Experiencing Sea Shell Healing

Like many of my other treatments at Heaven Scent Bliss, my seashell healing session starts with Annie asking me to set my intentions. In the last week my brain has been processing lots of hurt and anger, and I am emotionally wrung out. I’d like my whirling mind to be calm and peaceful once more – and this is what I ask for.

Annie brings out two baskets full of shells. They are beautiful and Annie has collected most of them herself over the years from beaches as far away as the coast of Oman and as close at hand as Margate. From among the delicate pink, cream, salmon and pearly white treasures, I pick out those that appeal to me most. As a seasoned beachcomber myself, I’m enjoying this. I pick up an orange spikey shell with a barnacle. It looks like a mummy hedgehog with her baby.
From those I’ve selected, Annie asks me to choose two to hold in my hands during the treatment. I take two small and smooth conch shells and lie down on the couch. Annie covers me with a blue blanket with a picture of a dolphin on it and then puts on some ocean-inspired music. She then sets about arranging shells around my body – a few from the collection I have put together, along with some others from the basket that Annie feels will benefit me.

At my feet, she places a selection of corals. These are apparently excellent for grounding and helping me to feel safe and secure. On my root chakra (the base of my spine) there is a red radiant shell, which also performs a grounding function. On my sacrum are two bright orange radiant shells, which feed and enliven the sacral chakra. The sacral chakra, Annie tells me, is all about receptivity, joy and detoxifying. On my solar plexus (my stomach), she positions a starfish and a harp shell, which have stabilising qualities and help boost self-confidence, self-esteem and interaction with the world at large. To heal traumas and give hope for the future, Annie puts two green cockle shells and a broken sea urchin on my heart chakra. “A broken shell can mend a broken heart”, she explains. A mussel shell at my throat will help me speak the truth and be assertive. Three conch shells down my left hand side will help to relieve issues relating to my birth and the birth of my children.

And a pyramidal shell on my third eye (between my eyes) will help enhance my intuition and clairvoyant powers. Finally, Annie arranges two paua shells at my ears and a crown of eight spiral seashells and two seashell wands (all pointing inwards), across the top of my head, to help bring me increased confidence in my abilities. The handmade wands are exquisite, and I’m pleased they are forming part of my ‘crown’.

I lie there like a mermaid with my eyes closed and let the music wash over me. Annie places her hands on parts of my body and works her way up slowly from my feet to my head, while channelling the energy of the ocean. I’m so relaxed, I could go to sleep.
After the treatment, Annie collects the shells one by one from around my body and tells me that five of the shells she has used have barnacles on them – like the ‘hedgehog’ shell I picked out earlier. Barnacles, she says, are particularly significant for me, as they are about claiming my own power and not allowing anybody else to define me. A lot of the anger I’ve been processing lately relates to power issues, so Annie’s choice has been spot on.

Back home later, and feeling rejuvenated, I read up on seashell healing. I find out that it is the shells’ association with ocean water that resonates with the water in our bodies. And as the human body is made up of 70% water, it is no surprise that we are greatly influenced by the water element. When shells are placed on the body and used in conjunction with channelled energy, they can work on many levels: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

One thing I know for sure is that when I pick up my next shell from a beach, I won’t just be selecting it to decorate my bathroom at home! Instead, I’ll be considering its healing qualities and remembering one of the most pleasant treatments I’ve ever had at Heaven Scent Bliss.

Learn more about this wonderful therapy by clicking here.