Soul Retrieval: An Introduction for clients
including one client’s account.  (1992)

©1992, 2004, & 2008 by Costa Lambrias
(appearing here with author's permission)

 

At the so-called "leading edge" of therapy, Soul Retrieval work has its roots in Shamanism.  From birth (and even in previous lives!) traumatic incidents and moments of physical, mental or emotional pain and anguish result in fragments of our essence, our soul, flipping out and remaining isolated, out of time and out of space, while we carry on a little less whole.  Phrases such as "I was never the same since......” and "when she left me I felt that part of me had gone with her" are indicators of the effects of such traumatic events.

 

The purpose of the Soul Retrieval process is to recover the parts of our subtle bodies that have fragmented by following traditional Shamanic ways to find these lost soul pieces, and then what is done to fully reintegrate these fragments is the therapy part.

 

In traditional Shamanism, you would enlist the help of a Shaman or Medicine Man who would go on the journey for you, together with his Power Animal, and locate and bring back your soul fragments and then tell you about the journey.  With Soul Retrievals, you go on the journey into non-ordinary reality and this sometimes turns out to be the most amazing journey that you could never imagine!  You meet your Soul Retrieval Guide, who may well have come especially for the soul retrieval work or who may be a spirit guide already connected to you.  Together you find your Animal Helper - the particular type of animal coming forward sometimes proves to be particularly significant or relevant to your situation.  Then you find a Sacred Place in which to do the healing work, and also, if appropriate, to carry out any retribution or resolve any outstanding business with the perpetrators of the traumas.

 

And then a wonderful moment for me when I ask your guide if part of you has fragmented and he (or she) says "yes", and then takes us to this fragment.  Why is this a wonderful occasion for me?  As an hypnotherapist running out traumas for clients in order for them to gain a release, standard processes and techniques of hypnotherapy could not always guarantee an access to the subconscious without the interference of the client's conscious mind with its information, knowledge or recollections.  The "pure" communication necessary for success was not always fulfilled whereas with Soul Retrievals the communication is with your Guide, Helper and fragments!  Once your guide has taken us to the fragment it can tell us why it/he/she flipped out in the first place and from there the therapy of resolution, reintegration and healing begins.

 

Below is one client's account of her Soul Retrieval session.  Sylvia (not her real name) had been raped many years ago whilst hitch-hiking abroad.  Earlier this year reports of rapes in her neighbourhood had caused her to become re-stimulated with all the anxious feelings and emotions of her own ordeal, and she came to me, a little nervous, for a soul retrieval.  Sylvia told me she felt confronted by the rape - more so the fear around it rather then the physical abuse, although she admitted she never feels clean.  At the time, she did not scream, simply because no-one would have heard her – her abductor had taken her to a rubbish tip.  Now she dared not go out because she was frightened it would happen again.

 

Sylvia's Soul Retrieval

 

…… The floor had big stone slabs like an old castle.  My Spirit Guide was to meet me.  Although I could feel a presence I could not see anyone.  I asked my spirit guide to show himself.  He stepped out of the darkness and showed himself as a magician.  He wore a purple cloak with a red lining.  He was very large, protective, fatherly, very loving but with a hint of mischievousness.  I asked his name - "Merlin". (At this time I knew nothing at all about Merlin other than I had heard the name Merlin the Magician).

 

Merlin and I went down the River of Life in a simple little boat. I was to observe the animals I saw on the way, the one I saw three times was my Animal Helper. I wanted it to be an elephant as I really love them.  It turned out to be a frog. (Thinking about it, an elephant wouldn't really go with Merlin!  As it happens frog is my animal protector in the Medicine cards and represents a cleanser).  The frog said his name was "Prince" although I call him "Froggie".

 

Merlin and Froggie took me to a sacred place.  It was a wonderful cave.  The stone was dark grey and there were masses of brightly coloured candles shining all the way around the walls.  There was also a large wooden table and chair.

 

I asked Merlin if there was a fragment of my soul that I needed to find - "Yes".  I can't see anything and then realise I'm travelling down a tunnel, a tube of light.  It's a peach/pink colour and opens up at the end like the shape of a cave entrance.  We are at the rubbish tip.  I looked down on the floor where I was raped.  I saw my fragment of soul and picked it up.  It's almost as big as my hand, it's ragged like broken concrete in the shape of a broken snowflake, brittle and sharp, dull and lifeless. The man who raped me was there, he looks older with a stubble growth of beard.  Fragment takes the man back to the cave and we all follow.

 

I ask Fragment why did it flip out in the first place and Fragment says it couldn't handle what was happening.  Fragment wants to hurt the man, he keeps stabbing with the ragged bits into his left shoulder and then cutting his face, he is bleeding.  Fragment cuts the man down the centre of his front and takes his heart out.  It is hard and black and looks dead.  Fragment puts it in a black pot covered with a black lid taking it out of the cave and down the hill - we all follow.  Froggie keeps jumping up and down, excited.  Fragment wants to burn the heart - it's burning from magic (Merlin), and it starts to turn red, fill out and come back to life.  He takes the cauldron back up the hill to the cave and puts the heart back into the man and heals him up.  He then cleans the blood from the man and as he does so the wounds disappear.  The man keeps saying "I'm sorry.  I didn't know." (Costa: "Didn't know what?") He says he didn't know he caused harm.  His wife, he didn't want to hurt his wife either, who had rejected him.

