if you’re new here, welcome
a session series is a good beginning
hi, loved one. this page will take you time to read. good. healing is sacred, deep, rich. it’s worth feeling into this and allowing time before you decide if my way of holding space is for you.
welcome, welcome.
alchemy is afoot
if you’re here, something is changing in your heart or your life, your helping spirits nudged you in this direction, something fell apart, you’re in an initiation, you’re birthing a dream, you’re waking up, or you need an infusion of light and joy, hope and healing.
that’s how my beautiful clients arrive, generally. your story will be your own, and special.
usually, the folks I work with are healers of some form. I don’t mean you have to hang a professional shingle as a healer, midwife, therapist, hospice worker or physician (although that happens a lot, hi friends)…I mean that you are here to heal and help.
your mission may be very clear to you, why you came here planetside. or it may be revealing itself to you. okay.
if you’re here, some deep and strong kind of alchemy is afoot in your world.
to honor that, starting with a short series of sessions is the way to begin here.
in a session series, we begin ‘doing the work,’ which means truly changing, growing, letting go, solidly remembering who you are, and learning wondrous tools and techniques with your spirits that change energy in your world, and fuel who you wish to become.
it’s a beautiful journey.
big heart hug on what’s brought you here. you are not alone, and whether we’re a good fit together or not, know that you’re powerful and well, your spirits love you, and it’s going to be okay.
what do we do in a session series?
so, what happens in a session series? there are a gazillion healers online now, and you need to have at least a sense of what might happen in a session series, right?
I’m chuckling a bit trying to write this for you, because it’s a little like saying, before we accept earth amnesia, ‘what’s a human life like?’ we can go so many places! healing sessions are like that – truly alchemical sessions are dynamic, unusual, strong, fun, effective, and meet you where you’re at, whether you’re arriving in struggle and complexity, or are waking up to a sacred dream.
and. I can sling sacred poetry at you all day long (laughter), and I totally get wanting to understand a healing container as much as possible before exploring further. yep.
if you’re truly held with skill in a healing encounter, you’ll come away thinking you had a great time, chatted about some things, some big energy changed, and now you feel much, much better. there’s actually a lot more to it than that behind the scenes – and my job is to make powerful work that changes things for you feel fun and accessible. healing should feel…nourishing. grounding. inspiring. fun. powerful. simple. and! we’ve got to bring specificity in somewhere, so I’ve taken time to write some things out for you:
please have a browse through the FAQ below. you’ll learn about 3 main kinds of healings we’ll *most likely* work with in an initial session series, and some other ones, too.
in my 20+ years of doing this beautiful, creative, fascinating, luminous work, I’ve never seen two healing journeys look exactly alike. you’re your own mystery, and I honor that. happy reading in the FAQ. your heart will know what feels right, and you can trust that. I’m here if you have questions.
welcome note
hi lovely. I’m anna – nice to meet you through the site! I’ve been offering healing work full time for 20+ years, and you can read more about my background here.
it takes courage and strength to show up for healing, and tend what’s calling out for change. it can feel vulnerable to show up for sessions with a new healer – I get it!
I’m an easy person to talk to, and hold a gentle space with humor woven in so things feel fun and easy while we do big work. I’ve led an unusual, initiatic life, which means I can meet you wherever you’re at, whether you’re bringing sacred tears, or laughter.
healing is beautiful. this work can help.
we start with a cup of tea
before we set sail in a 3-session series, we need to share a cup of tea and see how it feels to be together. resonance and rapport are needed ingredients in healing, that allow us to move energy in your world and help you.
once we actually connect, our hearts will know what feels right.
so.
you can sign up for a ‘cup of tea’ consult below. I’ll ask you lots of good questions as you choose a time that works for you, and they’ll help you in your clarity and process if nothing else. what you offer helps us be effective in our time together.
when we chat, I’ll listen deeply while you share what’s on your heart. you get to truly be seen and heard and loved where you’re at. that’s healing in of itself, and we can see how it feels to be together.
if things feel right, you can move into a 3-session series. we’ll bring a lot of laughter, healing energy, help from the spirits, tools, insights, and goodness into your life. sound fun? sound resonant? sound mysterious and wonderful and filled with hope and healing? yup. it is.
