ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the first of the two threads brought together, soul retrieval. It provides a summary and a perspective on traditional shamanism and its use of the shamanic trance and the practice of soul retrieval in healing people suffering from psychological, emotional or physical trauma. Whilst traditional shamanism serves religious practice, contemporary shamanism serves "spirituality." The shamanic universe has three cosmic regions, the Sky (or Upper World), the Earth (or Middle World), and the Underworld (or Lower World). These regions are connected by a central axis, called the World Tree. Although shamanism is historically greatly involved in the religious life of Siberian and Central Asian tribes, it is nevertheless not a religion. Rather, it is an ecstatic technique available as part of a religious practice. Shamanism represents the esoteric aspect—and the shaman the mystics—of any particular religion in the region.
