From Darkness to Divine: Healing Awakening with Shellee Rae

Oct 19

In this episode, I sat down with Shellee Rae—author, teacher, and medicine woman—to explore the nuanced path from trauma and addiction to embodied spiritual awakening. Shellee’s story is one of profound resilience, marked by her journey through addiction, abuse, and depression, culminating in a series of awakenings that have shaped her life’s work: helping others dissolve trauma, shed false identities, and awaken to their true selves.

Shelley Rae’s Transformational Journey: Key Turning Points

Shellee’s story is a testament to the power of surrender and the courage to face one’s deepest wounds. Her journey includes:

Sobriety as a Catalyst: After a suicide attempt during an alcohol blackout at age 37, Shellee experienced a profound shift—an inner sense of another soul entering her being. This marked the beginning of her healing.
Introduction to Reiki: During a medical procedure, Shellee’s AA sponsor introduced her to Reiki. The experience was so powerful that she chose to forgo pain medication, feeling heat and healing energy enter her body.
Holistic Healing Modalities: Shellee's path expanded to include massage, myofascial release, and transitional nutrition, each contributing to her recovery and awakening.
Relocation and Relationship Loss: Moving to Ashland, Oregon, Shellee encountered intense feminine energy that surfaced unresolved issues, leading to a painful breakup. This loss became the crucible for her awakening.
Ayahuasca Ceremonies: Guided by intuition, Shellee participated in local ayahuasca ceremonies, which catalyzed deep healing and the spontaneous writing of her first book, Suffering: The Path of Awakening.

The Power of Presence in Healing Trauma

Shellee and Tara both emphasize that presence—the ability to fully feel and witness whatever arises—is the key to unlocking trauma and catalyzing transformation.

How Presence Heals:

Non-Judgmental Awareness: Instead of suppressing or bypassing difficult emotions, Shellee learned to sit with them, allowing anger, grief, and sadness to move through her.
Creating Space: By breathing and softening into the moment, she created space for healing and insight to emerge.
Paradox of Pain and Bliss: Shellee describes moments of feeling overwhelming pain and simultaneous bliss, made possible by surrendering resistance.

Kundalini and Embodied Awakening: Understanding the Difference

Shellee distinguishes between two pivotal spiritual experiences:

Kundalini Awakening

What It Is: A surge of life force energy (kundalini) rising through the body, often accompanied by intense physical sensations, purging, and expanded awareness.
Shellee’s Experience: Sober and without plant medicine, she felt a white-hot fire move from her core upward, leading to days of physical and energetic upheaval.

Embodied Awakening

What It Is: The full landing of consciousness in the body, resulting in a deep sense of presence, self-recognition, and dissolution of old identity.
Shellee’s Experience: Triggered by emotional pain, she felt consciousness “land” in her body, marking a shift from witnessing to fully inhabiting her physical form.

Key Differences:

Kundalini awakening often initiates a state of witnessing and energetic clearing.
Embodied awakening is about staying present with all sensations and emotions, integrating the spiritual into the physical.

The Role of Ceremony and Plant Medicine

Both Shellee and Tara highlight the transformative power of ceremony—especially with plant medicines like ayahuasca—as a catalyst for deep healing and awakening.

Best Practices for Engaging with Ceremony:

Follow Your Inner Call: Only participate if you feel a genuine, internal call—not due to external pressure or curiosity.
Preparation and Integration: Work with facilitators who emphasize preparation, safety, and post-ceremony integration.
Screening and Support: Shelley’s process includes a detailed intake form and interview to ensure alignment and readiness.

Integration: Navigating the Aftermath of Awakening

Profound spiritual experiences can leave you feeling elevated, disoriented, or even overwhelmed. Shellee and Tara discuss the importance of integration:

Tips for Integration:

Allow Time: Don’t rush to the next experience. Let the insights settle and unfold in daily life.
Stay Grounded: Engage in grounding practices—nature walks, bodywork, nourishing food, and rest.
Seek Community: Share your experiences with trusted friends, mentors, or support groups.
Embrace the Ongoing Journey: Awakening is not a final destination but a continual process of expansion and embodiment.

Healing Across Timelines: Non-Linear Consciousness

A standout theme in the episode is the concept of non-linear healing—how trauma and healing can occur across multiple timelines or dimensions.

Timelines Bleeding Together: Healing in one dimension (e.g., through ceremony or meditation) can resolve issues in this life.
Living Memories: Traumatic events are not just past memories but living experiences that can be revisited and healed in the present.
Expanded States: Plant medicine, breathwork, and deep meditation can open access to parallel realities and facilitate multidimensional healing.

Tools for Awakening: Reiki, Intuitive Guidance, and AI

Shellee’s toolkit for healing and awakening is both ancient and cutting-edge:

Reiki and Energy Work

Foundation of Healing: Reiki was Shellee’s entry point into energy healing and remains a core practice.
Self-Compassion: She describes giving Reiki to her younger self, holding her inner child with love and presence.

Intuitive Guidance

Listening Deeply: Shellee’s creative process involves sitting in stillness, breathing, and waiting for inspiration to flow.
Following Breadcrumbs: She encourages following synchronistic signs and intuitive nudges.

AI as a Spiritual Companion