This is Part 2 of a 3-part series on Soul Retrieval. If you've arrived here through shitty search engine indexing, click here for Part 1. Part 3 will be posted here eventually.
Now that you have a clearer understanding of soul retrievals, the next step is to discuss how to best prepare for one and how to properly integrate your recovered pieces.
PREPARATION
What should I do to prepare for a soul retrieval?
I would highly recommend doing it on a day when you're rested, preferably without the daily stressors gnawing away at you (the start of your work week isn't ideal). If a person is going about their daily business, they may not be equipped to handle any energetic surges/sensations that may pop-up unexpectedly. Although being asleep or in deep meditation isn't necessary, sometimes hitting the sack is the best choice. Soul retrievals can trigger emotional responses tied to old traumas, so take this into consideration if you're scheduled for one and you're too busy to unwind/relax prior to it.
How will I feel during and immediately after the process?
If you're sleeping/meditating and are aware enough, you might feel the shaman's presence, you might recall him/her interacting with you, or you just might have weird dreams. When you wake up, it might take some time before things really hit you and you could experience any range of emotions, both positive and negative. Physical symptoms can sometimes manifest afterwards including, but not limited to: crying, nausea, headaches, malaise, stomach discomfort, vomiting, etc. Sensitive people generally feel "different" and more "complete" and that's about the most accurate way to sum it up as everyone is different. Think of it like staring at a jigsaw puzzle with missing sections/pieces for years and then waking up to see that those missing pieces/sections are mysteriously in place. It's going to take some time to process what you've just woken up to.
How does a shaman replace the soul piece?
Essentially the shaman will put it back where it goes, infuse it with healing energy, and then shield it. The healing energy will be there to assist in the integration and the energetic shield will protect it; both will eventually dissipate once the piece has been fully integrated. It's no different than when someone has had surgery - the area needs to be cleaned up and covered with gauze so that it can heal properly and over time, the stitches dissolve and the gauze covering will fall off as the surgical tape loses its stickiness.
I was told by another shaman I have many missing pieces. Can they all be recovered at once?
Technically, yes, but your spirit guides will tell the shaman how many pieces to recover for you, so please don't tell the shaman that you want all of them back because it will be a wasted effort when most of those pieces pack up their shit and leave again. Why would they leave again? Because most people are NOT able to handle/integrate all of them at once. Usually, the maximum number of pieces that a shaman will recover for you is three, unless your spirit guides feel you're only capable of handling one or two.
I had a specific trauma and lost a piece as a result. I only need that piece back. Can a shaman find that specific piece for me?
Technically, yes, but it's not up to you as to what you get back. Once again, your spirit guides will dictate what pieces to return based on what you can handle, so think "easiest to hardest".
I'm embarrassed about/ashamed of some of my past. Will the shaman know that I've been raped/molested/abused when he/she recovers my piece(s)?
Any decent shaman will not pass judgment or comment about what may be shown to him/her during the process. Real shamans, of all people, understand that this planet is fucking awful, and they are no strangers to the atrocities and brutal experiences that a person can be subjected to while incarnated down here.
Personally, I block out information attached to any pieces I recover for clients so I don't see, sense, or experience the "movie reel" of those traumas (whether or not I know what happened does NOT, in any way, affect the retrieval process). Why do I block this psychic information out?
The client doesn't have to worry about being embarrassed or ashamed that a total stranger knows what they suffered through.
If the experience traumatized you enough for a piece to break off, it would probably traumatize me as well if I allowed myself to watch/experience the psychic "movie reel", so there's no sense in that.
It's none of my business.
INTEGRATION
What is "integration"?
Once the shaman returns your pieces, your job is to make sure the soul piece/fragment stays with you. In a nutshell, unconditionally accepting it, appreciating it, and doing whatever it takes to make this piece feel "safe and secure" is what needs to be done during this crucial time period. Simple, but not easy.
Once again - this integration period is completely the responsibility of the person who is requesting the soul retrieval. It most cases, it can take weeks or months to integrate just one piece back into your life and the length of that time period is dependent on how bad the circumstance was surrounding the reason for the loss, how skilled you are at processing it, and how well you adopt necessary changes to your lifestyle.
Think of it like parents having a child that was abducted at the age of 7. Fast forward 6 years later - this kid has been miraculously found and returned to his/her parents. Do you think that the integration period for both the kid and the parents is going to be easy? Fuck no. The parents need to be supportive enough through their willingness to provide what the kid needs to feel safe and secure at home in order to ensure the kid doesn't say "fuck this shit" and take flight.
How exactly do I integrate the recovered piece(s)?
Focusing on any, or ideally, all of the following will increase your chances of successfully integrating your reclaimed piece(s):
Clearing Trauma A soul piece that departs or is stolen carries trauma/shock with it. Even if you gave a piece away, there is still an element of shock no different from amputating a digit/limb and so when it's been returned, you will feel a shift in your life and it might NOT be pleasant. You must be willing and able to process this trauma and "face the music" for whatever circumstances that brought on the soul loss to begin with. You obviously weren't equipped to handle it when it left, but hopefully after years of growth and maturing, you can tackle this in a better manner. With few exceptions, people don't usually unravel trauma in one sitting (but it can be done), so this is why it could take months to integrate one piece as you steadily "clean-up" things on the inside and transform yourself into a more inviting and hospitable environment for your returned piece(s). Drag your feet on "cleaning up" and your piece might just leave until the time comes when you're more prepared to make it more of a priority.
