An introduction to Whitefox Shamanic Psychotherapy — and a different way of seeing the therapeutic journey
There are moments in life when the familiar ways of understanding ourselves no longer seem sufficient. We may be able to recognize a pattern and still find ourselves repeating it. Sometimes people are able to conceptualize their issues, yet remain caught in the emotional–and energetic–grip.
Psychotherapy offers a place to examine the stories we carry, the relationships that shape us, and the beliefs through which we interpret our lives. Shamanic traditions invite another set of questions: Are these stories serving us? What is the payoff? Do we want to continue creating them? If not, how do we shed them?
At Whitefox Shamanic Psychotherapy, I bring these lines of inquiry into conversation.
What is shamanic psychotherapy?
Shamanic psychotherapy is the name I use for my integrative approach to counselling: a foundation in shamanism, informed by contemporary psychotherapeutic theory and neuroscientific trauma research.
Shamanism is an umbrella term for diverse spiritual traditions and practices, found in different forms across cultures and histories. They cannot be reduced to one universal method. In my own practice, shamanic perspectives provide a way to gain insight, shift perspectives, deepen a person’s felt connection to the world around them, and change energetic patterns. I approach this work with respect for the distinct traditions, lineages and teachers from whom I have learned.
The psychotherapy remains grounded in the client’s goals, cultural identity, and worldviews. Depending on what feels relevant and welcome, our work may involve narrative exploration, experiential activities, art-making, or guided imagery. Some clients are open to shamanic ceremony. Others prefer a predominantly conversational approach. Both offer possibilities for meaningful change.
Four levels of engagement with reality
An important framework informing my shamanic training describes four interconnected ways of perceiving experience and engaging with reality: the literal, the symbolic, the mythic, and the energetic.
At the literal level, we engage with the physical, observable world: the body, behaviour, events, and material circumstances of our lives. We attend to the here and now and what can be perceived through the senses.
At the symbolic level, we engage with the meanings we give our experiences. Thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and cultural narratives shape how we construct and interpret reality.
At the mythic level, the illusion of linear time collapses upon itself as we move beyond the literal and symbolic levels. Here, change can happen in an instant as all possibilities exist. We begin to see the bigger picture of our lives, the gestalt of our story, and how we fit into all that is.
At the energetic level, everything is energy. Engagement at the mythic level offers a way to work with the pure potential from which all things emerge. We surrender our stories and patterns to invite change into our lived experience.
Contemporary psychotherapy generally works at the literal and symbolic levels, addressing our circumstances, behaviours, emotions, and interpretations of experience. Shamanic therapy also engages these levels, while seeking to work at the mythic level of reality. Here, subtle energetic shifts may give rise to new symbolic patterns, a fresh foundation for consciously creating change at the literal level.
When stories limit possibility
Human beings are meaning-making creatures. We assemble our experiences into narratives about who we are, what we deserve, what is possible, and what we must do to belong or remain safe. Some of these stories support us. Others were formed under difficult circumstances and continue to shape our lives long after those circumstances have changed.
Consider the person who has learned that emotional vulnerability is weakness or that attachment is risky. They may understand, intellectually, that they push other people away—that the wall they have built around themselves is both a protective barrier and an isolation chamber. However, these relational patterns often run deep and can be exceptionally difficult to change. The limiting belief is woven through experience, emotion, and the body’s habitual responses.
Therapy can help us recognize such patterns, understand how they developed, and experiment with different strategies. Shamanic therapy invites us to intervene at the deeper, mythic level of experience—to shed the story itself and reshape the symbolic and energetic landscape of our lives.
Two-Eyed Seeing and an integrative practice
My graduate research explored shamanically guided art therapy through an autoethnographic methodology, informed by the principle of Two-Eyed Seeing. This teaching, associated with Mi’kmaw Elder Albert Marshall, invites us to learn with the strengths of Indigenous and Western ways of knowing while respecting their differences.
For me, this has become an important ethical and intellectual orientation: to remain curious about the limits of any single framework, to honour the knowledge embedded in diverse traditions, and to recognize that integration requires humility and discernment.
My clinical training and professional responsibilities guide the counselling relationship. Shamanic practices and spiritual interpretations are approached transparently, collaboratively, and with respect for each person’s worldview. You need no particular spiritual belief system to work with me.
What might a session look like?
We begin where you are. You may be navigating grief, anxiety, trauma, depression, a difficult relationship, parenting concerns, or a season of profound change. You may also be seeking self-understanding, spiritual awakening, or a more intentional relationship with your inner life.
Many initial sessions look much like familiar talk therapy: we listen closely to what is happening, explore patterns, identify needs, and begin consciously choosing to step out of our patterns and cycles. Where appropriate, we might introduce expressive art therapy, experiential activities, shamanic journeys, stonework, or shamanic ceremony. We decide together what is useful, and you always have a choice about what to engage in.
The work is responsive rather than prescriptive. It emerges through the relationships between me and you, you and Spirit, and Spirit and the world. It honours your autonomy, cultural context, and pace. Meaningful change may involve insight, new ways of relating, concrete action, and the gradual practice of living differently.
A little about me — and the beginning of Whitefox
I’m Brycie Klassen, a Canadian Certified Counsellor and Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), with a master’s degree in Counselling Psychology from Athabasca University. Before entering psychotherapy, I spent almost two decades working in human services, supporting people and families through complex circumstances.
My passion for shamanic practice began long before my formal psychotherapy training. Over the years, these paths have informed one another, deepening my questions about the nature of reality, human suffering and the many ways people seek healing. Whitefox grew from that ongoing exploration and from my desire to offer a thoughtful space where psychological curiosity and spiritual depth can coexist.
Today, I offer counselling virtually in Manitoba and Ontario, along with in-person appointments in Pinawa, MB. My practice welcomes people across cultures, beliefs, and backgrounds.
Welcome to the new Whitefox website
I’m delighted to introduce whitefoxshaman.ca — a new online home for this work.
Here you can explore my approach, learn about services, connect with me, and book a counselling appointment. In the months ahead, I also hope to share articles exploring the intersection of shamanism and psychology, along with self-guided psychotherapeutic activities. These will offer ways to begin your personal transformation work from the comfort of your own home.
If something here resonates, I invite you to explore the site and reach out. Whatever brings you to this threshold, you are welcome to begin with a simple hello.
Brycie Klassen, MA, CCC, RP(Q)
Whitefox Shamanic Psychotherapy
