Shaman vs Energy Healer, What's the Difference?

People searching for a shaman near them are often looking for the same thing energy healing offers: ceremony, guidance from beyond the everyday, and a facilitator who can hold that space. The words overlap in common use but point to different lineages, training and methods, so it helps to know the difference before you book anything. It also helps to know why Jason Donaldson, whose work is Sekhem energy healing and Galactic Breathing, uses the title Galactic Shaman.

What "shaman" traditionally means

Shamanism refers to practices rooted in specific indigenous traditions, often involving journeying, plant medicine, drumming, and direct communication with spirit worlds through a practitioner trained and initiated into that lineage. True shamanic training is lineage-specific and often takes years within a particular cultural tradition, passed down through direct apprenticeship rather than a certification course. The term gets used loosely online for almost any practitioner doing ceremonial spiritual work, which blurs real distinctions between traditions that are quite distinct from one another in practice, protocol and cultural origin.

Because the word is used so broadly now, a search for "shaman near me" often turns up a wide range of practitioners, from those with genuine lineage training to those using the word as a general descriptor for ceremonial or energy work. It's worth asking any practitioner directly what stands behind their use of the term.

Why Jason uses the title Galactic Shaman

Jason puts the word Galactic in front on purpose. It sets what he does apart from indigenous shamans, whose path belongs to specific peoples and lineages. He does not claim an indigenous lineage, and he does not present himself as a shaman in that traditional sense.

His situation is closer to what is called neo-shamanism. In his understanding, it comes from past lives and from an awareness of initiations from the universe in this life, facilitated by his spirit guides. To the person who has lived through them, those experiences cannot be denied. The defining one for him happened around 2009. He also knows that society will likely not recognize this as a shamanic path, and that the title is controversial. He would rather say that plainly than leave it unexplained.

How the title sits alongside his training

His formal training is in Sekhem energy healing, an Egyptian-lineage tradition, certified through Juliet Carillo, whose teacher Gamal is a fifth-generation alchemist in Egypt. He also created Galactic Breathing, his own ceremonial breathwork method inspired by Wim Hof and Stan Grof (he did not train with either). Neither of those is an indigenous shamanic practice, and Jason does not describe them as one.

What overlaps with shamanic work: ceremony, guided altered states, work with guides and ancestors, and a facilitator who holds space rather than directs outcomes. Jason describes himself this way for Sekhem: "I am merely the channel. They do the work." That framing, a channel rather than a controller, echoes shamanic humility. He has also appeared in the feature film "Aloha Spirit Rising: Cosmic Consciousness," which touches similar ceremonial and consciousness themes.

Choosing the right practitioner

If you are specifically seeking a practitioner trained and initiated in a named indigenous shamanic tradition, look for someone who can speak to that lineage directly, including who trained them and how long they studied. Jason is not that, and he says so. If what you want is ceremony, energy work and guided altered states with someone whose path is neo-shamanic and who is open about how he got here, Sekhem or Galactic Breathing with Jason may be what you were searching for under the word "shaman." He brings 20-plus years of overall practice, and has offered sessions and workshops on the Big Island for over a decade.

Online sessions are the main way to work with Jason right now, and they are open worldwide. In person is by request: reach out and Jason will confirm.

Why the distinction matters beyond semantics

Different traditions carry different protocols, different relationships to the cultures they come from, and different claims about what the work can and can't do. Sekhem has its own Egyptian lineage, separate from indigenous shamanic traditions. Jason's openness about what he does and doesn't practice is part of what makes it possible to trust the rest of what he says about his training, his lineage, and what a session with him involves. In a space where titles get borrowed freely, plain disclosure is rarer than it should be.

What to ask before booking any ceremonial practitioner

If you're considering Jason or anyone else who works in this general space, a short list of questions helps clarify what you're actually booking. Ask who trained them and for how long. Ask which tradition they're certified in, by name, and whether that certification came through a documented lineage or a weekend workshop. Ask what happens in a typical session, step by step, so you're not surprised by anything. Jason answers all of this directly on the Sekhem energy healing and Galactic Breathing pages, including his lineage, his training background, and the full session flow.

Frequently asked questions

Is Jason a shaman?

He uses the title Galactic Shaman. The word Galactic marks the difference from indigenous shamans, and he does not claim an indigenous lineage. His understanding is neo-shamanic: it comes from past lives and from initiations from the universe in this life, facilitated by spirit guides. He knows the title is controversial and that society will likely not recognize it.

Does Jason use plant medicine in sessions?

No. Sessions with Jason use breath, energy work, sound, sage, cedar and Egyptian oils. There is no plant medicine involved, and none of his practices require or involve ingesting any substance.

What is the Egyptian lineage behind Sekhem?

Jason's certification traces to Juliet Carillo, whose teacher Gamal is a fifth-generation alchemist in Egypt known for his Egyptian oils, which Jason uses in sessions.

Can Galactic Breathing produce a similar experience to shamanic journeying?

Some clients report altered states and a felt connection to guides or ancestors during Galactic Breathing, similar in feeling to what people describe from other ceremonial traditions, though the method and training behind it are Jason's own.

How do I work with Jason, online or in person?

Online sessions are the main way to work with Jason right now, open worldwide. In person is by request, and Jason confirms. Galactic Breathing and Sekhem in person take place at his small studio in Hawaiian Paradise Park at 10am, 11am or noon, since it gets hot after 2pm. He can also travel to home locations by arrangement during regular business hours, easily within a 25 mile radius.