to unwind. It was a coping mechanism—a shield against an unacknowledged wound she’d carried since childhood. She had grown up in a home where emotional expression wasn’t welcomed, and alcohol had been a silent witness to family dysfunction.

As we worked together, Anna began to see her patterns for what they were: a response to an inner pain she hadn’t been allowed to feel. Through guided ceremonies, we opened those wounds gently, calling in compassion, forgiveness, and the strength of her own lineage.

Reclaiming Power

Anna’s journey wasn’t linear. Healing never is. Some weeks, she felt liberated and light; other weeks, she felt the rawness of emotions that had long been buried. We performed rituals to release her attachments to shame and guilt, calling on her ancestors for support and grounding her in her own worthiness.

One powerful turning point came during a fire ceremony where Anna symbolically let go of the burden she had been carrying. As the flames consumed the words she had written—a letter to her younger self—she began to feel the stirrings of a long-forgotten freedom.

A Year Later: The Breakthrough

Around the one-year mark, Anna came to me with an announcement: “I stopped drinking.” It hadn’t been planned, forced, or even a goal we’d set together. It was the natural outcome of the healing we’d done. She no longer needed alcohol as a buffer because she had learned to face her emotions head-on.

When we uncovered the root of her pain, the compulsion to drink simply faded. She had reclaimed her power and discovered that joy, connection, and peace were far more satisfying than the temporary numbness alcohol had offered.

The Bigger Lesson

Anna’s journey is a testament to the power of shamanic healing. When we work to address the deeper wounds—the ones we’re often too afraid to name—profound transformation becomes possible. Sobriety, for Anna, wasn’t about willpower; it was about wholeness.

If you find yourself using external tools—alcohol, work, food, or anything else—to numb a deeper pain, remember that healing is possible. It takes courage, patience, and the willingness to face what lies beneath the surface, but the freedom that comes with it is worth every step of the journey.

To all those seeking healing: Trust the process, trust yourself, and know that there’s always a way forward.

~Shanti Freedom Das