The Chakras in Shamanic Practice

The chakra system identifies eight centres in the psycho-anatomy of humans, each one associated with a different part of the physical or energy body. Susan J. Wright, a practising shaman and Gestalt psychotherapist, uses her own life journey to show that each chakra, also, is linked to a different stage of emotional and spiritual development. In "The Chakras in Shamanic Practice", she identifies eight key developmental stages of life, from birth to old age/death. Each of these life stages has various developmental challenges and potential traumatic events that will likely occur and affect the health and well-being of the individual. It reveals how psychic injuries become lodged within the energy body; links one major developmental stage with each major chakra; and provides a detailed guide to healing and clearing the tensions each chakra holds. Wright explains that life traumas experienced in particular developmental stages become lodged within the energy body as they cling to their corresponding chakra. By identifying and working with the chakra involved, a doorway can be opened to a world of transformative images, allowing powerful shamanic techniques to heal these psychic wounds. Providing both physical exercises and guided meditations that utilise the techniques of soul retrieval, working with power animals, and transcending trauma, Wright offers practitioners a way to gather and nurture the fragmented parts of their energy body and lead themselves to physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.