Shamanic Writing, Merging & Learning
Shamanic wRites for addiction recovery
Last Sunday, we explored the predictable, unhelpful thought loops that characterize addiction. We also covered why, when trapped in those thoughts and caught in an addictive cycle, it’s impossible to “think” our way out of it.
And, I invited you to experiment with shifting your thinking using a shamanic writing practice I call Shamanic wRites.
By shifting our thinking and invoking wisdom and guidance outside the realm of ordinary reality (or even just outside everyday habits, surrounds, and defaults), magical things happen.
New insights arise. Next steps become clear. All manner of seen and unseen forces start working on our behalf and in our favor.
This is true even if you don’t believe in shamanism. This is true even if you chalk the entire exercise up to guided meditation and visualization. Because…
Addiction is a cycle.
One aspect of that cycle lives in our thoughts.
We can’t solve the problem of addiction while caught in the thoughts that created it.
We can gain greater clarity, cultivate deeper knowing, and shine light on next steps by changing our thinking and turning towards something supportive, connecting, and original. (Because spoiler: Anything supportive, connecting, and original is the opposite of addiction—plus offers an antidote.)
If you missed that post or haven’t yet done the guided audio exercise to the sound of my voice and beat of my drum, head here:
I recommend doing that first, before continuing.
That way, my “answers” below won’t influence your experience. Plus, you’ll learn about shamanic merging, which will make what follows make sense.
Or, if you feel ready without the backstory, listen to the audio here:
Merging & Learning
Recall that in the Shamanic wRites exercise, you were guided to:
Call upon and merge with your helping spirit in non-ordinary reality.
Follow the “call back” to ordinary reality while remaining merged.
Write in the merged state without thought, censoring, or editing.
Release the merge, and read what you wrote.
Here’s the prompt you heard—now in written form—followed by what I got while merged and how I understand it.
The prompt…
I am the Truth known in your Bones and at this time, I need to tell you…
What I got…
It is time to not be afraid
I am the Bones
I am the form
I am what holds you up, always
Have I ever let you fall into a puddle?
Have I ever stopped being solid for you?
I am truth
The truth that holds you up
Moves you through this world in strength
Your truth is your your strength
I am the concrete of the building of your Home
This body, this form
I am the trunk of the tree of your life
My branches reach out, solid
To the sun
From one truth to the next
You grow, move, receive, give, feed, be fed
Run! Feel my sturdy pulse hit the ground
Again, one truth—yours—meets another—the Earth
Move from this place, in this way
Do not be afraid
We, hold you, always.
What I understand…
This is my writing, my experience, and my medicine. No one needs to explain it to me, but I can share it—including parts I understand and those I’m practicing with and still figuring out.
I understand, through my experience, how the truth:
Holds me up
Forms me and my life
Is the concrete—Bones—of my body
I feel this truth as knowing because of this writing. I can put it into practice a hundred times a day through conscious breathing from this place of truth, as well as conscious movement—which can be as simple as walking and sitting with better posture and a more aligned form, as learned from my training in Tai Chi.
I need to further examine:
How my truth can be my strength
While I understand this, I feel there’s more for me to learn. I could do a shamanic Medicine Journey on this exact topic, going to my helping spirits and asking: “Please show me how my truth can be my strength.”
I need to put into practice:
How my truth connects with other truths
How to grow, move, receive, give, feed, and be fed
Run! On this Earth
Not being afraid
Thinking and acting from Love, not Fear
As these truths were revealed to me through this writing practice, I now have the responsibility to do something with them.
One of the traps in recovery is to keep seeking new answers—even when we already have the answer. This often leads to turning away from the less shiny, more humbling, day-to-day, hands-in-the-dirt task of putting one foot in front of the other and doing the work.
That work is where integration lives. That work is where shamanic exercises alchemize into true, life-changing medicine.
Now You.
As a shamanic practitioner, I teach practices that work for anyone—including practices like Shamanic wRites that you can do on your own and don’t even have to call “shamanism.”
While these practices may seem simple, the medicine they offer is potent. The medicine they offer is a shift in perspective and a way out of old, familiar thinking, actions, and painful cycles on repeat.
Shamanic wRites supports this, as do other exercises in the The Sober Shaman’s Path of Recovery.
Have questions? Want to share any insights from your own experience of the exercise?
Feel free to share in the comments! Also feel free to email me at Randy@AlchemistRecovery.com. I love connecting with those following along in this space, and would love to know a thing or two about you and your journey.
Copywriting and editing by my wife and partner, Dr.
, who wrote most recently about anorexia recovery and social media addiction at ).