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Further Steps Course

EXPLORING THE SHAMANIC UPPER-WORLD

Shamanic Spirituality, Mindfulness And Meditation Practices

Dates: November 2025

In this course:

  • Learn to journey to the shamanic Upper-World, and make sense of what you encounter there. 
  • Exploration of the different ‘tiers’ of the Upper-World and the different Beings you encounter there.
  • Learning Upper-World healing and meditation practices.
  • Exploring Upper-World teachings on things like perspective, compassion, detachment and ethics.
  • Role of rituals and ceremonies in spiritual practices.

The Live Shamanic Journeying Sessions are now open to all students with an account, not just those in the Embodied Shamanism course, so they are sold separately. You can either buy just the course for £150, or add 6 Live Sessions for just £15 more (a saving of £15 off the Live Sessions price if bought separately). Details of the Live Sessions are here.

£150 for the course
Or just £165 bundled with 6 live sessions

In this course

LEARN HOW TO DO TRUE UPPER-WORLD SHAMANIC JOURNEYS, AND WHAT HAPPENS IN THEM
  • How to find true Upper-World Guides.
  • Finding your Upper-World “Self” or “Spirit”.
  • How the Upper-World can help you develop healthy perspective and detachment (whilst staying grounded too).
  • Upper-World healing practices, including the use of shamanic artefacts, light, song and sound.
  • Upper-World places of convalescence and healing.
  • The “Council of Elders” and its role in the resolving of entanglements (often more effective than “cord-cutting” practices), unhealthy contracts, and “curses”.
  • The difference between gods and goddesses on the one hand, and Gods and Goddesses on the other.
  • Honouring both the Sacred Masculine and the Sacred Feminine.
EVERYTHING IS SACRED – RISING ROOTED

Shamanism is a very ancient spiritual practice. It is rooted in animism, an entirely non-hierarchical way of perceiving and experiencing the world, a spiritual round-table. By contrast, most modern-day spirituality is based on hierarchical thinking. Ideas of human supremacy, over other animals and the rest of the natural world, and notions of ascension – the idea that “up is good and down is bad. 

These hierarchical concepts are so deeply rooted into our present-day cultures, that most people just accept them as truth. However, spiritual hierarchy is not a fact! Indeed, it is an idea that only arose fairly recently in human history. It is not how we lived, or practised spirituality, in indigenous cultures for tens of thousands of years. This makes animism quite different from other spiritual viewpoints. On this course, we will explore the animist perspective in depth. We will look at how (and why) we abandoned the original Earth-centred spirituality of our hunter-gatherer ancestors. We will explore how, in abandoning original indigenous animist thinking, “spirituality” became transformed and repurposed to serve the domestication and control of ourselves and the world around us. We will see how this has deeply broken our relationship with the natural world, and with the other-than-human worlds too.  

NATURE OF SPIRIT AND MEDITATION PRACTICES

We will explore shamanism’s understanding of “Great Spirit”, “Father Sky”, and “Mother Earth”, and how their interaction gives birth to the shamanic realms. Doing this will help us understand the differences between the realms, and how they relate to various aspects of ourselves – our Spirit, our Soul, our Body, our ego, and our Witness or “Aware Self”.

We will also examine the role of meditation practices in shamanism. To do this we will look below the surface details of meditation practices, to get a deeper understanding of what meditation is and how it works, from both a shamanic and a psychotherapeutic point of view. In doing so, we will see how there are meditation practices for everyone, even for people who have tried meditating and think that it “doesn’t work” for them.

THE ROLE OF RITUALS AND CEREMONIES IN SPIRITUAL PRACTICES

As well as learning how to do shamanic Upper-World journeying, we will look at how rituals and ceremonies work and may be helpful, and how at other times they may get in the way. We will look at the issue of offerings and sacrifices in shamanism, and finish by looking at cultivating healthy practices such as cleansing and energy hygiene, grounding and embodiment, respectful relationship, loving kindness, and gratitude.

practical DETAILS

The course starts on SUNDAY 2ND NOVEMBER 2025 and consists of:

6 pre-recorded theory modules. Each module contains a video presentation of between 1 and 3 hours in length, with accompanying learning resources. They will be released at weekly intervals on November 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th and December 7th. 