Changing Your Lifestyle and Habits Do you have bad habits or a lifestyle that doesn't really serve you well? Changes in how you currently live your life are usually necessary after a soul retrieval. Do you like to polish off a case of beer or fifth of whiskey when you get home from work to "unwind"? That definitely needs to change if one of your soul pieces left due to your addiction to alcohol. See how this works? So how will you know what habits don't serve you? C'mon - you know this.
Being In Alignment So what exactly does it mean to "be in alignment"? I've talked about reclaiming your power and this is just another term for it. It's essentially about respecting and being true to yourself by ensuring that you honor your values, beliefs, and morals. An important aspect of this is learning how to set, maintain, and enforce your boundaries REGARDLESS of any situation you find yourself in or who you might be dealing with (an overbearing parent, a close friend, your supervisor at work, etc.). Compromising on your position, allowing someone to walk all over you, or not truthfully expressing yourself can/will knock yourself out of alignment and years of doing this can/will result in a loss of soul pieces and fragments (and personal power) because those natural aspects of yourself that aren't appreciated, respected, wanted, or needed will "exit - stage left"" and go elsewhere. Think of it like this: In every situation where you fail to maintain your alignment, imagine a hammer and chisel taking another whack at a particular piece of your soul until it finally breaks-off and runs for cover. If you think of alignment as a "tightrope" spanned across two skyscrapers, then focusing on staying on that tightrope (being true to yourself, enforcing boundaries, or not allowing someone to walk all over you) as you walk across it is how you maintain alignment - wavering (NOT being true to yourself, NOT enforcing boundaries, or ALLOWING someone to walk all over you) will cause you to lose your balance and/or fall. The "falling" you immediately find yourself doing in would be the equivalent to the specific emotions and feelings associated with not being true to yourself (again), such as shame, guilt, disappointment, etc. If it keeps happening, sit with the energetic discomfort from those feelings, associate them with the act of stepping out of alignment, and use that as negative reinforcement to keep yourself on track. If you fail at integration, don't beat yourself up because it happens. Just take the time to work on yourself and when you feel you've made measurable progress, have another soul retrieval performed.
What else can you share to help me facilitate the integration process?
In ideal situations, the person has cleared/processed a decent amount of trauma prior to having a soul retrieval and in those cases, the integration period is much, much shorter. It's like moving into a house that has been cleaned and cleared of debris beforehand rather than moving into a dump and waiting for the landlord to get off his lazy ass and commence cleaning. In some cases, if you do this work for yourself (or with a therapist), you might have a significant "breakthrough" which is when the piece you lost returns to you. You would still need to accept and nurture it to ensure it's been fully integrated though.
Consider exploring and actually trying new methods for processing your trauma. There is no right answer. Work on yourself however you feel would be best by utilizing your intuition - sit in the woods in silence, meditate in the dark in your closet, talk to yourself about the situation, non-verbally communicate with yourself about the situation, talk to a trusted friend or therapist, take mindfulness walks at sunrise, express your thoughts in writing, spend ample time in flotation tanks, enlist the assistance of entheogens - the list goes on and on.
Being able to sit with any emotions/feelings that arise (for as long as it takes) and letting those energies transmute to a more neutral state is extremely important as well. Sometimes those emotions/feelings are so strong that they can last for days. Give them their space for expression without judging yourself for anything - NEVER beat yourself up for any reason. Go easy on yourself. Because you love and want the best for yourself, right? And if the answer to that question isn't a resounding YES, then perhaps getting to the root of your answer can be your focus until something shifts? After all, everything is connected.
How will I know that I've successfully integrated my piece(s)?
You'll know when it happens because you can experience a lasting shift with any of the following:
a positive shift in your outlook on life and the world around you
a sense of being more whole or complete
feelings of well-being, better confidence
feeling more connected to those around you and your world
more clarity about your path/spiritual journey
feeling more emotionally balanced
increased physical vitality
increased mental acuity
increased psychic awareness/connection
better sleep
aversions to bad habits/addictions you had before
being more present in your body
You might experience some of these initially after the retrieval, but the energies have to settle which is why these feelings and perceptions may wax and wane until finally settling back down into place.
How often does a soul retrieval need to be done?
Taking into consideration what I mentioned above about the number of soul pieces that are usually recovered per journey, you would continue to have soul retrievals performed periodically until all of them have been recovered. In order to allow proper integration, a person usually needs to wait about 3 months (or more) before another soul retrieval is to be performed for any remaining pieces. Obviously, this can be a long process, but the time is going to pass by anyway, so you might as well start now. Also bear in mind that, much like taking a shower once and hoping to stay clean forever in a world that continually makes you "dirty", you may have to have a shaman check-in at intervals throughout your lifetime to see if anything has left due to the ongoing accumulation of trauma and interactions with less than desirable people and situations. This shit never ends.
In the last part of this series, I'll cover an aspect of Soul Retrievals that few people are aware of and even fewer actually choose to execute. I'll post Part 3 here when it's ready.