Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Power Retrieval

DIY power retrieval 2-minute practice hand over heartI offer power retrieval as part of my shamanic healing work, and I also want to share a do-it-yourself (DIY) power retrieval approach, because it’s such an important area. However much we work with it emotionally and psychologically, there is a raw energetic relationship that, when restored, is incredibly supportive and resourcing in terms of how we navigate power. And given that power exchanges and issues permeate our relationships, being adept and energetically clean and clear with power is a very important part of optimizing our human experience.

When people ask me what “power retrieval” is and how DIY power retrieval works, I explain it this way: it’s shamanic healing that restores personal power you lost through trauma, chronic stress, people-pleasing, or long seasons of disempowerment. You can begin this work yourself. Intention, presence, and a few simple practices can invite your power home. If you later want support or prefer someone to do the deeper journeywork on your behalf, I can help. For now, this guide is about giving you practical ways to start on your own. I also wrote a whole power retrieval article you can access here.

Why DIY Power Retrieval matters

Our systems respond to clear, precise intention. When we direct our awareness toward a specific energetic shift, we are not “pretending.” We are making a real intervention at the level of energy and patterning. A skilled shamanic practitioner can often go farther and faster because of training and expert spirit guide support (I have a whole specific power retrieval team of guides that come in especially for this work.) Still, there is meaningful change available when you work directly with your own intention and attention in a steady, precise way.

Think of this as developing a muscle: you don’t need to lift the heaviest weight on day one. By choosing a focused aim, you signal your body, heart, and soul to reorganize around your authentic strength.

Signs you might benefit

  • You feel small, invisible, or stuck even when you “know better.”
  • You see only two hard options and neither is right.
  • You leave conversations wishing you had spoken up.
  • You keep engaging in dynamics where someone else’s needs always run the show.
  • You feel unsafe or wobbly setting boundaries, even in low-stakes situations.

 A 2-minute DIY Power Retrieval practice you can try today

  1. Sit comfortably. Soften your jaw and shoulders. On each inhale, invite your body to relax tight muscles.
  2. Place one hand over your heart and the other over your low belly.
  3. Say the following out loud or craft a similar statement for yourself and say that.
    “I call my power home to me now, centered in my contemporary wisdom, discernment, and elegance.”
  4. Pause for sixty seconds. Simply notice any subtle sensation without judgment: warmth, tingling, emotion, calm, resistance.

Why this works: effective energetic interventions use intention and focus. You’re naming the energy you want to shift, inviting only what is truly yours, and aligning it with the present-day you. You can even repeat this regularly for a while to keep moving energy.

Fire ceremony words for DIY power retrievalUsing Fire Ceremony to support your DIY Power Retrieval Intention

If you’ve followed my work (and it’s okay if you haven’t), you’ve likely noticed I return again and again to a specific form of Fire Ceremony as a powerful, efficient energetic intervention.

Since I’ve already covered the how-to elsewhere, I’ll simply share the link here and focus on the specific words you can speak to apply Fire Ceremony to power retrieval.  Since power loss is often entangled with other relationship patterns or experiences, some of these may resonate more than speaking directly about power.

Examples you can use verbatim or modify:

  1. I release powerlessness and helplessness, and I invite feeling calm, clear, and centered in my power.
  2. I release giving my voice away, and I invite hearing and speaking from my inner wisdom.
  3. I release learned helplessness and the freeze response, and I invite agency, choice, and gentle forward motion.
  4. I release hypervigilance and reactivity, and I invite grounded safety and wise, empowered responsiveness.
  5. I release people-pleasing at my expense, and I invite mutual respect and clean, kind boundaries.
  6. I release fear of conflict, and I invite skillful, compassionate boundary-setting.
  7. I release false either-or thinking, and I invite the ability to perceive many good options.
  8. I release old vows and identities that limit my power, and I invite contemporary wisdom, discernment, and elegance.
  9. I release overgiving and depletion, and I invite reciprocity and sustainable energy.
  10. I release entanglements with misused power, and I invite right-relationship and power-with.
  11. I release shame that silences me, and I invite dignity, self-trust, and belonging.

Pair DIY Power Retrieval with Skill Support

Power retrieval restores the raw capacity; skill support helps you use it. Consider working with a coach or therapist to settle the internal noise and to run real-life scenarios. Seek good models—books, courses, or people whose communication and boundaries are clean and respectful—and study how they do it. If you learned to trade power for peace and safety, that was an excellent childhood strategy; as an adult survivor of childhood, we can gently repattern those habits toward clear, respectful power-with.

When to ask for help

DIY power retrieval practices are powerful, and sometimes we meet layers that are tangled with trauma, past-life imprints, family patterns, or vows. If you feel overwhelmed or simply stuck, that’s a wise moment to bring in a trusted practitioner. Expert guided power retrieval work can clear debris from the past, restore what was lost, and help you integrate the shift in daily life and can create gentle, lasting, and immediate shifts.  Power retrieval also pairs very well with soul retrieval.

What changes to watch for

People often notice with DIY power retrieval:

  • Quieter reactivity and less hypervigilance.
  • More options appearing where there only seemed to be two.
  • Boundaries that feel kinder and clearer.
  • Relationships that reorganize toward mutual respect.
  • A steadier sense of “I am safe (if not always comfortable).”

 FAQ

  • Q: What is DIY power retrieval?
    A: It’s a do-it-yourself approach to the shamanic practice of calling your power home using intention, a short practice, and simple fire ceremony wording.
  • Q: Is DIY power retrieval enough, or do I need a practitioner?
    A: DIY can create real shifts; practitioner-led work can go deeper when you feel stuck or want more support.

Final encouragement

Your power is not a scarce resource. It is part of your essence, and it responds beautifully to your steady, precise attention. Start where you are, keep it kind, and let repetition do the heavy lifting if this feels like a large problem. If and when you want deeper clearing or a companion on the path, that support is available. Either way, your intention matters and it’s powerful in its own right.

Additional Resources

Check out my article that provides and overview of power retrieval

Episode 53 of my Practical Shamanism Podcast: Clear Learned Helplessness and Restore Your Power

Getting Help with Power Retrieval

I hope the above information sparks some ideas to support yourself in this important area.  If you’d like some more help, please consider:

Whatever approach you take, I hope this supports you in feeling authentically empowered in your life.

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