Jérôme Rey is undoubtedly a charismatic and passionate holistic therapist of the new age! At the heart of his work is: Live and embody your essence.
He draws on decades of his own personal experiences with shamans, healers and therapists as well as years of experience in dealing with trauma. His profound knowledge is based on extensive training in the field of trauma therapy and spirituality. This broad spectrum of personal experience and professional knowledge forms the basis of his professional work and enables him to accompany people on their path of healing and personal growth.
Jérôme Rey, Oshokto, Trauma Therapist, Shaman and Hypnotherapist
Every person is precious and was chosen from the nature, to embody their wonderful essence.
Who is Jéromê Rey? Tell us about your story
My search for the truth started already very early, actually out of an inner need. Already in my first few years of my earth live, I did not feel welcome, not understood and was plagued by many existential fears. I longed for relatedness and closeness to fellow men and at the same time I was overstrained and had this fear, not being enough.
I often felt shame when it came to my personal expression and my needs. I switched in my behaviour between hiding, attacking with acting out aggression and melting down or wanting to save others. I sought closeness and protection from my older brother. This felt good and very early, I wanted to be like him. A special refuge I found in the animal world, I loved dogs and cats. In contact with them, I really felt understood and at home. What was amazing is, that I turned back to God and prayed to him. I asked him for protection for myself, but also for fellow men and animals. I prayed that no one would have to suffer anymore. I did this even though I hadn't learned it anywhere, because I come from an atheist family. However, I even was hiding my prayers from my own family.
I often felt like an "alien" who had landed on the wrong planet. Deep down, I longed for closeness and contact and deep connections, for Oneness. I felt this Oneness again and again and could hardly understand why so many people perceived themselves as so separate from each other. I couldn't relate to superficiality at all. I sensed that many adults were suffering and didn't understand why I heard from them so often: "I'm fine, everything's ok", but I felt that this wasn't true.
I was very sensitive and wanted so much to have more empathetic people around me, and I oscillated between compassion and wanting to save those around me, and the fear of not belonging, and more and more feelings of powerlessness and anger arose. I also couldn't understand why so many people did things they didn't like, just because they had to! I felt anger at ignorance, anger at injustice. Anger at authorities, especially those I considered unjust, and also anger that people who were unhappy, wanted to tell me what to do and what not to do. No future, I thought to myself, life really doesn't make sense like this, humanity that doesn't respect itself or the earth's resources and is visibly destroying itself. I rebelled and joined the punk scene, I could identify myself with it, especially because my older brother was also in the scene. In the beginning, it felt like a liberation, being understood, a group where we could all be who we were.
After a while, I realized that there were too many power games and that people were sometimes very brutal with each other, I couldn't connect too well with some people and didn't feel quite at home here either. I turned to alcohol and drugs far too young and became more and more disconnected from my life force. In the beginning, it helped me to forget the pain, to drown out my insecurity and to feel uniquely connected and free.
However, these states and feelings lasted less and less, and I withdrew more and more. Especially when my first great love left me after only a short time, I fell into a deep hole of despair, which today would be called depression. I definitely wanted to leave this earth; I just did not have the courage to end my life. Turning to a therapist or confiding in someone with my feelings was out of the question for me.
When did the turning point come and how did you come to spirituality?
I had a best friend in the scene who suddenly started telling me about spiritual teachers. He also introduced me to my first Carlos Castaneda book, which totally fascinated me. Then came other books such as "The Path of the Peaceful Warrior" by Dan Milman and "Talking to Nature" by Michael Roads. These spiritual adventure books opened up a whole new prospect of the world for me, gave me comfort, and inspired me, and I became more interested in spirituality. I had also experimented with hallucinogenic drugs. These had given me energetic and out-of-body experiences, which I had previously always dismissed as "flashes". In the spiritual literature, I suddenly came across stories about what I had experienced myself on my trips!
It was like an introduction to the turning point, the real change came when I fell in love again at the age of 18. It was when I met my daughter's future mother. This healing connection gave me a zest for life, and I saw more and more sense in my life. I started to meditate, train in martial arts and reduce my drug consumption.
I distanced myself from the "old scene" and spent more time in nature.
My journey gradually began from survival mode to curiosity in the mystery of life! I felt like a newborn and in this process, I gradually said goodbye to dishonest business and highly destructive patterns and trained to become a certified naturopathic therapist. It was the beginning of a colourful journey.