• As usual, a website forum and an (optional) Signal group, where students can ask questions, discuss topics, share experiences and additional resources, and get support, encouragement, and a sense of community.

Bonus recordings if and when needed. 

In addition, there is the option of adding: 

6 live shamanic journeying sessions. On each of the 6 dates above, there will also be a Live Shamanic Journeying session. These are optional, so you can buy the course without these (for £150), or add all 6 live sessions for just £15 more (a saving of 50% on the usual Live Sessions price). Whilst the Live Sessions are optional, people who attend them usually find them of great benefit. The Live Sessions start at 2pm UK time and are two hours long. Recordings of these will only be available to those who have signed up for them. Click here for more details of our Live Shamanic Journeying sessions.

THE CURRICULUM

(MIGHT BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

We’ll start with soul loss and shamanic soul retrieval. In our culture, the word “soul” is often used imprecisely, meaning different things to different people. In original animist and hunter-gatherer cultures, there were specific words to describe different aspects of the soul. 

Our first task is to clarify what we mean by soul retrieval and differentiate it from other concepts like power loss, which can appear similar but have distinct causes and remedies. We’ll also examine shamanism as a parts-of-self model, recognizing that we consist of various aspects. We’ll discuss the differences between the middle world soul (small ‘s’ soul), the lower world soul (capital ‘S’ Soul), and the upper world spirit. Additionally, we’ll clarify the distinction between spirit and the aware self or witness, which are often conflated. Understanding these distinctions will help us determine when soul loss is relevant and how to address it.

We’ll explore traditional soul retrieval techniques from indigenous practices and consider complications that may arise, such as intrusions, possessions, entanglements, and ancestral or family burdens. We’ll also address modern challenges in soul retrieval, particularly when parts are resistant to returning. This issue, common in contemporary times but less so in indigenous cultures, requires insights from modern psychotherapy, specifically parts-of-self models.

Shamanism is the original parts-of-self model in terms of recognizing there are different parts of us – our Middle-World self, Lower-World soul or Upper-World spirit, a body and so on. 

There are in psychotherapy many other parts-of-self models as well that are incredibly useful. So we’ll explore some of these models, focusing particularly on Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, which is currently one of the most popular ones. While we’ll look at the IFS in a fair bit of detail, we’ll also compare and contrast it with other psychotherapeutic models. This comparative analysis will demonstrate how these models contribute to and enrich the shamanic understanding of the self. 

Often, it’s not enough to perform a soul retrieval alone. If there’s a part that opposes the return of the lost soul fragment, integration becomes incredibly tricky, if not impossible. Therefore, understanding our inner system of parts is crucial for dealing with any opposing elements.

When performing soul retrieval, we may encounter resistance from other parts of ourselves. In psychotherapy, the idea that “there are no bad parts” is crucial—every part must be welcomed back. This requires us to practice self-compassion and loving-kindness toward all parts of ourselves.

Self-compassion often needs to be learned, especially in a culture where many people have strong inner critics. For soul retrieval to be effective and lasting, it’s not just about bringing the soul part back or integrating it through dialogue. It involves learning and practicing self-compassion. There is a wealth of knowledge on self-compassion practices from psychotherapy and meditation, and we will explore these practices from a shamanic perspective, focusing on shamanic self-compassion practices.

Finally, we will delve into embodiment and grounding practices. Being whole, having inner parts in harmony, and being properly present and embodied are interconnected. The body plays a vital role in integrating parts-of self. 

The field of embodiment and shamanism is vast and fascinating. This course will serve as an introduction, with two follow-up courses planned for next year: one specifically about shamanism and the body, and another on the work of Wilhelm Reich, the founder of Body-centered Psychotherapy, and what shamanism can contribute to his understanding of the body.

SOUL LOSS & SOUL RETRIEVAL

We’ll start with soul loss and shamanic soul retrieval. In our culture, the word “soul” is often used imprecisely, meaning different things to different people. In original animist and hunter-gatherer cultures, there were specific words to describe different aspects of the soul. 

Our first task is to clarify what we mean by soul retrieval and differentiate it from other concepts like power loss, which can appear similar but have distinct causes and remedies. We’ll also examine shamanism as a parts-of-self model, recognizing that we consist of various aspects. We’ll discuss the differences between the middle world soul (small ‘s’ soul), the lower world soul (capital ‘S’ Soul), and the upper world spirit. Additionally, we’ll clarify the distinction between spirit and the aware self or witness, which are often conflated. Understanding these distinctions will help us determine when soul loss is relevant and how to address it.

