Other Kinds of Shamanic Healing - One of the most challenging aspects of the damage done to sexual trauma survivors is the loss of sound boundaries, both emotional and spiritual. On the interpersonal level, this results in the difficult relationship issues we are all too familiar with. Spiritually, it opens the door to spiritual problems, which shamanism is able to address in very powerful ways. In the core shamanic world view, the middle world where humans live is also inhabited by spirits of many kinds, some beneficial and helpful, others not. In the latter category are opportunistic spirits, who are often drawn to people who are lacking in personal power, in order to satisfy desires or agendas of their own.
Core shamanism does not think in terms of "evil spirits", but because these spirits are out of place, meaning that they do not belong in a living person's spiritual environment, their presence can often cause harm. Some forms this can take for sexual trauma survivors include addictions or addictive behaviors, impulses to self-harm, compulsive suicidal thoughts or active attempts, depression, or an excessively dark and hopeless world view. This list is by no means exhaustive, and these symptoms are not always indicative of the negative influence of spirits. However, if they persist despite committed work with a skilled therapist over time, then it is wise to enlist the help of a qualified shamanic practitioner to bring the necessary healing to the survivor's spiritual environment.
