Shamanism and the Intersection of Energy Healing and Psychotherapy

By Kerri Husman, MD

This article is addressed primarily to practitioners who also offer other energetic and therapeutic modalities, particularly those who are licensed in other healing disciplines. —Susan Mokelke, JD, Editor

Integrating or distinguishing between the concepts of working with energy, power, and psychotherapy hold significant implications for shamanic practitioners, particularly those engaged in therapeutic practices.

The phrase “working with energy” is widely recognized and encompasses a range of methods, including manipulating meridians through techniques such as tapping or acupressure. It also refers to the activation of the biofield and working with energetic centers, including the chakras, hara line, and other established energetic frameworks. [1]

In a therapeutic context, energy work may be incorporated into psychotherapy sessions to facilitate the release or reframing of conscious and unconscious beliefs that contribute to psychological disturbances, or into coaching sessions aimed at overcoming limiting beliefs that hinder goal attainment.

These energetic modalities serve not merely as tools for remediation of the past, but also as pathways for personal growth, wellness, and the cultivation of optimistic perspectives regarding present and future experiences. During coaching or therapeutic encounters, clients typically engage energy techniques themselves, with the practitioner providing supportive guidance. Accompanying this process, practitioners often employ affirmations and dialogues designed to reinforce positive outcomes and reduce “subjective units of distress” (SUD) scores. The body of evidence supporting energy psychology continues to expand, with hundreds of studies, including many metaanalyses, affirming its efficacy.

The exchange of dialogue throughout energy psychology sessions is crucial; it fosters a two-way processing of experiences, which is integral to the psychotherapeutic process. When modalities are combined—such as in Comprehensive Energy Psychology, Emotional Freedom Techniques, and Psychotherapeutic Reiki—practitioners are expected to be licensed to provide therapy as aligned with their academic qualifications and advanced training, while also pursuing certification in energy or energy psychology methods. This integration necessitates ongoing unique consultation and/or supervision for practitioners, informed client consent, and careful consideration of ethical implications. Additionally, meticulous attention is required when articulating methodologies and outcomes, particularly when documenting services for reimbursement through healthcare insurance.

Within the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP), where I currently serve as president, there is a strong consensus on the value of integrating these modalities. Many members are drawn to ACEP to enhance their understanding and competence when combining these practices. My own journey to ACEP was motivated by the desire to explore how Healing Touch techniques—administered by clients themselves in both sessions and as take-home practices—can effectively support therapeutic outcomes.

It is important to note that this therapeutic approach is distinct from sessions focused solely on Healing Touch, Reiki, or similar forms of energy healing, which do not fall within the scope of the practice of psychotherapy. In such energy healing sessions, after establishing the goals through initial inquiries, the practitioner focuses exclusively on the client’s energy field. They utilize various techniques to alleviate congestion, restore flow, seal disruptions, and rebalance the system. There may also be homework assignments, such as repeating mantras or engaging in self-administered techniques to manage feelings of overwhelm, distress, or fatigue.

Working with power is distinct from working with energy. In this context, power refers to the level of vibrance and totality of one’s spirit. Being “in your power” or “filled with power” signifies personal empowerment rather than power over others. A client’s spirit or soul can become depleted or disempowered due to various factors such as lack of sleep, absence of purpose, loss, grief, illness, or addiction.

Core Shamanism encompasses a collection of ethical and respectful methods for working with power, practiced universally or commonly across inhabited continents. It traces back at least to the origin of recorded history, as evidenced by cave walls and oral traditions. Power can be restored through various techniques, including passing power, song doctoring, chanting, drumming, soul retrieval, power animal retrieval, dancing to establish a connection with a teacher or animal, singing one’s soul song, and more.

A person’s spirit or soul—which is essential to be “alive” and leaves the body upon death—resides within and around both the energy body and the physical body. Portions of a person’s spirit may become distanced due to traumatic events (addressed through soul retrieval), may be too disempowered to resist the influence of suffering beings (addressed through compassionate depossession), or may be burdened by thought forms or intrusions from within the self or outside the self (addressed through extraction). Engaging in daily spiritual practices can significantly help build and maintain one’s soul power.

