First off, the more trauma we clear, the more energy and power we can move through our bodies. This is why trauma work & soul retrieval is ESSENTIAL for healers. 

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As for a definition of trauma, there are many...  Psychologists would say that trauma is splitting of the personality or psyche. Shamans would say it is fragmentation of the Soul. Both would agree that this happens as as result of trauma. When we experience trauma, there are parts of our Soul that fragment off, metaphorically "leaving the room," as we cannot stay whole and fully present to what is happening in the moment. Some of the things we endure are too much to bear, too much too look directly at or feel all at once. To stay would be more damaging than to leave. In the repair of trauma, one of our tasks is to call back and reintegrate the parts of self that have split off during these experiences. This can be done in a beautiful, sensitive way, welcoming home the part of self that has been waiting, paused in the moment of trauma. Types of trauma that cause Soul fragmentation include physical, emotional, psychological abuse. Spiritual and energetic abuse or attacks and shock can also be a cause. 

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All of these fragmented parts of Soul can be gathered, reintegrated, and by virtue of this, healed.  It has been my experience that although sometimes these parts of Soul need some repair in trust, they all want to come back home to the Self. 

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Soul fragmentation can present as loss of identity, PTSD, anxiety, depression, victimization and/or doing of harm, regret, shame, self criticism, feeling ashamed, rejecting our authentic selves, addiction, aggression, grief, physical illness, fatigue, and many many other ways. Soul fragmentation can be successfully worked within the realms of therapy & shamanism, quite possibly the best results come from a combination of the two.