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 the Shangriballa Method. At 51, my life stands as a testament to a profound journey of self-discovery and purpose—the constant work of Waking Up, Waking In. This path has been my true apprenticeship, leading me to become a dedicated Practitioner and a bearer of Maitri—a title I was truly honoured to receive from my students (Meaning: It translates directly to “loving-kindness,” “friendliness,” “benevolence,” or “active goodwill.). It is a testament to the essential wisdom I gained by committing to living in sustained Presence.
I don’t claim to heal you directly, but I am fiercely dedicated to empowering and supporting your self-healing journey. The wisdom I share comes from integrating my own pain and bringing every aspect of my experience into loving awareness, which forms the cornerstone of the Shangriballa Method.
I have the privilege of working alongside a dedicated team of Shangriballa Members and therapists who further strengthen our mission: Be Your Own Guru. Together, and with over 2000 facilitated ceremonies under my belt, we draw upon extensive knowledge, profound wisdom, and hands-on expertise to facilitate transformative experiences that foster true balance across your emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. My purpose is to equip you with the tools to take your own Leap of Faith and find liberation within.
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.
My journey took a life-altering turn. 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 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 and Vedic teachings. 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.
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. This cleared the ground, allowing me to fully commit to the path of Waking Up, Waking In.
The majority of my healing unfolded through a relentless commitment to staying in states of presence. This wasn’t passive; it was deeply active. It involved the profound work of bringing every part of my experience into myself—the deep, chronic pain held in my body and the turbulent emotions attached to it. I learned to meet that intense pain and release it directly into Present Moment Awareness.
This deep, internal release of physical and emotional blockages formed the foundation of my healing method, becoming the cornerstone of the Shangriballa Method.
Later in my journey, I was finally ready for Ayahuasca. From my very first ceremony, profound healing certainly accelerated. 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—the continuous work of Waking In—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 teacher, 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.”