Later on my path, my encounters with Michael J. Roads, Jean-Marie Muller, Johanne Razanamahay, Dr. Christian Tal Schaller and Gopal Norbert Klein proved to be real revelations. I immersed myself in the world of natural forces, mediumship, hypnosis, trauma therapy and revolutionary shamanic concepts of psychoactive identities and facets of ourselves. Always in search of the truth. I felt more and more guided by life and bit by bit more answers were revealed to me. But it wasn't all so straightforward.
You now run your own health practice, what exactly do you offer?
“The Essence” is the name of my practice! Because in my eyes, no matter what we are looking for, it is always about deep contact with our true nature, our essence.
So, I accompany people into their true essence, away from illusions and "false identifications" and into their soul power. People tell me again and again that when I accompany them, a space is created in which they feel safe, they get in contact with themselves and often the obstacles and problems miraculously become vincible and / or fade into the background.
What exactly are you doing in your therapeutic sessions?
It is a bit difficult to answer what I do, because the more I develop, the less I do anything. It has more to do with presence and mindful awareness.
Most therapy sessions start with a conversation, then it can turn into a trance journey or sometimes into body expression and/or that I work in the energetic field. Essentially, however, it is about the client coming back into contact with himself in terms of his autonomy and his power of action. This happens primarily through contact with the emotions and needs that most people have had to repress since childhood. It is also about finding out what the basic relational idea is that the client has stored as an unconscious concept of what life and relationships are based on their childhood experiences. This is always something destructive. As soon as this is resolved and there is contact with the Here and Now, you can feel grounded and safe in your body again. This is a very important basis for exploring the highest spiritual dimensions. For most people, it is essential to first integrate this foundation, before moving into the more subtle frequencies, because without grounding it is easy to get lost, build up the next illusions and lose all inner stability.
My background knowledge comes from years of experience, first in naturopathy and Chinese medicine, especially in shamanic initiations and years of practicing hypnosis, and last but not least, from the latest neurobiological and dream therapeutic knowledge. I connect the worlds of trauma therapy and spirituality and ultimately, follow a great vision that was revealed to me, which I will explain in more detail later in the interview.
Do you have any other offers, what else can people experience with you?
I offer therapeutic education in hypnosis and trauma therapy, as well as a 9-month shamanic course.
There are also intensive seminars in trauma therapy, shamanism and personal development, sweat lodge rituals, trance dance, shamanic workshops, and a big highlight are the initiation trips with dolphins and whales in Mauritius and Egypt, which I organize and accompany.
Together with friends I also founded the SOULnSPIRIT association, with which we have also organized various spiritual events and two festivals.
What were the key experiences on your path?
Quitting my job as a manager at the end of 2011 and making a 100% commitment to my own therapy practice.
Although I had already found my calling in my early twenties, my first attempts as an independent therapist brought little financial success. At the age of 23, I became a father, and at 25, my financial resources were exhausted. So, I decided to accept an offer from my father, who offered me a franchise employment contract in a logistics company. Although this was not really my thing, I signed up as a contractual partner and after a few years, I had become a transport entrepreneur with five employees. When a management position became available in the partner company, I applied for it and actually got the job. Now, at almost 30 years old, I was head of a department with over 60 employees, a good salary, a company car and several paid expenses. Only one thing had disappeared (again) more and more: my zest for life! Although I had been in a relationship for many years and had repeatedly attended spiritual seminars and offered therapies, I had become deeply unhappy. I decided to quit my job and finally follow my inner call again instead of security.
2012 the encounter with dolphins & whales
About six months later, back in 2012, I was invited to a seminar in Mauritius. I was supposed to do shamanic rituals there. At that time, I had 4 years of experience in shamanic trance techniques, and of course, I accepted this dream offer. This trip was a great initiation for me in many ways. On site, nothing really went according to plan and my trust was put to the test several times. It was an inner journey of personal growth and I felt carried by the spiritual world and stronger than ever, connected to the earth.
The encounters with dolphins and whales especially moved me deeply; they were touching and transcendent experiences that felt like coming home. I knew intuitively that we as humanity have a deep connection to these magical creatures and I kept hearing the message that says, remember, remember. It is time for you to remember who you really are. We are deeply connected in consciousness, and it is NOW really TIME for you humans to remember the essence and to awaken.
The encounter with dolphins gave me back my passion and joy of life in a magical way. The dolphins became my companions on my path "back to myself". They showed me how important it is to follow the call of the heart and to see the "holy power that dwells in everything" and to approach life (again) with curiosity.
It was, and still is, fascinating to me to see that "their medicine" works even more strongly if we as a group connect with them spiritually, in our hearts and minds, before we go into the water.
