Embarking on a journey of holistic healing and wellness is often inspired by deeply personal experiences and ancestral connections.
In an interview with MysticMag, Ann Adam, a dedicated practitioner in this field, draws from her rich heritage, tracing her roots back to the Apache, Cree, and indigenous people of Guanajuato, Mexico. Raised among curanderas and shamans, Ann’s path to holistic healing began with her own quest for healing PTSD and encounters with spirits, leading her to blend traditional therapy with shamanic practices.
Today, her unique approach integrates psychology, spiritual connections, and a profound understanding of energy, helping clients achieve balance and wellness through a holistic, deeply connected process.
What inspired you to start your journey in holistic healing and wellness?
Well, my ancestors were indigenous people here in North America, coming from different tribes. One lineage was the Apache in the Texas Hill Country, another lineage was the Cree people from the north, and another was the indigenous people in Guanajuato, Mexico. So, I grew up surrounded by my ancestors, aunts, and grandmothers who were known as curanderas and shamans. This was part of my everyday life.
However, as a teenager, I thought it was just a bunch of nonsense and superstition, and I didn’t want anything to do with it. But then in my early 20s, I began having spontaneous experiences with my own healing of PTSD and encounters with spirits. I’ve always been a logical person, more left-brained, so I knew it wasn’t my imagination. Each time I had an experience, I would look for more information on it, either through books or lectures.
I’m 70 now, so I started in my early 20s, and there wasn’t as much information available back then as there is today. My journey began with my own healing. For me, the work I do is deeply connected to my DNA. This path brought me to where I am today.
Along the way, I also became a licensed addiction counselor and worked as a researcher at a university in Houston. I incorporate all of these experiences. I went through traditional therapy but also saw how shamanic work could delve deeply into releasing memories and traumas in the body. This holistic approach inspired me to start my journey in this direction.
Can you explain the key principles behind your healing practices?
In doing shamanic work, I incorporate elements of psychology. For instance, I have experience working in dual diagnosis at a psychiatric hospital, which means dealing with addictions and other mental or emotional imbalances. I bring that understanding into my practice, along with a strong spiritual component. Connecting with what I call the Great Spirit is essential.
Another key principle of shamanic work involves entering altered states and different dimensions. This aspect is tied to physics because everything is energy. When we enter these altered states, we can work with energy and understand the types of energies a person may accumulate, which can affect their mental health, such as increasing depression or anxiety. Recognizing and addressing these energies is a vital part of the healing process.
My approach is holistic. I encourage people to consider their diet and physical health, incorporating exercise or what I call “living shamanically.” This means immersing themselves in the elements of Earth, such as walking barefoot outside for grounding. Water also plays a significant role, whether through long, soothing showers or immersing oneself in a lake or ocean for its healing and peaceful properties.
Fire represents a connection to our ancestors. Connecting with our ancestors is crucial, as we all have those who may not have lived their best lives and those who were healers and seers. These ancestral connections are integral to my sessions.
These are the areas I bring into a session with a person: energy work, psychology, holistic health, and deep connections with the elements and ancestors.
How do you approach helping clients achieve balance and wellness in their lives?
You know, when I started, my approach was, first of all, to connect with the client and understand the main transformational process they are experiencing. Sometimes it is a major life shift, such as a divorce, the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, or a move to a completely different place. It could also be past trauma from their childhood that they are just now realizing has affected them.
So, my initial step is to identify the core issue currently affecting them. Then, I perform a shamanic session. During this session, the person lies on the ground, and I create what I call sacred space by clearing the area. This involves smudging and playing sacred Native American music to evoke connections with my ancestors and the Great Spirit.
Next, I use a rattle to enter an altered state of consciousness, where I perceive everything as energy. I then begin to release energy from different parts of the body, including the brain. I also use a drum for this purpose. At the end of the session, I perform a soul retrieval, bringing back a healed part of themselves that was traumatized, such as their ability to trust or experience joy.
I also provide the client with information on how to continue grounding this energy and maintaining balance after the session. This includes recommendations on nutrition, physical health, and emotional well-being. For instance, if they are in a partnership with great conflict, I might suggest counseling.
Additionally, I offer a shamanic apprenticeship program focused on self-awareness, living consciously, and continually releasing past traumas. In this program, clients learn to enter altered states of consciousness, connect with their helping spirits, and discover their strengths, often symbolized by a power animal.
Furthermore, I teach breathwork techniques that help clients enter deep altered states without the use of hallucinogens, similar to plant medicine. This allows them to release even deeper traumas.
These are the elements and information I incorporate to help clients continue their journey toward wholeness.
What are some common issues your clients face, and how do you help them overcome these?
Some common issues I see a lot are depression, trauma that has gone unhealed for many years, anxiety, and PTSD, which is often part of that trauma. I also work a lot with veterans. These are some of the common issues I encounter.
Social media has been beneficial in spreading information, allowing people to recognize when there is an imbalance in their lives. I often see clients who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, psychosis, or schizophrenia. Another significant issue is addictions, where individuals turn to alcohol or drugs to self-medicate when dealing with depression, trauma, or anxiety.
