How to Work with a Shaman

I was talking with a friend a number of days ago and it became obvious to both of us that I must write this blog regarding how to work with a Shaman. Understand that this is mostly about how to work with ME as your Shaman. Other Shamans may have different criteria. This system is based upon the many years in which I have experienced people assuming many things and disregarding multitudes of realities. I know, some of this might seem outlandish to some readers and seriously I don’t think I should have to mention some of them, but obviously, based upon what folks have brought to the table, I now do. So, here goes.

1. It is always good to set up an appointment ahead of time, as opposed to just showing up at the door of your Shaman expecting service 24/7. Shamans have lives too. And some of us are very busy both with work and with family. So please show some respect for that and the many other people who also require our time and attention. From personal experience, I can honestly say that working from my home is the best. However, if I am in the middle of a workout and wearing nothing but my gym shorts, I do not appreciate people walking into my house expecting me to drop everything to attend to them because they are “only in town for today.” Your personal disorganization is not my professional emergency. And do NOT go straight into an angry rage about not getting what you want immediately, because that will only ensure that you NEVER get to have the privalege of my services. Neither will bursting into tears and crumpling to the floor. Nope. Off you go. Make an appointment next time. I cannot and will not be manipulated. Also, I am not a crisis intervention service. There are 1-800 numbers for that.
2. When an appointment is set up, if you do not receive some pre-appointment information, then ask about what you need in order to prepare yourself for the appointment. For example, some Shamans will not work on healing women if they are on their moon time. I am NOT one of those Shamans, but it is always good to find out. Some suggest fasting prior to the appointment. I do not require that either, but some do. Some ask that you wear loose, comfortable clothing. I do recommend that as well. These are the types of things to ask about if the information is not already given to you.
3. NEVER assume a barter situation unless you have discussed it with your Shaman prior to the appointment. We have bills to pay, mortgages to pay, and need to put a roof over our heads, food on the table and clothes on our backs just like everyone else on the planet. So, be prepared financially for whatever the fee is.
4. Do not assume that your many years of troubles will all be solved in one short hour of healing. It took you years to accumulate your baggage and it will take some time, effort and investment to clear it out. I do not extend the time of the appointment or book a two hour session. This becomes too exhausting and requires too much recovery time on my end.
5. Never expect to be allowed to go over the time alotted for your session. There are healthy boundaries for a reason. Sometimes those boundaries are for your consideration, and sometimes they are for the consideration of the Shaman. Either way, when your time is up for the day, your time is up.
6. I have a landline. That is the line that is for business use. If you call during business hours, the likelihood is that you will still need to leave a message as I will be with another client. But I will call you back. I have an extension to the business phone in my kitchen. That is there for MY convenience, not yours. So, if you are calling in the middle of the night (some have assumed it is alright to phone at 2am) you will wake up the entire household. DO NOT DO THAT.
7. Although everyone has the right to their own assembled healing team and although I may be part of that healing team, I do NOT consult with anyone else on your team regarding what I do with you in your sessions, not even if you want them to talk to me. I have had people try to play one healer against another as a means of avoiding their own issues. This will not be tolerated. Nothing I can do would counteract anything anyone else would be doing for you, and vise versa. End of story.
8. I will not be talking with anyone in your family or your circle of friends regarding your healing sessions.
9. My time with you is precious, so please have in mind the ONE thing that you would like assistance with on the day of the appointment. Once we deal with that, we can assess if there is time for another thing to be addressed. Coming in with a plethora of expectations will not serve you well. We need to use our time to focus well and get things done. Having said that, when a person is a first time client it is common for them to not know what to begin with. That is alright. I have a lot of questions for a first time client and the answers to those questions will give me a picture of where to begin. Those questions, however, may take all the time of the first session to answer. That is completely alright. We can always set up a follow up session to begin the healing.
10. The fact that I am providing you with a service does not make me anyone’s servant.
11. I honor all traditions in all people, but will not be bound in any way by any of those traditions. I m an eclectic Shaman, so I practice many different styles and traditions of healing. This is what makes me both approachable by many and useful to many.
12. I do reserve the right at any time to terminate our professional relationship. You can also do the same.
13. It is not my job to hold anyone’s hand as they walk their spiritual journey. My job is to help them to sort it out on their own, to learn how to do their own spiritual work, and get them self-sufficient in their spiritual practice as quickly and efficiently as possible. This ensures that no one is enabling anyone to cling on to anyone else for anything, but instead become independent in their journey.
14. I do not receive gifts from clients, nor do I give gifts. This will ensure a clean energetic space between myself and the client.
15. Twenty-four hour notice is required for all cancellations. Without this amount of notice there will be a negotiation of payment required before any further appointments will be made. The exceptions to this are the case of life or death emergency or extreme ill health. Cancelling an apointment without the twenty-four hours notice is also not fair to anyone else on my waiting list for that day, as they will likely not have enough notice to be able to take advantage of the newly available time slot.
16. Being late for your appointment takes away from your time with me, not from the time of the next person and not from my personal time following your appointment.
17. Your tardiness in arriving for your appointment does not allot you a discount in the fee for your appointment.

Again, I cannot believe that I have to clarify some of these points to people. Most folks would not even dream of crossing boundaries the way some have tried. I also encourage other practitioners to take a close look at how your own boundaries have been crossed, your time has been unvalued, and how you can shift gears to acknowledge your needs as a practitioner, because if you do not honor yourself then others will walk all over you and you will end up in a burnout situation sooner than later.