We’ll explore traditional soul retrieval techniques from indigenous practices and consider complications that may arise, such as intrusions, possessions, entanglements, and ancestral or family burdens. We’ll also address modern challenges in soul retrieval, particularly when parts are resistant to returning. This issue, common in contemporary times but less so in indigenous cultures, requires insights from modern psychotherapy, specifically parts-of-self models.

PARTS-OF-SELF MODELS

Shamanism is the original parts-of-self model in terms of recognizing there are different parts of us – our Middle-World self, Lower-World soul or Upper-World spirit, a body and so on. 

There are in psychotherapy many other parts-of-self models as well that are incredibly useful. So we’ll explore some of these models, focusing particularly on Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, which is currently one of the most popular ones. While we’ll look at the IFS in a fair bit of detail, we’ll also compare and contrast it with other psychotherapeutic models. This comparative analysis will demonstrate how these models contribute to and enrich the shamanic understanding of the self. 

Often, it’s not enough to perform a soul retrieval alone. If there’s a part that opposes the return of the lost soul fragment, integration becomes incredibly tricky, if not impossible. Therefore, understanding our inner system of parts is crucial for dealing with any opposing elements.

SELF-COMPASSION PRACTICES

When performing soul retrieval, we may encounter resistance from other parts of ourselves. In psychotherapy, the idea that “there are no bad parts” is crucial—every part must be welcomed back. This requires us to practice self-compassion and loving-kindness toward all parts of ourselves.

Self-compassion often needs to be learned, especially in a culture where many people have strong inner critics. For soul retrieval to be effective and lasting, it’s not just about bringing the soul part back or integrating it through dialogue. It involves learning and practicing self-compassion. There is a wealth of knowledge on self-compassion practices from psychotherapy and meditation, and we will explore these practices from a shamanic perspective, focusing on shamanic self-compassion practices.

EMBODIMENT PRACTICES

Finally, we will delve into embodiment and grounding practices. Being whole, having inner parts in harmony, and being properly present and embodied are interconnected. The body plays a vital role in integrating parts-of self. 

The field of embodiment and shamanism is vast and fascinating. This course will serve as an introduction, with two follow-up courses planned for next year: one specifically about shamanism and the body, and another on the work of Wilhelm Reich, the founder of Body-centered Psychotherapy, and what shamanism can contribute to his understanding of the body.

WHAT OUR STUDENTS SAY

HOW DOES IT WORK?

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LIVE ONLINE TRAINING
  • Pre-recorded Online Sessions With Founder of Therapeutic Shamanism, Paul Francis.
  • Option to add Live Shamanic Journeying Sessions.
  • Study in the Comfort of Your Own Home.
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SUPPORT BETWEEN SESSIONS
  • Detailed Course Notes.
  • Video Recording of Every Class.
  • Submit Your Questions for the Next Session and Discuss with Peers.
  • Learn at Your Own Pace.
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YOUR SHAMANIC TRIBE
  • Meet Like Minded People.
  • Connect Between Sessions in Online Groups.
  • Deepen the Connection in Break-Out Rooms During Sessions.

JOIN US!

To attend the ‘Embodied Shamanism’ course, you need to have completed our First Steps course, and at least one other, Next-Steps or Further-Steps, course with us (please note, there really are no exceptions to this). There are 2 Next-Steps courses you can take before November:

Exploring the Lower-World
The Animal, Plant, Standing (Tree) and Stone People

The closing date for enrolment is November 2nd 2025. The course is highly unlikely to be repeated until 2028 at the earliest, so please do take this opportunity to book (remember, once booked, you can always work through the recordings at your own pace, and with no time limits).

Payment by instalments. We are committed to keeping our courses as affordable as we can, and this course is way cheaper than almost any comparable one. However, please remember that (depending on what country you are from) PayPal offers the option of spreading the payment over 3 monthly instalments. There is no fee at all for this, nor any interest incurred.

£150 for the course
Or just £165 bundled with 6 live sessions

Need more information about the course?

Not sure if a course is for you? Got a question about a course? Send us a message and let us answer your questions or connect with us on social media: Instagram, Facebook.

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