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"There comes a moment on the path when healing is no longer enough. When something deeper begins to call—not just for resolution, but for awakening, purpose, and service to a world in turmoil."
About Rachel Mann PhD
About Rachel Interviews YouTube Podcast
Rachel Mann, PhD is a spiritual teacher, shamanic healer, and founder of the Awakened Heart Institute, guiding individuals who are called not only to heal—but to step into lives of meaning, spiritual service, and leadership.
With over 40 years of dedicated spiritual practice and nearly two decades of professional healing work, she has worked with thousands of clients and students worldwide. Her aproach integrates western shamanism, Native American spirituality, and Buddhist practice with a trauma-informed understanding of the impact of harms of all kinds.
Before stepping fully into her work as a shamanic healer and spiritual teacher, she built a career in academia, earning a BA in Russian Studies, an MA in Soviet Studies and a PhD in Slavic Languages & Literatures. Her research during that time was focused on the traumatic impact of authoritarianism, war and economic emigration on individuals and communities.
She has been a consultant to organizations working on the front lines of violence, trauma, peacebuilding, including the Garrison Institute, the Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance, and the BA in Contemplative Studies at Naropa University.
and transformation.
Rachel’s path emerged through decades of deep inner work, spiritual discipline, and direct engagement with the realities of trauma, suffering, and human transformation.
After completing her PhD, she served at the University of Virginia, developing innovative courses on violence, racism, and peacemaking. Yet beneath this outward success, a deeper calling was unfolding—one that required her to step beyond conventional structures and into a more direct path of healing and spiritual service.
Her spiritual training includes extensive study of ancient and contemporary spiritual and healing traditions, including with Alberto Villoldo, founder of the Four Winds Healing the Light Body School, with medicine people of the Q’ero lineage of the Andes, in wisdom traditions of Native American spirituality, as well as long-standing immersion in Buddhist meditation practice and Western approaches to trauma and healing.
Rachel is known for her ability to move directly to the root of suffering—while holding a field of profound compassion, clarity,
Rachel’s work is not focused on quick fixes or surface-level change. She works with individuals who have already done significant inner work and are ready to:
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Address the deeper roots of trauma and fragmentation
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Reclaim lost aspects of self through soul retrieval and shamanic healing
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Stabilize their nervous system and deepen spiritual embodiment
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Step into aligned purpose, leadership, and service with their intuitive, healing, and spiritual leadership gifts.
Her methods are influenced by trauma-informed western psychotherapy but is not therapy. It is an active, conscious path of transformation working with body, mind, heart, soul, and spirit—one that asks for courage, honesty, and a willingness to meet oneself fully.
Rachel has worked with thousands of clients and students globally and has been recognized for her depth and integrity in the field of spiritual healing and wisdom transmission.
She has been acknowledged by renowned Emmy Award winning spiritual teacher and author, Iyanla Vanzant, who referred to her as part of her “enlightened heart shamanic family." Her work continues to reach individuals seeking a grounded, authentic, and deeply transformative path.
Rachel has always loved animals--lions, otters, hawks, snakes (at a respectful distance), cows, and, of course, cats and dogs.
Her work is not separate from how she lives. Her connection to the natural world, to animals, and to the rhythm of life is an essential part of the field she holds. It is relationship, lived presence, and lived practice.
In her 30s, Rachel fell in love with Great Pyrenees and was honored to walk side-by-side with these giants with great hearts, Lily and Sym (short for Tea & Sympathy).
At the age of 15, Rachel fell in love with Pugs when visiting a cousin in Santa Fe, New Mexico who had 3 of these humorous canines. She finally adopted her own Pug, Wee, at the age of 45. Then came the Buddha in Puggle form, Loki.
Rachel has always known that our animal companions--cats and dogs--are actually spirit companions with a mission to help us move through life. Her cats and dogs have all been her teachers.
Now, there's Phoebe Star of Love-Light
Now Rachel lives with a German Spitz--18 pounds (70% all white floof) with a bossy attitude and lots of charm! After adopting her from City Dogs Rescue DC who rescued her from a rural kill shelter in southern Virginia, Rachel discovered Phoebe Star has a wonderful talent.
At the second in-person healing session after bringing her home, Phoebe started singing the Cherokee Heart Chant with Rachel--something she does at the beginning of every session.
Since that first time, Phoebe Star has perfected the song and even says the words with her dog lips.
Enjoy this production and take in the vibration of Love-Light!