When most people think about shamanism, they usually picture tribal people dancing around a fire and chanting to the Gods. Not a woman living on the outskirts of West Kirby, Wirral. Christine Holt, however, has changed the goalposts — having dedicated her life to travelling the world and learning about shamanism with various teachers and indigenous peoples.
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Experiencing profound things that most people only get a glimpse of in Bruce Parry documentaries, Christine has broken every boundary that her Catholic upbringing tried to restrict her with — and then some. In the wake of her own health crisis in her 20s, she embarked upon an awe-inspiring journey that has seen her delve deep into the ancient wisdom and powers of various cultures.
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Over the past 30 years, Christine has studied indigenous people in South Africa, Australia and the Polynesian Islands, with Amazonian shamans in Peru, with Taoist masters in Thailand, and within the Yoga teaching lineage of Swami Sivananda and others. She has also spent many years studying psychotherapy and became an Oral Historian for National Museums.
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Today, she fuses shamanic knowledge and techniques from many cultures with psychotherapy and somatic science to practise ‘Somatic Shamanism’. This unique modality takes people on a journey into an altered state of consciousness, guiding them deep within themselves to retrieve and heal parts of self and other aspects of their being.
The results have been profound — with thousands of sessions delivered and countless testimonials from people of all walks of life, even psychotherapists come to her for healing. In addition to working with people across the globe on a 1-2-1 basis, she also delivers shamanic and somatic training courses — teaching others what she has learned. But her journey to this point started much younger in life.
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Christine explains: “I was raised in Liverpool in a traditional catholic family but always sensed I wanted to travel and experience as much life as I could. That path initially led me into youth and community work. I moved to London at 19 and climbed the ranks to become a Senior Youth and Community Manager, supporting vulnerable young people and families. But whilst my professional life flourished, my own health took a dramatic turn.”
She continued: “At 26, I began experiencing symptoms that doctors diagnosed as premature menopause. I paid for private consultations but was told again that the prognosis was irreversible. But I didn’t believe them and a voice deep inside of me told me they were wrong and so I decided to heal myself and immersed myself in natural healing. I practised meditation, yoga, reflexology, relaxation techniques and alternative therapies and soon after this my symptoms disappeared.”
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That experience transformed her understanding of healing – and ultimately changed the course of her life. She became fascinated with the indigenous wisdom found the world over of ‘bringing oneself back into balance’ She began exploring ancient spiritual healing techniques that would take her across the world and also trained as a yoga teacher.
A chance encounter with a book on Taoism by Daniel Reid marked another turning point. While travelling in Thailand, Christine unexpectedly met Reid himself. That meeting led to studying with him, and later training with a Sundo Taoist student of Master Hyunmoon Kim. This knowledge changed the course of her life — but it was only the beginning.
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In 2006, she travelled to the Netherlands to study at the prestigious Four Winds School of Shamanism under renowned teacher Alberto Villoldo. Over three years she studied shamanic traditions while undertaking profound personal healing.
Christine explains: “The things I learnt were genuinely profound, and my growing knowledge of indigenous healing created a thirst in me to find out more, so I travelled to study ancient wisdom and healing techniques first-hand. This knowledge sits so far outside today’s Western mindset that many people struggle to get their heads around it.”
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She also received the Munay-Ki rites directly from Amazonian shamans and explored ancient European wisdom through Icelandic sagas and Scandinavian history. Alongside these spiritual traditions, Christine spent 12 years training and then teaching with a psychotherapist who was also a shamanic practitioner, developing a deep understanding of trauma, psychology and human behaviour.
When she later returned to Liverpool, she worked as an oral historian with the National Museums Liverpool, collecting over 400 oral history interviews across Merseyside, an experience that had a profound effect on the way she viewed the human experience. Decades of study eventually led Christine to develop what she calls ‘Somatic Shamanism’ — an approach that combines body-based psychotherapy with ancient shamanic healing practices.
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Christine explains: “Unlike traditional talk therapy, this work places significant emphasis on altered states of consciousness which acts as a precision tool in uncovering material for healing to occur. In this way we can get to the root of a problem in as little as one session, which means people can heal very quickly.”
She continues: “Drawing on psychotherapeutic concepts, somatic awareness and shamanic practices, the work helps clients process difficult experiences and find new ways of relating to themselves. The approach begins with the body, moving through the psychological and soul levels before addressing energetic patterns — the reverse of many traditional shamanic models, and one better suited to modern life.”
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Over recent years Christine has delivered more than 1,500 client sessions, working with people experiencing anxiety, trauma, limiting beliefs, life transitions and emotional challenges. Some clients say they found relief after years of searching for answers. Others describe the work as deeper than conventional therapy. Several refer to Christine as having an extraordinary gift.
As a teacher, she offers introductory courses, practitioner training and retreats, teaching students how to integrate shamanic traditions with contemporary understanding of trauma, nervous system regulation and therapeutic practice. Her accredited practitioner programme combines ancient wisdom with practical client skills, ethics and personal development.
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Christine summarises: “It’s been an interesting journey, to say the least. My work represents the culmination of experiences gathered across continents, cultures and disciplines — bringing together psychology, somatic awareness, yoga, Taoism and shamanism into a distinctive therapeutic approach that’s truly unique. Knowing that people can heal lifelong issues so quickly is deeply fulfilling for me.”
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Christine is available for a free chat with anyone interested in exploring her work — either to heal themselves or learn through one of Christine’s courses. She also hosts retreats with other expert practitioners and is currently working on a book covering everything she has learnt about ancient cultures, shamanic healing and psychotherapy.
Christine Holt / Therapeutic Somatic Shamanism
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