To help clients overcome these issues, I conduct shamanic sessions tailored to each individual’s needs. These sessions involve creating a sacred space, smudging, and playing sacred Native American music to connect with my ancestors and the Great Spirit. I use a rattle to enter an altered state of consciousness, perceive everything as energy, and begin releasing energy from different parts of the body. Drumming and soul retrieval, where I bring back a healed part of the client that was traumatized, are also part of the process.
Additionally, I provide clients with guidance on grounding the energy and maintaining balance post-session, including recommendations on nutrition, physical health, and emotional well-being. For some clients, a few sessions are sufficient to achieve balance, while others with long-term trauma or PTSD may require a longer-term shamanic program.
I also see clients who have undergone traditional therapy but feel stuck, identifying themselves as victims or survivors and struggling to move beyond that label. While traditional therapy provides essential cognitive information, it sometimes keeps individuals in a victim mindset. My approach helps them release deep-held emotions and trauma in a safe, sacred space.
During a shamanic session, I guide clients into a slightly altered state by gently massaging the third eye. This creates a comfortable and peaceful environment for them to release emotions causing imbalance. The core root of the trauma surfaces and clients experience the emotion and memory without being retraumatized.
After releasing the trauma, clients often report feeling lighter and more balanced, with a clearer energy field. This allows them to make the changes they want in their lives, free from negative, repeating thoughts. It’s a beautiful transformation to witness.
Can you share a transformative experience from a client who has benefited from your services?
Yes, this client was probably the most challenging case I’ve worked with. This young man was about 33 when he came to see me, and he had a long list of diagnoses: psychosis, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, and more. He was on 18 medications at high doses because each medication would create another problem that required additional medication.
He came from a traditional background but found me because he wanted to try something different. He was tired of the medications making him feel like a non-person and said he’d do anything to not feel that way anymore. I advised him to continue working with his psychiatrist and not to adjust his medications without supervision. I make it clear that I work hand-in-hand with psychologists or psychiatrists.
When I started working with him, I discovered his issues began at 17 after a head and shoulder trauma from playing football. This triggered his mental health issues, which were also genetically predisposed. One of the first things I noticed was that his heart energy center had very little energy. I began by activating that energy and bringing it into his brain, which is crucial as I learned from a Harvard professor’s lecture.
He was also not very conscious of his emotions, often blocking them. I worked with him on identifying his feelings, such as anger or sadness. Additionally, his diet consisted mainly of junk food, and he didn’t exercise. I encouraged him to see a nutritionist and start walking daily. He began walking with his dad, which not only improved his physical health but also strengthened their relationship through conversations during their walks.
I also suggested he practice Reiki to balance his energy between our sessions. Within eight months, his medications were reduced to three at medium doses, thanks to the collaboration with his psychiatrist. This validation was important because sometimes clients only come for a few sessions, but I worked with him long-term and still see him today, four years later. He attends my classes and has individual sessions every six weeks.
It’s amazing to see the self-awareness he has developed. He now monitors his balance and uses meditation to regain it. He even shares his experiences in my classes on healing PTSD and depression, talking to participants about his journey. He is a remarkable example of how transformative this work can be.
There is a growing awareness and interest in finding ways to achieve balance without being overly medicated. Medications are important for many diagnoses, but without additional practices, medication levels can increase, making clients feel less alive and almost robotic. He is a great example of how healing can happen even in extreme circumstances, which also shows how much faster someone with less severe issues, like mild depression or a traumatic event, can heal.
What advice would you give to someone beginning their holistic healing journey?
To be persistent. Understand that everything is energy, and because of that, we can shift energy. Some groups call this rewiring the brain, and it’s been around ever since I started 50 years ago. Because everything is energy, it can be shifted and transformed. Whether it’s depression, trauma, PTSD, or other diagnoses like bipolar or schizophrenia, it can all be addressed energetically.
Is it 100% effective for everyone? Not always. For instance, the young man I mentioned earlier isn’t completely free from his issues—occasionally, he still hears voices when he’s stressed. However, he has learned to meditate and use other techniques to bring himself back into balance. While it’s not completely gone, his life has improved significantly, and he can live a life he enjoys.
It’s important for people to know that everything can be transformed through a holistic approach. While shamanic work is beneficial, having cognitive information is also crucial. Addressing nutrition, physical health, and immersing oneself in nature—what I call living shamanically—are all parts of the process. Going outside, listening to the birds, and being in nature can be very healing.
Family dynamics are also important. Whether you’re with a partner or your nuclear family, it’s essential to look at what needs to happen to maintain balance not just for yourself but for the whole family. Addressing all these areas can lead to amazing healing. People often realize they can feel joy and release repetitive negative thoughts, leading to a lighter, happier life with more meaning.
As people go through their transformational process, they often reevaluate their lives, including their careers. Many realize they are not happy with their jobs, which they might be doing just for the money. I always encourage them not to quit their job immediately but to let life unfold. This process of unfolding involves connecting with their soul and spirit, which can lead to new awareness and joy.
It’s important to follow your heart, engage in activities that call to you, such as volunteer work, and let life unfold naturally. People often seek to understand their purpose immediately, but it takes time. Let your life unfold, and through that journey, you’ll discover what you’re meant to do. The unfolding of one’s life is quite a journey.
Find out more at: www.annadam.com
