Building Journey Protocol
So… what is a shamanic journey?
Well, a journey, in this context, isn’t about booking a flight or packing a bag, it’s about traveling inward. It’s an experience that unfolds through what we call the internal sensory pathway system. When we intentionally slow down and use rhythm, typically the beat of a drum, we can shift into an altered state of consciousness. This is the kind of state where imagination becomes vivid, active, alive.
But we’re not just daydreaming here. In a shamanic journey, we’re entering into relationship with the unseen world. We open ourselves up, gently, intentionally, to receive information. That might sound mystical, and it is, but it’s also deeply human. We’re tuning in to the wisdom that already lives within us.
Rhythm and Entrainment
Now, the rhythm part? That’s not just ambiance.
We use percussion, usually a repetitive drumbeat, to enter what’s called a trance state. This happens through a phenomenon called entrainment. Entrainment is a scientific term originally observed in the 1600s by Dutch physicist Christiaan Huygens. He noticed that when two pendulum clocks were mounted on the same wall, their swings would eventually synchronize. Two systems in proximity will align their rhythm over time.
The same principle applies to us. When we listen to rhythmic drumming, our heartbeat, breath, and brainwaves begin to align with that rhythm. The body comes into coherence. And that coherence opens the door into altered consciousness, into a malleable state where intuitive perception is more available.
Brainwaves and the “Clairs”
What’s happening in the brain during all this?
Normally, we’re in beta state, alert, thinking, scanning, solving. But during journeying, our brain shifts into theta, the dreamy, liminal space we slip into right before falling asleep or during deep meditation. This is where the inner senses, what we call the “clairs” start to activate. The word “clair” means “clear,” in French.
Let’s break those down:
• Clairvoyance – inner sight
• Clairaudience – inner hearing
• Clairsentience – inner feeling or bodily sensation
• Claircognizance – inner knowing
• Clairgustance – inner tasting (yes, seriously)
• Clairsalience – inner smelling
• Clair-empathy – inner emotion or emotional resonance
Now, do you need all of these turned on to have a successful journey? Nope. One or two is plenty. And if you’re sitting there thinking, “I don’t have any of these,” you probably do. You’ve just learned to dismiss them because they didn’t arrive with flashing neon signs. I have been clairvoyant since I was a child. I just didn’t recognize this until adulthood. Even as a young massage therapist, I had an inner sight that showed me what was happening in the body of my client. An inner perception that I didn’t have a name for until I became a Shamanic Practitioner.
The Body Believes the Journey
Here’s the thing, the brain doesn’t really distinguish between external sensory input and internal sensory input. So when you’re in a journey and you see, feel, smell, or hear something vividly in your inner world, your body responds as if it’s happening in the external world. That’s the magic. It’s also the science of the endocrine system at work, but that’s for another blog post.
This is why journeying is such a potent tool for healing. It’s not just imagination, it’s a whole-body experience. When we revisit an old story or wounding through the journey space and then create a healing experience through the internal sensory pathway system, we’re actually creating new neural pathways. We’re changing the body’s response to a memory. That new posture shows up in real life, not just in the trance.
Meaning-Making and Story Repair
Healing in this context is really about making meaning.
We meet parts of ourselves we didn’t even know we were still carrying. And by creating a new framework around those parts, one that includes love, clarity, or support, we begin to shift how we relate to them. That’s what rewiring is. We are literally creating a new story.
So when the old pattern shows up, you’ve got a new way to respond. Not because someone told you to change, but because your body has learned a new truth. Through this process you can reprogram your nervous system. If that is not miraculous, I don’t know what is!
Protocol = Safety + Power
Let’s talk protocol.
Yes, even in the mystical realm, we still need structure. Protocol gives us a safe, reliable container to travel the inner worlds. Think of it as the spiritual equivalent of wearing your seatbelt before you hit the gas.
Before journeying, we:
• Ground ourselves
• Enter trance using rhythm
• Activate our inner senses
• Set clear intentions
• Establish energetic boundaries (like using a body protector or energetic shield)
• Begin from a power place, a sacred inner landscape that becomes our spiritual “home base”
Intentions Matter
Your intentions help shape the journey and protect the space. A few good ones include:
• May I maintain my sovereignty throughout the journey
• May this be for my highest good
• May I only access information I am meant to receive
• May I be safe and supported
• May the information arrive in a way I can understand
• May I have space afterward to process and integrate
Because you will be changed. And change needs space.
What to Expect in a Journey
So, what happens in a journey?
You’ll probably lie down. There’ll be a drum track or a live practitioner drumming. The rhythm brings you into a relaxed, trance state. You’ll be guided inward, into your body, your power place, your senses. You may meet a helping spirit or guide. Then the journey begins.
But here’s the reality, journeying is a skill.
In the beginning, the connection might feel hit-or-miss. Some days you get full-blown movie scenes. Other days? A few flickers, a weird smell, and a sense that your inner TV is buffering. This is normal.
Sometimes images will be distorted or fleeting. Sometimes they’ll feel crystal clear. And sometimes you might get nothing visual at all.
That’s because not everyone journeys through every pathway. Just like learning styles, some pathways are primary, some are secondary, and some might surprise you. I have a dear friend who’s an incredible practitioner. She journeys exclusively through sound and sensation, clairaudience and clairsentience. No visuals. And yet her journeys are powerful, full of insight and depth.
So don’t judge the form the information comes in. Whether it’s a memory, a sound, a smell, a tingling in your shoulder, or a knowing in your gut, it’s all valid. It’s all part of the conversation.
When the journey wraps up, the drumming will change, often speeding up to signal it’s time to return. This is called the “call-back.” You come back to your power place, return to your body, wiggle your toes, and take a breath.
And then… you journal.
Yes, journal. Capture it while it’s fresh. Write down what happened, what you saw or felt or heard. The symbols, the messages, the sensations. You’re creating a record. A map of your inner world.
Integration Is Everything
After journaling, give yourself time to integrate. Some messages will make sense right away. Others will unfold over days, weeks, maybe even years. Some things are literal, some symbolic. And some don’t translate into words at all, they arrive as sensations or emotions.
Your inner knowing, your gut, is your best guide for making sense of it. When something resonates, it feels like expansion. When it doesn’t, you’ll feel contraction, resistance, or confusion. That’s your clue to keep sitting with it, or get some support from an experienced practitioner.
Which brings me to this: you don’t have to do it alone. At higher levels of journeywork, it can be helpful to work with a trusted practitioner or teacher. Sometimes you need a mirror, someone to reflect back what you already know in your bones but haven’t quite said out loud.
Final Thoughts
This work is sacred. It’s personal. It’s weird and beautiful and sometimes surprisingly funny. But above all, it’s healing.
And it’s yours.
Whether you journey with full-blown visions or subtle sensations, whether you’re fluent in the inner world or just learning to listen, know that every journey is a step closer to yourself.
And that, my friend, is the real magic. For those of you just beginning, enjoy the following journey which tends to building your first power place. If you feel inspired to share after your journey, use the comment box below. I would love to know about the details of your power place & body protector you build your protocol in your first few journeys!