that’s a beginning. if something sparked here, lovely. I’m glad you’re here.
whether we work together or not, you were brave enough to say yes to a human life, and I honor you. I believe in you.
whatever it is, can hold more light. you are loved, you are cherished, it will be okay even if it all seems hard and like too much. you are held, you are held, you are held.
session series pricing & format
three healing sessions, 2-hours each
we meet via phone every 2 weeks
consult & session series: $1,500
this is strong work. we commit together to truly showing up for you. we both bring everything we have…and the mystery meets us there.
we spend 6 hours together in three live sessions, and you can receive weekday support via email during your 3-session series as needed. I’ll create you a (really lovely) digital workspace to house your recordings, resources, tools, aftercare materials as needed, and call notes. the 3-session series are a lovely adventure. that might be all you need, and if what’s going on for you is big, we can talk about ongoing work if you wish.
if pricing feels challenging, we can talk about a small wiggle if that’s called for right now. I’ve been on many a healing journey myself, and I’ll meet you as I’m able while honoring my own energy. please note: I do not slide below $1,300 for 3-session series.
the $1,500 session package pricing is good to know about, so we’re both comfortable in the free ‘cup of tea’ consult.
note: I do keep session times open that aren’t listed here. if you need a custom time, please email and we’ll see what we can work out.
frequently asked questions
can you say more about spirit?
I sure can! (laughter) everything at the dreaming otter is based on direct work with healing energies and spirit helpers, and the idea that everything is alive, has sentience, wants to communicate, and seeks balance in it’s own way. healing wants to happen. learning how to work with spirit guides and being able to engage the mystery directly are two powerful ways to engage the living web of life in a good way, and having a beautiful human life.
I work in the unseen realms, which are another kind of reality as valid as the one you’re experiencing now. in the worlds beyond what our five senses can perceive, we can communicate directly with goddesses and gods, elemental beings and nature devas, ascended healing masters, mystical or archetypal beings, bright and well ancestors, animal beings, or personal guides – the list is pretty endless. each of our experiences of the love that animates all things is perfect. the numinous, the source, the mystery, god, goddess, spirit – however you choose to connect – kindly wears different faces so we can access love and healing and peace directly, wherever we are on our path.
it is love wearing many different names that performs healing on your behalf – it’s my joy and honor to hold the space for you in 3D while healing with spirit and energy happens.
my particular way of working with helping spirits and healing energies is twofold: I’m an intuitive and a channel, so I’m receiving guidance from compassionate helping spirits, who perform the actual healing work for you. when you receive healings like soul retrieval, cord healing, power restoration, psychopomp, divination, etc, I’ll use the rhythmic beat of a drum to help me drop more deeply into sync with my spirit guides in the unseen worlds, where my helpers can show me the healing they’re offering on your behalf. that’s a fun part of a session, as you get to hear the beautiful drumbeat, which is healing in and of itself.
this topic is vast. essentially, spirit is in all things, we can communicate with it, and remember how to return to love in our own individuated ways, as the deep mystery experiences itself through us. everything here is rooted in love. working directly with spirit is a joy and a grace. healing wants to happen.
I love this work, and have dedicated my life to it because working with spirit guides and the many faces of love is amazing, mystical, powerful, relieving, and effective. I really, really invite you to our self-paced course on shamanic journeying for healers so you can start learning how to talk to your spirit guides directly, if you have any interest in doing so. it’s a beautiful path.
if you have any questions, please reach out and let me know. I’m here!
alrighty. made it this far in the FAQ? you go! (grin)
this is and isn’t helpful, on your quest for a healer and a container that feels right for you. I can rattle off lists of healing modalities the whole day long, and although that might sound fancy, it may not actually help you. that said, you might be really searching for ‘lightarian’ or ‘dynamind’ or ‘labyrinth’ kinds of healing.
