Direct Spirit Guide & Ancestral Connection Activation Program
Facilitated by Selome Araya Next In-Person Cohort Begins October 17th, 2026, New York City Next Virtual Cohort Begins January 2nd, 2027 *Future additional in-person locations will be offered Program Application can be found towards the bottom of this page
Program Overview
Who This Program is For
This immersive Direct Spirit Guide & Ancestral Connection Activation Group Program is for individuals who feel called to experience direct communication, presence, and guidance from your spirit guides (ancestors, non-relative spirit guides, and divine multidimensional guides), but may have experienced blocks or challenges to connecting on your own or are unsure how to connect or where to begin. Through the program, you’ll be supported in seeing, hearing, feeling, and receiving messages and support from your guides first-hand—both within healing sessions and in your daily life.
For some, this work can include support in healing unresolved wounds with ancestors, releasing ancestral trauma and emotional and energetic imprints, opening to greater peace within grief from loved ones who have passed on, exploring connection with loved ones who have transitioned into another form, and a deepening awareness and comfort in the continuation of life after the physical journey ends.
What This Program Includes
Through a combination of individual one-on-one healing sessions, group healing sessions, integration practices and spiritual education, you’ll receive a spirit connection activation to open your channel and support you connecting directly with your guides in sessions, gain clarity on who your guides are, energetically clear any blocks or challenges to spirit connection, and learn specific practices to cultivate an ongoing relationship with your guides and higher self beyond sessions. You’ll also be supported in developing the ability to receive and interpret spiritual experiences. (Additional program details & structure outlined below)
Intention Behind This Program
Rather than relying solely on another person to pass on or interpret spirit communication, this work supports you in becoming your own autonomous channel to spirit (with initial support), growing trust and confidence in your ability, and recognizing yourself as part of the same source from which your guides arise - and knowing you are never alone. This program also creates space to be in community with others on similar journeys, helping to normalize our relationship with the spiritual dimensions of life.
No Prior Experience With Spirit Guides Necessary
There is no prior experience with spirit guides or channeling necessary to join this program; it is grounded in a unique structured approach developed through years of direct client work and intentionally designed to support people who may feel disconnected from the spirit realm.
Program Structure and Details
Click the arrows below to explore each section and see what the program includes and what each person receives.
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An individual intake session to clarify your intentions, goals, challenges, and focus areas, and develop a personalized plan for your journey in this work.
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Each participant receives 3 personalized healing sessions including RAI's signature Quantum Root Energy Healing* (QREH), intuitive counseling, a spirit guide channeling activation process, support discovering who your guides are (if unknown), energetic clearing of blocks to connection, subconscious deprogramming and reframing, emotional and energetic healing, and replacing limiting imprints.
Sessions also include grounded integration and support in understanding experiences during and after sessions, with nervous system and somatic support, tailored practices, and tools to root in power, confidence, and direct connection beyond sessions.
QREH™ is the signature energy healing methodology developed by Selome Araya and used throughout the individual healing sessions in this program. It is a multidimensional energy healing methodology rooted in Reiki energy healing and intentionally expanded into an integrative system designed to facilitate additional dimensions of emotional, mental, subconscious, energetic and physical healing and spiritual experience, including the client’s direct spirit connection and ancestral healing within the sessions and healing process.
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6 group healing sessions: A sacred group space for shared reflection, learning, and community - normalizing spirit communication and creating space to be seen and witnessed in the journey. Group sessions may include facilitated discussions, rituals, somatic and meditative practices, sonic journeys, collective energy work, spiritual guidance, and optional “hot-seat” coaching. Participants have the option to share experiences from their private sessions, with space for collective processing, breakthroughs, celebration, and support as experiences unfold.
The group provides opportunities to learn from the different ways spirit connection can unfold and explore practices and insights that can be applied to each participant's own journey.