 

Fragment says the man has to watch what he did.  We all go back to the rubbish tip.  Merlin has hold of the man's left arm and it's twisted behind his back.  Merlin makes him watch and starts kicking the man up the bottom and jumping up as he does it. Merlin is enjoying this and so is Froggie, he's jumping up and down.  The man falls to the floor and everyone starts kicking him in the abdomen.  The man shouts, "Please stop.  I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do it.  It's my wife.  Don't hurt me." I said "You did, you bastard!"  He's crying... can't accept what he did.  I'm slapping his face, shouting at him "Bastard”.  He's crying but I don't care.  Merlin says "Hit him harder!" and we're kicking him and Froggie is jumping up and down with encouragement.  I'm kicking him in the stomach, etc. and he's saying to stop and I say "No, I won't stop".

 

Then the man has a change of heart (!), he is more humble now and more sincere saying "I'm really, really sorry".  Fragment wants to take him back to the cave and tells him to sit on the wooden chair and is very kind to him.  There is a thin brown leather belt on the floor and fragment puts it around the man's waist doing it up.  The man's head is bowed, he is looking sorry.  Fragment wants the man to swallow him - he does this!  The man is being healed in the genital area and I am feeling spiritually uplifted and healed there too.  Fragment works up from the bottom of the man and heals the whole of the abdomen scraping away the badness like it's a black scale in a kettle.  Fragment heals the area with amethyst/pink light as he is passing up through his body and out of his mouth. I am being healed in the same way.  The man is smiling sheepishly, still sad and sorry.  Fragment is close to me and wants to be healed with rose quartz.  A pink bubble surrounds it; it wants to be bathed in it.  It becomes lighter and thinner than before and goes back willingly through my heart chakra.  Costa took me through a breathing exercise. I felt strength and joy as I began to breathe in.  After a few breaths, as I breathed out a black blob came out and it turned into a spray of black dust.  This happened about three times.  The next time it was very fine red dust and then the pain in my chest went as the dust turned indigo blue.  It gradually became a lighter blue until it was white.  It then became a circle of crisp, bright, pure and white snowflakes moving around in a circle with my breath.  Everything was still and then I was floating in a golden light, in a big space. I could then feel physical movement in my abdomen as Merlin was manipulating and putting things into their right place.  It was a strange feeling.  He tied a knot!? and said it would feel heavy for a while, to just forget it, it's part of the healing.  Back to earth now, it feels lighter and a strength down there.  Froggie is jumping up and down, excited.

 

Merlin says we can send the man back now, he is healed.  I say to the man: "It's all right.  Goodbye." As the man reaches the cave doorway he turns around and looks at me.  He says he is sorry and thanks me for uplifting him and taking the pain away.  We look at each other and although I don't forgive him it's all right.  There is an understanding between us.  He turns and walks down the hill with his head bowed.  Merlin puts his arm around me, smiling. I ask Merlin if there are any more fragments of my soul to look for and he says "Yes".  "Would it be appropriate to bring them back now?" "No, not today." "Should I make an appointment now for a few weeks time?" "No, you'll know when you need to come back through your pendulum." and Merlin shows me my dowsing pendulum in mid-air in front of him.  Merlin puts his arm around my shoulder patting me as if to say "That's over".  Froggie is jumping up and down.  Merlin wants to give me some more healing and I lie on the table.  I can see all my chakras.  The solar plexus one is shooting too high.  Merlin is floating in the air, he floats across it, pushing it down and it starts to level with the others.  Froggie is sat on my stomach. I asked if Merlin and Froggie would be there for future soul retrievals and Merlin said that they are always with me and to smile!  Also not to worry so much, everything's all right.  He said I was surrounded by a lot of colour, pink and purple light, and that I should be using them (for healing - I had already started doing so). I asked Merlin if he was my dowsing guide.  He said he wasn't, that he was there more to protect me, and that I would find out who was channelling me for dowsing.

 

It was time to say goodbye.  Merlin wrapped his cloak around me and hugged me.  I kissed Froggie goodbye.  I felt sad leaving them but knew I would see them again.  Merlin came back to the steps with me and said "Go in peace".  I started walking up the steps and turned to wave goodbye.

 

The whole thing was a wonderful experience and has helped me in a big way.  That evening I felt that my abdomen was completely different.  A block had gone and so had all the bloating I had experienced for years. (I had ulcerative colitis for 4 years after the rape and my abdomen had always felt uncomfortable).  Thank you, Merlin and Froggie and thank you Costa.

 

Post Script One

 

When Sylvia got home after her soul retrieval session, her husband remarked on how much flatter her stomach was. She weighed herself and discovered she had lost four pounds! Also, the ulcerative colitis that she had been suffering from up to that day since the rape never returned.

 

Post Script Two for therapists (2004)

 

This account is not unusual. In my opinion Soul Retrieval is the ideal therapy for survivors of abuse, especially sexual abuse, because

 

a) the client is in a position of power in the soul retrieval process, rather than re-living rape and abuse;

 

b) as you can imagine, there is a lot of catharsis! Expression of rage, anger and other suppressed emotions comes naturally;

 

c) there is nearly always accountability expressed by the perpetrator for his/her actions, usually with sincere regret, instead of the denial and/or silence many victims have had to endure from abusers within the family and from other family members.

 

 

© Costa Lambrias 1992, 2004, 2008

 

Costa Lambrias is a hypnotherapist/trainer and international lecturer on hypnotherapy, inner child and soul retrieval therapies. As Co-Principal of the Academy of Holistic Hypnotherapy, he is based in Manchester, England.

 

See holistic-hypnotherapist.co.uk and soulconcern.co.uk