so, here’s a list of *some* things we might get up to in your session series:
- activations (these are channeled specifically for you)
- akashic healing (look at spirit contracts at work, heal them)
- ancestral work (work with bright and well ones for ease)
- ceremony (change the shape of creation, use your power)
- channeling (learn how, channel your own guides safely)
- cord healing (no ‘cord cutting’ here, heal cords with compassion)
- crystal grids (work with bones of the earth to anchor power)
- dowsing (use pendulums to actually change and move energy)
- dynamind technique (like EFT on steroids, fast, effective shift)
- elemental work (friendships with land, air, water, fire spirits and devas)
- extraction (remove energy that doesn’t belong and causes difficulty)
- goddess work (neopagan maiden/mother/crone, specific goddesses to you)
- goddess work (special connection with sekhmet, kali, quan yin)
- guide retrieval (ascended healing masters, goddesses/gods, animal or human guides)
- labyrinth healing (death and rebirth in the mystery of the labyrinth)
- living altar creation (altars are not just for ‘worship,’ they move power)
- magical council (facilitated journey with several ‘honored guests’ to help)
- medicine keys (like a ‘spiritual app’ that launches for specific support)
- metatronia energy® (channeled healing with metatron energies)
- oracle healing (divination spreads, oracle journeys and archetype channeling)
- past life regression (explore and heal links from other lifetimes)
- perfect health blueprints (retrieve the spirit of healthy organs and body systems)
- personal retreat creation (work with spirit, create intentional retreat, come home to you)
- power restoration (bring back lost power, chi, dreams, essence)
- reiki (karuna®) (work with avalokiteshvara, quan, yin, 8 reiki symbols)
- reiki (komyo) (yamaguchi lineage of reiki healing)
- reiki (lightarian®) (accelerated spiritual healing)
- reiki (main US practice) (takata lineage of reiki healing)
- sacred art (shamanic art is not ‘representative of power’, it IS power)
- sacred storytelling (special crafting of your story, special witnessing)
- shamanic divination (asking the spirits about situations and outcomes)
- soul retrieval (bringing home lost power after trauma, coming home to you)
- spiritual contract work (releasing and rewriting contracts that dictate experience)
- talisman creation (create a power object for a specific purpose, petition for help)
- tarot (working with archetypal forces for healing through lens of tarot)
- unburdening/unwinding (offering troubles to the spirits, unwinding burdening energy)
…and sometimes, new healing technology that helping spirits bring through just for you.
again, this is a list of ‘lots of healing tools.’ it may or may not help you in your discernment. either way, it was fun to create for you…and even more fun to work with, celebrate, and experience.
soul retrieval
if you’re a human on planet earth, most likely you’ve experienced some kind of pain, loss, hardship, illness, disappointment, trauma, or overwhelm. that might sound broad or like ‘one size fits all’ but we all experience pain and challenge in a human life.
in older times, we’d have someone skilled around who would say, after any of those tough experiences, ‘are you okay? is all of you here after that hard thing?’ and, if you needed a helping hand, that medicine person would perform a soul retrieval for you. in general, we’ve lost that. ‘soul retrieval’ means that we work with the spirits to literally retrieve a part of your spirit that either took off or got misplaced during the hard time. good coping mechanism, sure, and not so great after the hard thing is done, and ‘soul loss’ leaves us diminished.
by ‘diminished,’ I mean you might, if you’ve got a little or a lot of soul loss going on (listen to your heart, it knows), you might feel stuck, lost, unable to make decisions, lacking joy or purpose, depressed, sick, like bad or hard things happen around or to you all the time, addicted, or like you’re walking around feeling numb. (big. heart. hug). things can of course be more complex than that, but those are some good basic ‘time for a soul retrieval’ hallmarks.
essentially we need all of our spirit here to have a good life, and do what we came here to. we need to be as intact as possible.
so, we do a soul retrieval to start, and start bringing you back home to you. most of us human-shaped creatures need lots of soul retrieval in our times, that’s okay. we’ll start somewhere, soul retrievals can have a ‘domino effect’ and set others in motion spontaneously, and that’s fun when it happens. soul retrieval is potent.
we can take 3 sessions just for one, and really let the work land deeply. or, we might do several, just depends on who you are and what’s happening. there will be sacred storytelling, intervention from the spirits, gifts, new guides, teachings, integration, ceremonies, and watching the work ripple in your life. things will change. more light comes in.
soul retrieval feels amazing, and like coming home. if you’re reading here, and you notice a sacred tear and don’t consciously know why, or your heart is nudging or keening or jumping up and down with ‘yes yes! I need THAT!’ you’ll know. it’s safe to trust your own heart.
