Shamanic healing – Services include compassionate depossession, divination, extraction of spiritual intrusion, house and space clearing, passing power, psychopomp (assisting the dead and dying), retrieval of power animals or allies, soul retrieval, and support of spiritual emergence.
Shamanic Education – I provide Harner Shamanic Counseling services (1:1 Journey instruction and support) and educational training as a Guest Faculty member for the Foundation for Shamanic Studies in Iowa and online.
My training and methods are based on Core Shamanism, as taught by the Foundation for Shamanic Studies, and as taught by helping spirits while using these methods. Core shamanism is a substance-free experience for both the practitioner and the client. People might wonder, or even question, the integrity of an allopathic trained psychiatrist, trained at an institution built on an excellent reputation in psychopharmacology, for pursuing this path.
Here is my story:
Warning: high-intensity share, psychosis, harm to others
My journey into shamanism and psychiatry began at a young age. When I was eight, I expressed a desire to become a shaman, only to be told it wasn’t possible. ‘Of course not; you don’t belong to a tribe, Kerri!’ This was after I learned about my grandmother, Winona Chamberlain, of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and the Kanienʼkehá꞉ka (Mohawk Nation), who married my grandfather, John Chamberlain, in 1783 in Vermont. This is eight generations back in my heritage, but my family has cherished, not banished, this vital part of our history. I started reading encyclopedias and checking out books during our twice-a-month trips to the county-seat library to learn about the Iroquois, the name on the books available to me. This time in my life also coincided with the onset of health problems, including severe allergies, rashes, wearing glasses, missing weeks of school due to pneumonia, and vomiting and diarrhea attacks labeled as anxiety. These experiences, though challenging, have shaped my understanding of the human condition and have fueled my passion for alternative medicine and psychiatry.
When I was 11 years old, I had a harrowing experience with a medication for asthma. For much of that summer, I was tormented by what some would describe as hallucinations and others would describe as middle-world spirits – a man and a woman claiming to be my parents. They would float down the hall from my parent’s bedroom, trying to gain my trust and convince me that they were my real parents. They kept claiming that my actual parents were terrible people who I should eliminate. I became increasingly angry as there seemed to be nobody I could trust. My actual parents initially thought it was some puberty-related phase. Eventually, with a lack of sleep and all the screaming, they ultimately called the allergist, the doctor stopped the medication, and within two days, the imposters never returned, and I was back to myself. This experience, though terrifying, has given me a deep understanding of how alone one can feel during a spiritual crisis and has instilled in me a profound empathy for those in such states.
My fascination with the brain began in middle school, partly as a way to understand my cousin’s schizophrenia and my own prior experience. I subscribed to Psychology Today in the 7th grade, thinking I would become a neurosurgeon to “fix” brains. However, as I read more, my interest shifted towards psychobiology. I found a college that offered it as a major, with plans to practice medicine.
After my psychology mentors advised me that psychiatrists mainly prescribe medications and don’t provide much help with patients’ problems, I decided to pursue a career in OB/GYN. I had always felt aligned with treating women and children, and I appreciated the psychiatric aspects of that field. Unfortunately, during my rotation in OB/GYN, I realized it wasn’t the right fit for me.
Serendipitously, my next rotation was in Psychiatry, and within a week, I knew I had found my place; my advisers and rotations all quickly aligned with where I belonged. My training continued, leading me to moonlight in rural Iowa. I then served the local communities as part of the National Health Service Corps, transitioned into private practice at Cedar Centre Psychiatric Group, and eventually established my independent practice, Vitality Psychiatry, P.C., at Eastwind Healing Center.
While psychiatric work involves medication management, I began incorporating lifestyle and alternative treatments supported by data-driven science after completing my moonlighting and residency in 2002. I focused on evidence-based approaches, including herbs, supplements, and light therapy, and added many more techniques after becoming certified in functional medicine.
Further expanding my practice, I underwent extensive training in techniques that work with the unconscious, such as energy psychology, hypnotherapy, and using psychedelics as medicine. I still greatly enjoy spending part of my week in a lifestyle-supported psychiatric practice.