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Discussion topics may include: spirit guides vs. ancestors (how they differ), your role in your lineage, common blocks to connection, understanding the various types of guides, and the many ways connection is experienced. Also includes the role of the Higher Self, active participation with guides, developing your unique ways of connecting, building trust while releasing imposter syndrome, expanding understanding and relationship to physical death and life cycle and our existence beyond and with the spirit realms, shifting from the concept of being separated from Source, understanding your soul contracts with others, spiritual discernment, and more.
Support for cultivating intuitive awareness, developing confidence and discernment, and growing your capacity to recognize and engage with your own ways of receiving guidance.
You’ll also be supported in developing your ability to recognize, receive and interpret messages, guidance, and other forms of spiritual communication.
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Transformative tools and practices to support ongoing connection, interpret communication accurately, and embodied guidance in your everyday life.
Post-program community- An opportunity to continue in an online community space with fellow cohort participants for integration, reflection, and shared growth
A sacred, confidential, trauma-informed container that honors nervous system safety and individual pacing.
Learning to recognize, interpret, trust, and engage with experiences as they unfold
Throughout the program: reprogramming and trauma healing are supported as needed, along with emotional release and integration as experiences unfold. Participants are guided to actively engage with their spirit guides—inviting and remaining open to connection, asking questions, observing responses, and learning to trust what they see, hear, feel, and receive.
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This work could include, for some - releasing ancestral trauma and emotional or energetic imprints, healing unresolved ancestral relationships, supporting ancestors' healing in the spirit realm, healing embodied cycles and what’s been held from the lineage, embodying forgiveness and compassion, and also reconnecting with gifts and power from your lineage. In this process we also identity when an ancestor is meant to be a spirit guide or not (as not all are).
The client experiences you’ll find below and throughout this page show the various ways this work can unfold in practice, both within and beyond sessions. I felt moved to share these stories here because sometimes things are best felt and understood through the experiences of others in ways that a description of the work can’t fully convey. I also share them to inspire possibility and hope.
These stories are from people experiencing direct connection with their spirit guides and ancestors for the first time.
Please note that these experiences are from previous one-to-one work with clients I’ve worked with over the years; this group offering builds upon the same core integrative process from that work while expanding the container to include both individualized healing and a sacred collective group healing space with others on similar paths. *The experiences shared here are of both in-person and virtual sessions and are glimpses of the larger work done with each person.
Client Experiences
Experience of Receiving Clarity of Who Guide Is, Ongoing Spirit Connection After Sessions, and Healing Resentment With An Ancestor
“I reached out to Selome because I was feeling called to ancestral connection, discover who my spirit guides are, and heal a difficult relationship with a relative who had passed. The first spirit guide who came through in my healing sessions pretty quickly was my maternal grandmother. I started feeling her presence with me, seeing her and hearing messages from her during the sessions and also in my dreams and when I did yoga and meditation. I was shocked at how straightforward it was for me to develop this connection! In one session I heard her say ‘I’m looking for a place to land,’ and we discovered that was her telling me to create an altar. Selome helped me create one and develop practices to stay connected with her.
She also started sending me messages in the form of birds. Anytime I was struggling, a bird would fly into my line of vision. I would feel her energy communicating “I am watching”, and I’d suddenly feel stronger and emboldened. I also felt her orchestrating things, and I noticed a palpable shift in my relationship with my mom that felt connected to this work and connection.
And then I thought, since my grandmother had transitioned into being a spirit guide, maybe my dad would be the same for me. And in working with Selome, I learned that I don't have to connect with the spirit of my father in the same way but that he could be a healing point, and not necessarily a spirit guide. During our sessions I was able to release resentment, anger, frustration, and hatred that I felt towards him. And it felt lighter, I felt like I wasn't energetically carrying all of those hurt feelings from childhood anymore, and was able to let him be in his humanity as a spirit who has transitioned. And it felt powerful to forge this kind of connection with him that was more of a connection through forgiveness.”