extraction
the basic premise here is this: if your ‘spiritual immune’ is compromised (yes, you have one of those), a rough thing happens, you encounter shenanigans with someone and they throw some not-so-great energy (hopefully unconsciously) at you, you stumble into something tricky or above your pay grade to clear, you’ve been praying strongly with your worry and a thought form or energy field has formed as a result, you might have an ‘energetic intrusion.’ which is exactly what that sounds like.
you can think of extraction forms of healing like this: if you’ve got a huge splinter in your body, it’s going to be hard for your body to heal. the splinter doesn’t belong, it lets things in that don’t belong either. rough times ensue, and that can look like depression, ‘bad luck,’ self-doubt, lack of flow, or thoughts coming back to a situation over and over. been there. big hug.
when helping spirits perform energetic extraction, they’re literally removing energy that doesn’t belong that’s causing you harm. It’s simple in one way, and from a practitioner side things gets really groovy. without knowing what’s going on for you, I can’t paint you specifics, and this might do for now: if you suspect you have energy that isn’t yours with you that’s causing nonsense in your life, you’ll know.
you can trust that. we can incorporate extraction into a session series if it’s needed.
and! this is important! we do not ask the healing spirits to perform extraction and send you on your merry way. nope! nature abhors a vacuum. so it’s important to note that with every extraction type of work we do, it’s vital to ‘fill in’ as well. that means we fill any freshly-healed places with love, blessings, light, power, strength, and declarations of ease, flow, and grace. every. time.
extraction feels relieving. as well it should. if you’ve had a big ragged splinter sticking out of your physical body, compromising you and causing pain for a long time, it feels good to get the darn thing out. and slather on some healing salve. you can think of extraction just like that.
ceremony
I hear a lot of folks interchange ‘ritual’ and ‘ceremony.’ for me and the dreaming otter, they’re actually two really different things. ritual is something you do again and again in the same way to achieve a desired result (yoga to invite union of mind/body/spirit, reiki to invite relaxation/miracle healing, qi gong to invite inner balance and free-flowing qi, and so on).
ceremony is different. ceremony changes the shape of creation.
with ceremony, we look at what is dissonant or what is yearning to come into form (it’s more complex than that, but these are short paragraphs, grin). we ask the spirits, after doing needed healing work, ‘how can I invite you into my life to help change this energy/pattern/trajectory/dream with a ceremony?’ and the spirits give us what you might think of as ‘ceremony recipes.’
there’s no need to borrow or imitate someone else’s ceremony, because the spirits know what you need, and share it with you directly. that’s sacred, and lovely.
in a ceremony – that changes the shape of creation – you ‘put yourself out.’ literally. you might find yourself out on a mountaintop, building art from flower petals, singing into the wind, burning objects representative of old pain, making big sacred art, walking labyrinths, stargazing, howling at the moon, writing your life history and offering it in a creative way to all that is…there are as many shapes to ceremony as there are faces of love.
in a ceremony, you work with your intention, preparation, materials, and magic. you remember your power, and you use it in a good way.
in sessions, we work with spirit, perform needed healings, you then create your ceremony with your helpers, you go perform it. THIS IS HUGE, and changes energy in your world…and then you walk away. you let go of your attachment. you sent the prayer up. you did your work. now, you receive. you let it go, whatever ‘it’ is. of course keep doing your spiritual work, but ceremony is an invitation to effort, invite, and then trust. spirit handles the rest.
a note about ceremony: we’re not ‘recycling other people’s ceremonies.’ there is simply no need to do that. this is because our helping spirits will offer ceremonies directly to you, and you work with them on the details. the specifics and how you meet the work is between you and spirit. and that’s beautiful.
ceremony is extraordinary – sometimes gentle and soft, sometimes powerful and incendiary, sometimes humorous and cheeky. always, ceremony is unexpected, and filled with kind magic.
q: do you do in-person sessions?
a: I offer all of my work remotely. if you’re in the US, we’ll connect via phone, and we’ll use zoom audio if we work together internationally.
this allows us to work together from anywhere on planet earth without the limit of physical location. you can show up for session in your pajamas with a cup of tea and a snuggy quilt (hello, empaths, introverts, sensitives, and starseeds), and you don’t need to travel immediately after receiving healing (gods, that’s relieving). being snug at home allows you to rest deeply after session, and enjoy smooth integration.
