If I Trusted the Truth...

A Shamanic View of Illness

Episode #68: A Shamanic View of Illness “There is no chemical solution to a spiritual problem.” You’ve probably heard this one, as it’s one of the most quoted lines in recovery. Maybe you’ve even said it a few times yourself. But here’s the thing: What exactly is the spiritual problem? Because if we can’t name it and we can’t map it, then the saying is just a groovy bumper sticker. True, sure, but not particularly useful. In this episode, I’ll be nailing down exactly what the spiritual problem is through an introduction to the core shamanic model of illness. It provides answers and gives us a solid framework for understanding addiction, This isn’t one culture’s tradition or one religion’s perspective. It’s a structure that’s found on every continent of the world that points to the same three root causes for all disease. And when I applied these to addiction, something fit into place where nothing else had clicked before. The shamanic map finally made sense of the spiritual territory. The three reasons, in order: * Power Loss — We are all born with spiritual help. Whatever you call it. That connection gets severed when the TAHL hits — the Trauma, Abuse, Heartbreak, and Loss that overwhelms every defense we have. Power Loss isn’t weakness. It’s a severed connection. * Soul Loss — When the pain becomes too much to be present for, a piece of us leaves. Psychology calls this dissociation. Shamanism calls it Soul Loss. Basically the same thing, different language. That piece takes qualities with it, our innocence, trust & childlike-joy, and leaves a void where those blessings used to be. * Spiritual Intrusion — The void doesn’t stay empty. It never does. Something moves in. It’s pain-fear-based, hungry, and perfectly fed by your drug of choice. This is the spell of addiction. And the only reason it works is because we believe the lie it tells us about who we are. You don’t have to frame any of this in spiritual terms if that’s not your language. The concepts hold whether you call it a spirit, a belief, a pattern, or a spell. What matters is recognizing the sequence and understanding that recovery, at its core, is about reversing it. Stop feeding the intrusion. Court your soul back. Reclaim your power. That’s the treatment plan. And this episode is where it starts. With Blessings, Randal Get full access to The Sober Shaman at www.thesobershaman.com/subscribe [https://www.thesobershaman.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Is Ozempic an Addiction? A Chinese Medicine & Shamanic Perspective

What if the problem with Ozempic isn’t the drug itself — but what it says about our relationship with hunger? In this episode, I’m sharing my first take on one of the most loaded topics in wellness right now: Ozempic and addiction. And just for a heads-up, my angle might surprise you. I hear people talk about Ozempic quieting “food noise” or reducing cravings. While that’s great, when I look at it through the lens of Chinese medicine and shamanic tradition, I see something different: a drug that solves hunger by treating hunger as the problem. Here’s why that matters. Hunger isn’t just a body signal — it’s a sacred function. It’s our daily act of communion with the Earth, with nourishment, with life itself. When we chemically suppress that, we don’t just suppress cravings. We weaken the very muscle that allows us to say yes to what truly nourishes us. And that, by the Alchemist Recovery definition, starts to look a lot like addiction — the patterned and repetitive use of any substance or action that attempts to fill a void, but instead reinforces the origins of the pattern. We’ll walk through each element of that definition and apply it directly to Ozempic. We’ll talk about rituals of communion, the archetypal wound of disconnection from nature, and why… your daily pill may have replaced your daily bread. This is not medical advice. This is a perspective — one I hope sparks some open thinking & honest conversation. Important discussions like…who makes the best stuffed noodle? Wontons vs. ravioli vs. pierogis. Let’s sit down, disagree, and figure it out together. 🎙️ The Sober Shaman Podcast — making the spiritual practical. You can listen to the audio of this episode here: Get full access to The Sober Shaman at www.thesobershaman.com/subscribe [https://www.thesobershaman.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Addiction Is a Spell

Definition: Spell a: a spoken word or form of words held to have magic power b: a state of enchantment I’ve been professionally helping others in recovery for almost as long as I’ve been clean and sober—no coincidence. From the start, I realized that for treatment to have any chance of success, I need to take what works from my esoteric Chinese medicine and core-shamanic approaches and explain addiction’s origins and mechanisms in a way people can understand. On the other end, I’ve had to translate what I do for treatment centers, insurance companies, and licensing and accreditation boards, as well as to my medical and mental health colleagues—speaking in the “medical-ese” that checks diagnosis codes and reimbursement boxes. Fun, right? Now, I aim to strip away language that complicates an already complex issue. With that in mind, I propose… Addiction is a SpellThis Spell is a LieThis Lie is a Belief Let me explain. Check out our exploration along this path to the core of an addiction. Hit the play button on the podcast audio at the top of the page, or check out the video embedded here: And as always, please hit the little like button and send along any comments or questions you may have. With blessings, Randal Get full access to The Sober Shaman at www.thesobershaman.com/subscribe [https://www.thesobershaman.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

