Expanding the Therapeutic Space: Integrating Shamanic Wisdom with Counselling and Hypnotherapy

After over two decades of study and experience in holistic and psychological approaches to healing, I recently completed a 10-month Shamanic Healing and Development training course with Tony Stockwell. While Tony is well-known for his mediumship work, it was the shamanic aspect of the training that deeply resonated with me—particularly its focus on journeying, symbolism, connection to nature, and deepening the relational process between therapist and client.

As a qualified counsellor, hypnotherapist, and supervisor, I work primarily with individuals experiencing trauma, anxiety, grief, and loss. My approach has always been integrative, drawing from various modalities to meet the unique needs of each client. This latest training has added another dimension to my work—not by replacing traditional therapy, but by enriching it.

Deepening the Connection with the Client
One of the most powerful takeaways from the shamanic training was the idea of “travelling with the client”—not in a literal or psychic sense, but metaphorically and energetically. Through guided visualisations, trance work, or symbolic language, clients can explore inner landscapes, reconnect with parts of themselves they’ve lost touch with, or gain insight through imagery, metaphor, and embodied experience.

This aligns beautifully with my background in hypnotherapy and past life regression. These practices offer the opportunity to access stories and emotional patterns held not only in the conscious mind, but in the unconscious and transpersonal realms. Some of these may be understood through the lens of ancestral memory or symbolic past lives—whether taken as literal experiences or rich metaphors for present-day healing.

Working Beyond Words
Counselling tends to focus on conscious thought and verbal processing, but healing doesn’t always happen through words alone. Sometimes, what the body or the soul holds cannot yet be articulated. This is where more intuitive and symbolic tools come in.

Depending on the client’s interest and openness, sessions may incorporate:

Shamanic journeying-style visualisations

Tarot or imagery-based tools to explore the unconscious mind

Crystal or energy work to support nervous system regulation or grounding

Ancestral and past life regression to uncover and heal generational patterns

Reiki or breathwork for deeper integration and emotional release

There’s no rigid structure—what matters is what feels relevant, appropriate, and safe for the person in front of me. Each session is collaborative and co-created, always led by consent and clinical intuition.

Holding It All Within a Therapeutic Framework
Everything I offer is held within a trauma-informed, ethical, and professional framework. As someone deeply grounded in psychotherapeutic practice, I recognise the importance of boundaries, psychological safety, and therapeutic containment. What I offer is the possibility of exploring healing from a broader perspective—acknowledging the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual dimensions of human experience.

For some, this may be a one-off soul-led session; for others, it may be part of an ongoing therapeutic journey. Either way, the intention is to honour the uniqueness of each client and offer a space where deep transformation can occur.

Supporting Practitioners and Supervising Integrative Work
Alongside my client work, I’m also a qualified supervisor for counsellors and hypnotherapists. I’m particularly interested in supporting practitioners who are beginning to explore spiritual, creative, or somatic approaches in their practice and want a space to reflect, integrate, and stay ethically aligned.

Many holistic practitioners—especially those working intuitively—struggle with questions about boundaries, vicarious trauma, or how to blend these approaches safely. Supervision can be a powerful space to ground this work and ensure it’s both effective and sustainable.

In Summary

I believe therapy is evolving. More and more people are seeking a way of healing that honours the full range of their experience—including the soul-level, the ancestral, and the symbolic. For those who are open to it, combining traditional therapy with holistic tools can offer something profoundly supportive.

This isn’t about following a trend—it’s about responding to a deeper need. If this approach speaks to you, you’re very welcome to get in touch.