working via audio also allows you to go deep without worrying about how you look or how you’re showing up. I find for most sensitives that’s actually a hindrance to healing – and we’re all different, and you know what works for you. really, the energy is with us no matter how we connect, and our helping spirits are leading the way. note: a big part of my work is about slowing down, and living in a gentle way – we’ve got enough intensity and screen time going on. ergo audio – less for our nervous systems to deal with, more spaciousness to relax and heal.
q: do you offer sessions in the evenings?
a: every once in a blue moon…maybe. (twinkle) if this is your only option, please email and we’ll see what we might call into form together.
q: do you offer sessions on weekends?
a: I do not offer sessions on weekends, although there are occasional group circles on weekend dates.
ongoing work
YES! this is actually the way I prefer to work.
three sessions to begin if you’re a new client is wonderful. we’ll meet each other in a deep way, do some big work, things will start changing for you. and, depending on the journey you’re on, there might be complexity, lots to unravel, something big to heal, or a larger arc or project that benefits from strong, regular ‘practical and magical’ approaches (read: I’m a project manager of yore, and a deep detail geek. I love big projects!) sometimes healing takes time. if that’s what’s needed for you, and we’re a good fit, we can do that.
that said, I don’t want people to work with me forever. I want you to soar on your own, and a big focus of my work is putting tools into your hands so you receive what you need, ‘graduate me,’ and go on to live your marvelous life here planetside. yes!
it’s a wonderful thing, to have a healer in your corner, who knows you well and walks with you through times of transition, change, endings, or beginnings with clear perspective and lots of effective tools. if you feel you’d benefit from ongoing work and want to talk about that, the free half-hour consult on this page is a good idea.
gosh, I’m passionate about the value of ongoing work. miracles happen in long containers, often 6 months or so, because there is deep trust, resonance, rapport, familiarity, and significant patterns and nuances reveal themselves over time. I truly want to see strong alchemy happen for you. ongoing work is a really, really good way to invite that into a human life. if that feels interesting, or your heart or antennae perked up reading this, you can email me and we can talk about it. happy healing!
‘anna dorian is an extraordinary woman who is a truly vibrant and gifted healer and teacher. she creates a very sacred and safe space for her students, as well as keeps her teaching fresh and filled with wisdom, compassion, and humor.
any student or client who finds their way to anna will feel empowered, and be rewarded with a depth of healing and potent transformation.’
‘I’ve been working with and learning from anna since 2016, a powerful and deeply beautiful experience.
anna’s teachings and sessions have been truly transformative – she’s helped me clarify my vision for my own work and build tools that bring my vision to life. healings with her have helped me clear away blockages and fears that were holding me back from making my dream a reality.
she is the healer I trust with my most sensitive and tender wounds – after learning from anna I find myself at peace, ready to share my gifts, and in deep gratitude and wonder at the way the universe works. anna really is a blessing to this world, and to everyone who works with her – you’ll feel like anything is possible as you step into her sessions or circles.’
‘anna is one of the most vibrant souls you will ever encounter. her light shines so bright that you can’t help but be drawn to it and the gift of its warmth. she and I first met nearly three years ago when I was seeking alternative ways to help me heal after surgery and a cancer episode – working with her brought peace and balance to my mind and body and my doctors marveled at how quickly I healed.
to be in anna’s presence is to be honored and held with love, compassion, kindness, and playfulness. I believe there are no coincidences in this world, and meeting her was a powerful affirmation of that belief. I have stepped further into my own light, and I am deeply grateful to know her.’
‘when you meet anna, you know immediately that she’s special. anna is many lovely things – powerful, wise, playful, and full of joy. but I think the main reason folks keep coming back to her is because she truly sees people. sees their beauty, their potential, the divine light within them. being in her presence is in itself a healing, because how often in this life are we beheld in perfect love for exactly who we are? not often enough, in my experience.
anywho, I can’t recommend anna enough! whether you are looking for radical personal transformation as I was, or you just want an extra helping “paw” through a particular circumstance in your life – there is no doubt in my mind that you will get exactly what you need.’