On Being A Guest to The Spirits of This Place

This episode of The Sober Shaman podcast complements the recent written post [https://randallyons.substack.com/p/dear-the-spirits-of-this-place] entitled, “Dear the Spirits of This Place.” We delve into the Shamanic wRites prompt and explore three types of places where you can gain insight, connection, and healing power from being a good guest and responsible resident to the Spirits of Place. Here are some of the three ways we look at this: * The place of your birth: I spent years of my youth walking the streets of the island of Manhattan [https://randallyons.substack.com/p/shamanic-listening-begins-with-the-heart] driven by a deep longing for belonging but without a guide to clarify my intentions.. This wRites exercise may help you just that. * The place where you felt Home: I share a paragraph from the written post, which I later realized was part of my ongoing work in [https://randallyons.substack.com/p/soul-loss-and-soul-retrieval-part]Soul Courting [https://randallyons.substack.com/p/soul-loss-and-soul-retrieval-part]. Welcoming back a lost soul fragment—split off for survival due to TAHL (trauma, abuse, heartbreak, and loss)—is only the beginning. We must actively and continuously create a safe Home for this part. For me, that means providing a space where my 9- to 14-year-old self feels secure enough to stay. When I do, he returns with gifts only he can offer: innocence, wonder, passion, and heart-sourced curiosity, which infuses my present life with these powers and the deep recognition of their importance. * The place where you are a guest right now: Wherever you are right now, how do interact with the spirits of this place? What is your relationship to the spirits of: * Nature * Elements * Trees * Mountains * Bodies of water * Guardians * Thresholds * Ancestors—familial, tribal, national * Ghosts * Deities * Holy teachers * Taboos * Gateways to the Lowerworld and Upperworld Join me as we explore how important it is to bring a guest’s humility to, and the expression of gratefulness for, being taken care of by the inhabitants and the Spirits of This Place. You can read the full write-up in the written post here [https://randallyons.substack.com/p/dear-the-spirits-of-this-place]: As always, please hit the ♥️ and subscribe if you feel called, and send along any questions or shares in the comments below, or reach out directly via email: Spirit@RandalLyons.com With blessings,Randal Get full access to The Sober Shaman at www.thesobershaman.com/subscribe [https://www.thesobershaman.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

A Shamanic Journey to The Web of Life

This episode of The Sober Shaman podcast serves as a companion piece to the recent written post [https://randallyons.substack.com/p/addiction-separates-the-web-connects] entitled, “Addiction Separates / The Web Connects.” In this episode, we explore the year’s first Medicine Drum Journey and how our experience can provide insight, connection, and healing power for our concerns. Here are some of the ways we look at this: * Connection is the Medicine for addiction’s pathological power to separate. * Fear grows in the spaces where we are separated from loved ones, heartfelt activities and places of belonging. * An overview of the Cycle of Addiction and role of The Web of Life within it. * In the Earth Phase, we receive the Medicine of Connection through the power of support, home, nourishment & communion. * Dissolving the negative experience of feeling stuck in The Web * The transformative power of Earth & the Spleen: extracting wisdom & releasing waste * The weave of the 5 Elements Join me as we explore all of this in the podcast. You can read my full write-up and complete any preparation work before undertaking your own journey in the written post here [https://randallyons.substack.com/p/addiction-separates-the-web-connects]: I’m inviting anyone interested in collaborating to reach out. Ways to participate could include: * Sharing what you received from your journey * Proposing a writing prompt or offering a place in Non-Ordinary Reality to take a Medicine Drum Journey to that explores a recovery, mental health, and/or spiritual topic of concern * Discussing how these exercises have worked for you, or, if you're a medical or mental healthcare professional, how they’ve worked for your clients This could take the form of a written Q&A, a recorded Zoom session, or even through the new Substack live option. As always, feel free to message me here on Substack or reach out directly via email: Spirit@RandalLyons.com With blessings,Randal Get full access to The Sober Shaman at www.thesobershaman.com/subscribe [https://www.thesobershaman.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]