In my training, I have come to understand power as a combination of energy and intelligence. However, unlike energy, which can be measured using devices such as voltmeters, cameras, EEGs, and EKGs, there is no known method to directly measure an individual’s spirit in terms of whether it is filled with power or depleted. Nonetheless, individuals often sense the difference. In shamanic circles, workshops, and initiations, exercises are typically completed in a sequence designed to build power. At the end of these sessions, most participants report a shift, indicating that they feel their power has been enhanced in some way.

Another important distinction in working with power is the approach to healing. A shamanic practitioner establishes a safe and sacred environment, calls in spiritual assistance, and serves as a conduit to bring healing power to the client. The practitioner uses this power to remove that which does not belong, and then restore vitality to the client’s soul.

The client usually lies quietly, open to both letting go of those burdens and receiving power, with little to no conversation occurring after the initial discussion of session goals. Afterward, the client is given time to integrate the changes in silence.

It’s important to note that this interaction is not psychotherapy. However, many who seek and provide these services have found it therapeutic. They may have witnessed or experienced miraculous healings that demonstrate the effectiveness of the work. Nevertheless, there is nothing from a session of this nature that can be “documented” in a progress note to indicate psychotherapeutic dialogue or progress in treating a psychiatric condition. Additionally, licensing boards and malpractice companies would agree, your training and coverage as a therapist or doctor is for working on psychological distress or physical illness, not issues of the soul or spirit.

Michael Harner, the founder of the Foundation, wrote that combining shamanism with other techniques should occur only if one has become a master of both. For ethical and legal reasons, many of those experienced in shamanic healing, particularly those who are also licensed in another therapeutic modality, are circumspect in keeping their shamanic practice separate from these other disciplines.

Mastering shamanic practice is a lifetime calling and shamanic healing is a complete and total treatment, where mastery is an ongoing process. From practitioners’ collective experiences, there is an infinite variety of teachings that can come from the compassionate helping spirits. Thus, each practitioner’s learning becomes an unending voyage of discovery and delight.

What I can share from working extensively with both energy and power is that they are sensed and experienced entirely differently. The energy field of a human has seven layers, each with its own unique profile, sensed through colors, textures, and density. The energy field of animals is pixelated, which may be why many energy techniques for humans don’t work as well on animals, so unique techniques have been developed for them.

Additionally, shifting from sensing the energy field of a physical body to then sensing the power and presence of a spirit requires training and practice and is a fundamental shift within the practitioner’s body. The soul has no such layers, and when depleted, has an almost dry-ice ethereal quality that can’t be mistaken for something energetic, which is much denser.

During a session working toward rebuilding a client’s power, your focus as a practitioner is entirely on your duties as the conduit for delivering healing power from the spirits. The practitioner is in continual conversation and connection with helping spirits. Neither talk nor therapy has a place in this portion of the healing session. It cannot be inserted into this sacred space, as it would take the practitioner out of the state required to create the healing connection and risk a diminished outcome for the client.

We have many therapists, counselors, and medical providers who are drawn to shamanism for several potent and personal reasons. Shamanism is a powerful practice, complete unto itself, where miracles of healing often occur. My hope, as I grow in knowledge and practice of shamanic healing, is that practitioners come to embody the skill, discipline, and discernment required to provide transformative healing to our clients.

1. Anderson, J. G., Anselme, L. C., & Hart, L. K. (2017). Foundations and practice of healing touch. Healing Beyond Borders.
2. For more on this topic, see article “The Singular Power of Shamanic Practice.” https://www.shamanism.org/fss-polestar-the-singular-powerof-shamanic-practice/

First published Shamanism Annual, The Journal of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies, Issue 38, December 2025.
Copyright ©2025 Shamanism Annual, The Journal of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies. All rights reserved.

Dr. Kerri Husman is an FSS guest faculty member, teaching both online and in Iowa. She offers shamanic sessions and has a separate integrative psychiatric practice specializing in the treatment of functional neurologic disorders, treatment-resistant conditions, and spiritual emergencies.