What It’s Like Working with a Book Shaman

Most people know what a ghostwriter or book coach does. But what about a book shaman?

What exactly is a book shaman?

A book shaman is a guide who helps you navigate the emotional, energetic, and spiritual layers of writing a book. I support you with the healing and inner transformation that naturally unfold when you tell your story. I help you learn to trust yourself and your soul gifts. Your manuscript becomes a portal into a new identity—and I support you in embracing and embodying that new identity.

This means we’re not just scratching the surface… we’re exploring a way of working with stories that honors the emotional, somatic, and spiritual layers of the writing process—the parts that traditional editing often overlooks.

A book shaman doesn’t just help you finish a manuscript. They help you listen to yourself, trust your voice, and write a story that feels true, not just technically polished. Here’s what that actually looks and feels like, from the inside.

1. I meet you where you are, with compassion and grace.

When you’re writing a memoir, especially one involving trauma, grief, identity shifts, or spiritual awakening—there is no one-size-fits-all pace. Any book, whether it’s memoir, non-fiction, poetry, or fiction, involves a lot of decision making and a lot of stretching yourself bravely into the unknown.

As a book shaman, I’m here to honor that and to honor your process as a creative being.

• I’ll help you become more aware of how much capacity you have, and not push beyond your limits.

• I’ll help you create a rhythm that feels nourishing rather than trying to force a writing schedule' that’s too much.

• I’ll help you honor all of the emotions that are coming up, whether you’re feeling excited, overwhelmed, scared, or hopeful.

• Together we’ll create a rhythm that supports your nervous system, so writing feels grounding, not retraumatizing.

You don’t have to “push through.” You don’t have to be ready for every chapter at once. You simply have to show up, as you are.

I’ll meet you right where you are.

2. We go beyond the words to find the meaning underneath. Sometimes we travel to unseen realms for healing purposes.

Memoir is about more than the facts of what happened. It’s about what it meant. It’s about how your younger self survived, adapted, and navigated the world. It’s about how you make sense of your story now.

As your book shaman, I listen to the subtle hints and cues that something held a lot of meaning for you:

• When your voice tightens up and it’s hard to share

• When you want to rush past something but there’s more depth to explore there

• The stories you tell like they don’t matter (but they do)

• The memories that feel foggy or overwhelming

• The images, metaphors, and somatic clues your body is offering

I’ll help you go safely into the deeper layers of meaning and healing. I also incorporate healing modalities like distance Reiki energy work, shamanic journeying (trance state found through drumming), oracle card pulls, and psychic journaling as ways to help you process emotions and move through any fears, doubts, and hesitations that are coming up for you.

3. We build safety.

Safety is so key! This isn’t something that all professionals in the publishing world are talking about. In fact, I’ve heard horror stories of traditional publishers who push their authors so hard that they burn out…

I’m here to help you walk through the book writing process in a way that’s nourishing and energizing, not depleting.

Trauma-informed writing means we honor the body first.

A book shaman helps you:

• Notice when your nervous system is in overwhelm

• Slow down when a scene feels too charged

• Take breaks without shame

• Tell the truth without burning out

• Separate your story from your identity

• Process difficult emotions in manageable, supported ways

Your story is sacred, and the way we handle it is too.

4. We shape the narrative with care.

Even though the emotional and intuitive work is powerful, the craft is just as important. As a book shaman, I’m here to bring all of my editorial background and my passion for structuring books to the process.

I’ll help you organize the chapters and ideas and find your confidence in doing so. Structure is something that holds most authors back, but it doesn’t have to be so scary!

Together, we will:

• Map the structure of your memoir

• Identify your core themes

• Shape your transformation arc

• Refine your voice and pacing

• Pull threads through so the story feels cohesive

• Build chapters that feel strong, compelling, and coherent

My editorial brain and intuitive sense work together. I love helping you write from a heart-centered place and helping you feel less worried or overwhelmed by the structural elements of your book.

5. You’re guided, not pushed.

As a book shaman, I’m here to support you discovering your best process in a way that’s unique to you.

This means:

• I don’t force a specific method.

• I don’t assume that every author needs the same things or the same format. I’m here to help you discover what works best for you.

• I honor the need for rest, and if you’re tired, I’ll encourage you to rest.

• I don’t treat your story like a product.

Instead, I help you:

• Stay accountable to your work with compassion

• Break through resistance gently

• Build trust in your own voice

We’ll move at the pace that is right for you, and I’m here to listen if things get overwhelming at any point in the process.

I like to think of my method as more of “pulling” you forward rather than “pushing” you anywhere.

6. Writing becomes an act of reclamation.

At some point, almost every client says to me:

“I didn’t expect writing my book to change me.”

But it always does.

Writing with a book shaman helps you reclaim your power. I’ll be here to talk to you about how you’re changing as a person through this process, not just the nuts and bolts of what’s happening on the page.

You evolve as the book evolves. That’s the beauty of this work.

7. You finish with a manuscript and with a deeper sense of yourself.

Yes, we will collaborate to create a strong, compelling manuscript. Yes, we prepare you for agents and traditional publishers or for self-publishing. Yes, you walk away with clarity, structure, and confidence in your book.

But you also walk away with:

• A deeper understanding of who you are as a person, and how your story has shaped you

• A more regulated nervous system, and more trauma-informed writing techniques so you can feel safe when you sit down to write

• Trust in your voice

• Compassion for your younger self (!!!)

• The ability to tell the truth without collapsing

• The confidence to share your story

Writing your book is all about you becoming a strong, courageous version of yourself who is proud to share your story with the world.

If you’re curious about what this journey could look like for you…

Let’s have a conversation.

Your story is sacred. Let’s give it the care, clarity, and companionship it deserves.

→ Click here to get in touch.
→ Learn more about my memoir ghostwriting services.