Lisa Silva: My Journey Through Illness to Purpose and the Unveiling of the Shangriballa Method
“My name is Lisa Silva, and I am the founder and lead facilitator of Shangriballa. At 51, my life has been a profound, ongoing journey of self-discovery and purpose, leading me to become a Shamanic Practitioner and Medicine Woman. I’ve been truly honoured with the title of Maestra by my teacher – a testament to the wisdom I’ve gained through my healing and transformation, wisdom that now allows me to guide others on their unique paths.
I don’t claim to heal you directly, but I am fiercely dedicated to empowering and supporting you in your self-healing journey. With over 2000 ceremonies under my belt, I draw upon extensive knowledge, profound wisdom, and hands-on expertise to facilitate transformative experiences that foster proper balance across your emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being.
My spiritual journey began in the vibrant heart of South Africa, where I lived and worked intimately with African Shamans (Sangomas) for most of my life. From a very young age, my work as a healer was always with me, as I learned and refined my skills as a spiritual guide. What I now understand, with clarity born of experience, is that I was already deeply immersed in practising the principles of the Shangriballa Method – particularly the profound ‘Step 1: Body-Mind Awareness’ – long before I had a name or a structured program for it. My personal healing journey dramatically exemplified its power, though I didn’t know it at the time.
That journey took a life-altering turn in 2012. Following a period of widespread pain and numbness, I underwent an MRI brain scan and several repeated blood tests, leading to a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia and a cyst in my brain. My health plummeted, leaving me needing full-time care. I lost mobility and feeling in most of the left side of my body, and Multiple Sclerosis (MS) was even suspected. It was a terrifying and challenging time. I lived with relentless chronic pain, suffered from incontinence, endured a long list of debilitating symptoms, and became utterly unable to work.
During this period, I was on various medications, including rapidly increasing doses of painkillers, to try to control my symptoms and failing health. The medication caused severe side effects, yet I had no option but to take them; I was on 10ml of oral Morphine per day to find a few pain-free hours to function. I attended a pain clinic in Cambridgeshire, where the focus shifted from cure to ‘how to live with chronic pain,’ as it became clear that this might be my reality for the rest of my life. It was at this devastating point that my neurologist told me there was nothing else that could be done for me.
I refused to believe this was my destiny. A deep inner knowing propelled me to return to my roots: alternative therapies and the ancient path of shamanism. Through intense self-inquiry and spiritual research, I began to realise that my illnesses were far more complex than just physical diagnoses. I understood that my healing had to start on a profound emotional and spiritual level before any lasting change could manifest in my physical body. This profound illness, I now see, was my undeniable calling to reconnect with Spirit.
My quest led me to explore past life regression, specifically the method developed by Dolores Cannon, QHHT. Attending a past life event revealed profound insights: I had indeed carried some trauma and illness into this life. Through extensive healing using QHHT, I began to experience a noticeable improvement in my health, validating my intuitive understanding that healing had to go deeper. Yet, I sensed there was still much more work to be done.
What was this calling, and why had it manifested so intensely in my life? I wondered. I was familiar with African plant medicines, but Ayahuasca, a powerful medicine from the Amazon jungle, renowned for its ability to heal both emotionally and spiritually, came to mind strongly. I felt an undeniable pull to work with this sacred plant. Because I was on so many medications that were contraindicated with Ayahuasca, I couldn’t receive the treatment immediately. In hindsight, this turned out to be a profound blessing, as it forced another crucial layer of preparation.
I worked diligently with my doctor to safely taper off all the medications that weren’t truly helping me anyway. Over a year, I painstakingly completed the process, finally becoming medication-free and truly ready for Ayahuasca. From my very first ceremony, profound healing began. I was able to release deeply stuck, old trauma, precisely what we now guide others through in Step 1 of the Shangriballa Method: Body-Mind Awareness, where we learn to ‘peak and release’ samskaras into the now. It wasn’t a comfortable journey; looking in the mirror at what needed ‘fixing’ is never easy. However, the rewards, if you’re willing to put in the work, are truly incredible.
It was through Ayahuasca that I met the powerful frog spirit. I didn’t initially understand its significance, but I was soon introduced to the practice of Kambo. At this point, my body had healed significantly; I was able to walk and function much better, yet a stubborn, chronic pain persisted in my legs. I looked up Kambo and decided to sit with the medicine to see if there was still something that needed releasing that I hadn’t been able to do with other therapies. From my very first Kambo treatment, the pain in my legs vanished, and it has not returned.
I felt an incredible, undeniable connection with Kambo. It felt like the final stage of my healing was complete. I was able to release stuck energy stored in my body that I hadn’t even been aware of – another powerful confirmation of the principles within our Shangriballa Method’s first step. While Kambo’s well-documented medical benefits certainly played a role, it was the profound spiritual and emotional purification it facilitated that provided the ultimate shift I needed. I had heard the calling to work with Spirit, and I had answered.
Today, I live a healthier life than ever before. My connection with Kambo is so strong that I not only trained as a practitioner but also became a Maestra, dedicating myself to helping others experience the incredible, transformative power of the frog. My journey, from chronic illness to profound healing, has been an unfolding masterclass in the very principles that define the Shangriballa Method. It’s a path I lived, deeply and unknowingly, before I ever gave it a name, demonstrating how the vital necessity of first addressing and releasing the deep-seated samskaras and trauma imprints from the body-mind (our Step 1) organically paves the way for the profound ultimate Self-Enquiry into the truth of ‘Who I Am’ (our Step 2). This is a testament to the fact that while the wisdom is ancient, its application, structured for our modern needs, is uniquely fresh and deeply compelling.”