I followed the inner call to come back and since then I organize one or two spiritual dolphin soul tours for groups per year, in Mauritius and since 2022 also in Egypt. These trips offer the participants not only the opportunity to experience dolphins in their natural habitat, but also a deep spiritual experience of self-awareness in connection with nature and fellow human beings.
What happens in us in contact with these extraordinary living beings can hardly be described with words. Those who get involved with the high-frequency vibrations of these unique beings, can experience the beauty and uniqueness of each encounter. The dolphins and whales, open to us the space of feeling, beyond our intellect and remind us of our beauty and wonderful natural essence.
Since my profound connection with dolphins and whales, I have made an amazing journey around the world to swim with dolphins and whales at different places. These experiences have evolved into a life-changing passion that has deepened my connection to nature and sea creatures.
I feel deep gratefulness for this gift, and I love to share it with other people!
In 2013, I followed the call to go into the jungle.
In Ayahuasca ceremonies in Peru, I definitely discovered my shamanic roots. This transformative experience allowed me to dive deep into the world of spirits, experience my spiritual guides and my life vision was revealed to me.
I found answers to many questions, even some I wasn't even aware of. Each ceremony was a deep initiation. In the first ceremony, I realized that all dominance, control, all the worst human behaviours, only came from feelings of inferiority and a total lack of real contact, lack of LOVE, lack of consciousness! I also saw my lost parts and was shocked!
But what touched me deeply, was to see, that we all come from the one beautiful source and are part of nature, even if we usually experience ourselves as separate from it. This is precisely our primal pain, this separateness, ultimately based on illusions.
In further ceremonies, I was able to meet power animals, spiritual guides and it was particularly beautiful to see that shamanism is the connection of nature and that my soul has known this path for a long time. The experience of shamanic death in an initiation was a profound spiritual experience, in which I symbolically or metaphorically died, to be reborn and transformed. This is one of the most radical experiences I have had, where my old identity died, in order to gain a new spiritual realization and power.
It was undoubtedly an enlightenment experience in which I felt ONE with everything, experiencing how THE CREATION IS SIMPLY PERFECT. Not a single question arose in my mind and then the great VISION came to me. I saw that ALL PEOPLE were awakening, recognizing and experiencing themselves in their nature, without exception! I saw no time dimension to this vision. It was not just an image or a romantic, ideological, hoped for possibility, but the VISION was stronger than what I have ever felt and experienced and I just knew this was the TRUTH!
The truth of our nature will recognize itself, the untrue will fall away from us, that is the only way!
This spiritual enlightenment connected me with my soul vision, which has accompanied me in my heart ever since. However, these initiations did not heal my blockages in relationships. I gained clarity about the roots of my obstacles in trauma therapy only.
The spiritual enlightenment undoubtedly brought about a liberation within me. It opened doors to insights and a deeper spiritual connection, that helped me to release inner blockages and find peace within myself. But I realized later on that this experience alone was not enough to heal my interpersonal relationships.
(Attention: It is important to me to advise against taking herbal medicine without thought. I can only advise everyone to work with trauma therapy such as NARM first, at least until a certain inner stability is achieved. If the call is still there, it is very important to make sure that the accompaniment is professional).
To BE fulfilled means to be in deep relationship with life and this is only possible if we dare to come into true authentic contact with each other. In recent years, I have been able to recognize more and more deeply how we humans (mostly unconsciously) avoid real contact in order to avoid unpleasant feelings. This is exactly what creates this separation, which is our primal pain, and leads us into a dead end that needs to be recognized and ideally, transcended together. It is not for nothing that so many partnerships falling apart these days. The more closeness develops, the more we encounter our unredeemed parts. Unfortunately, no one has shown us how to do this, even though it would be so simple. It is not the wounds of the past that prevent us from embodying our essence today, but the protective strategies we have developed because of them. That's why a wonderful key is to communicate honestly in close relationships and thus enter into real contact with each other.
Overall, the combination of spiritual enlightenment and trauma therapy has been crucial to my personal development and the healing of my relationships. The spiritual enlightenment gave me clarity and spiritual connection, while the trauma therapy helped me to get in touch with my emotions and needs and thus become more at peace.
This process has definitely helped me to grow in all areas of my life and to live a more fulfilled and harmonious life.
Today, I incorporate all these experiences into my therapeutic support, considering that everyone goes his own way.
Do you have anything to add to the conclusion?
No matter how dark the times may be or how lost you feel, there is always the opportunity to find your own path and rediscover yourself. More than ever, we are invited to do so and can be a source of hope and growth for others. It is never too late to make changes and walk the path that leads to the realization of our true nature.
Remember the beautiful soul you are!