Health issues persisted: viral and bacterial infections, a year of bed rest due to an antibiotic reaction, inflammation, hormonal problems, and weight fluctuations continued to accumulate. Adding to this, two of my parents faced cancer and have since passed away. At this point, I was already trained in Functional Medicine (put the oxygen on yourself first, right?). My husband learned various specific diets (SCD, Paleo, AIP, WFPB, Wahls, etc.) to provide some level of relief for me and then for family members. I would improve, only to be met with a new challenge (like Lyme disease, EBV, MCAS, or multiple experiences with COVID).
While struggling with a goiter, it finally dawned on me: I needed to start Core Shamanism training. I had been drawn to the ethical and anthropological foundation of this practice for years, often visiting the website. So, in 2018, I began my training and progressed rapidly, providing relief from chronic and acute conditions for my clients, building connections with my helping spirits, and guiding those who were dying and their families before, during, and after their passing. I initially had to apply what I learned to my family, which was met with resistance until they experienced the benefits firsthand. This independent spiritual work, outside formal religious training, was unfamiliar to them before they saw its impact.
Unknown to me before this journey, I always had the ability to sense the divine, though I didn’t understand it. Both my parents are easily tearful, especially when discussing those who have passed, and both have strong faiths. I resented this emotional expression because I inherited a significant dose of it. For over 20 years, I stopped attending funerals as it was overwhelming, and I found it challenging to visit churches. Even while practicing for cross country by running through or near a cemetery, I would find myself crying. I even took an antidepressant for 17 years because I didn’t want my emotions to interfere during intense sessions with psychiatric patients. It wasn’t until I began Healing Touch training that I recognized I could see angels, along with the animals from my life, joining me during my work with clients. This realization helped me understand that my tears were not just sorrowful; they were beautiful and powerful. I find that my emotional responses are now better controlled, surfacing during Healing Touch, Core Shamanism, or when psychopomping a spirit (be it roadkill, a pet, or a human), and sometimes as a client has an emotional release during coaching. I have come to accept these tears as my spirit’s response to the divine.
Now, I find myself in a dual role: part of my life involves wearing my medical doctor’s hat, prescribing medications and making treatment recommendations. The other part consists of non-medical care, where I work with clients as a core shamanic practitioner. In this spiritual practice, benevolent and loving spirits (such as angels, animals, plants, ancestors, ascended masters, and teachers) work through me, either in person or from a distance, to address the spiritual aspects of the concerns that clients present. In-person work occurs over and around the client’s body, without requiring touch. The client typically relaxes on a massage table during the session. For distance sessions, the client rests comfortably in their chosen location, ensuring they are not driving or attending to other responsibilities. They are invited to release what no longer serves them and be open to the restoration and empowerment of their spirit. The belief in the potential benefits of the work is all that is needed; no specific faith or religion is expected or required. Core shamanism techniques have been utilized for tens of thousands of years, suggesting that we all descend from tribes and groups that employed this method to address mind-body-spirit concerns. Although the timeline is complex and primarily consists of oral traditions taught exclusively through experience, it is known that shamanic history exists in my German, Welsh, English, Irish, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, and Kanienʼkehá꞉ka ancestry, and I intend to honor all lineages.
Session lengths and fees are as follows. Please check our specials page for package discounts:
50 min (60 minute time slot) $155
80 min (90 minute time slot) $195
Please call 866-425-8066, option 2 for a free 15 minute consultation to determine how our office can best support your goals.
* Please note
Although Kerri Husman is a licensed physician in the State of Iowa, she only offers her services as a Shamanic and Healing Touch Practitioner and Health Coach through Mammoth Hills Coaching & Wellness, LLC and her services are not part of her medical practice. She will not advise, diagnose, treat, or manage your medical conditions or psychological disorders. Dr. Husman provides psychiatric care and psychotherapy in a separate practice at Vitality Psychiatry, P.C. If you are a resident of Iowa and interested in Dr. Husman’s psychiatric/psychotherapy services, you can call Eastwind Healing Center to schedule at 866-425-8066, option 2. She does not provide services to past, present, or future psychiatric patients at her healing practice or vice versa, and will refer out to individuals she knows and trusts, from either practice, as the need arises.