Soul retrieval in indigenous healing traditions often involves journeying to reclaim lost aspects of the self that have fragmented due to trauma, shock, or soul theft. These experiences are usually guided by shamans or energy workers using drumming, chanting, or ritual elements. Past-life regression under hypnosis also involves journeying into subconscious memory, but through structured suggestion, often framed in terms of reincarnational experiences.
Functionally, both approaches aim to restore wholeness and integration by retrieving dissociated content, whether symbolic, energetic, or narrative. Clients often report similar benefits, including increased vitality, emotional resolution, or the emergence of forgotten traits. However, the cosmological frameworks differ: soul retrieval presumes a fragmented present self, while past-life regression assumes continuity across lifetimes.
These methods may activate similar neural mechanisms, such as deep trance states, imaginal processing, and limbic modulation. Culturally sensitive integration of both practices can offer clients expanded healing pathways, especially when they are matched with the client’s belief system and psychological readiness. Respecting the origins and integrity of each system remains essential to ethical practice.