Experience of Direct In-Session Connection with Spirit Guides, Hearing Answers & Feeling Guide’s Presence
“During my healing sessions with Selome, I opened up to connections with various guides and ancestors and experienced deep healing. In one session I felt intense energy moving through my body and began shaking and felt energy being released. I began thinking about my dad and then heard a voice. I asked, is this my dad?, and it said “yes”. I got really emotional and felt him all around me. I received clear information from him, telling me why he passed away in the way he did, something I had been specifically seeking for a long time. Then I heard a voice say, “There is a cry buried deep inside of you, and until you let that cry out, you won't be able to find your voice,” and I just started crying deeply.
My great great grandfather’s spirit also came to me and told me a lot of details about our family lineage that I didn’t know about, including the root of anger in our lineage. I was asking specific questions and was receiving very specific answers. I began feeling like I was floating on a wave in the ocean and realized it was my ancestors supporting me. I asked them about my path and they said I am to do wonders.
In another session I felt like I was transcending into the spirit realm. I also felt something being pulled from my crown; it felt like the part I had been told was me was being pulled out. It was very powerful and revealing. I also felt several hands on me and knew that it was my guides, and I felt my energy go “vroom”.
Experience Connecting with Multiple Spirit Guides and Higher Self, Experiencing Protection, and Gaining a Deeper Understanding of The Cycle of Life
“The work that I’ve done with Selome has been life-changing, to say the least.After experiencing a very hard year and grief, I knew I needed a deeper healing process than traditional therapy. Through Selome’s guidance and energy work, I was able to reach a deeper level of healing and spiritual awareness and also connect with my ancestors, spirit guides, and higher self.
One of the most precious gifts from this work has been connecting with loved ones who have transitioned. I was also able to understand the higher purpose for their passing and feel closer to them than ever before. I have gained forever guides and feel safe and protected because of this. They speak to me often and I can feel their presence daily, especially during prayer and meditation. While it’s hard sometimes their physical beings aren’t here, the connection I’ve gained with their presence in a spiritual form is far greater!
In each of our energy sessions, I could feel and see my guides surrounding me. I would see colors, lights, and visions, sometimes feeling like I was in between dimensions. My guides reassured me around things that I’d been struggling with. And I heard clear messages from them like “trust yourself,” “you will be ok,” “you’re deserving of love,” and “we got you,” reminding me I’m never alone. I also felt strong energy moving through my body as things shifted. Sometimes my body felt heavy and I felt it twitching. I felt releases of energy and heat in my forehead, and felt energy pulling at my feet and releases from the back of my head.
Before working with Selome, I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to connect with a friend who transitioned unexpectedly. From our work I learned my grief was blocking that connection, and after a few sessions I was able to see and hear him clearly in the sessions. He is now one of my spirit guides.
In one session, I felt my guides strongly and Selome and I both recognized how protected I am. Later, while walking home, my guides told me to turn around, just as a car came speeding toward me and I ran out of the way. If I hadn’t moved then, I would’ve gotten hit. I knew it was divine protection. Now I hear my guides clearly every day and receive guidance on how to move through my day in so many ways!”
Experience of Releasing Skepticism, Opening up to Spirit & Receiving Tangible Confirmation of Connection
During one session, a client (who was previously blocked from connecting with guides for reasons that were addressed and released in sessions) shared that they felt emotional and started crying, feeling a lot of energy opening in their heart. They then felt their head expanding, and their heart chakra melting open, and felt a sense of expansion in their heart. In that moment, their family dog who had recently transitioned came through, which took them by surprise and brought more tears. They saw the dog moving into the spirit world, along with many others they had known who had passed, including patients they had cared for. They described feeling lighter in both heart and spirit where they used to feel a heaviness in their heart around loved ones in the spirit realm. In the session they said they felt more open and more at peace with the spiritual journey. They expressed suddenly feeling the spirits around them and knew the spirit realm was real and present. Having been skeptical about such connections in the past, this experience shifted their perspective.
Experience with Healing Grief and Guilt, Confirmation Their Loved One is Ok & Connecting Beyond Sessions
“During one of the energy healing sessions with Selome, my father came through with a message about what happened after he passed. I heard him say, “When you guys are on earth mourning our loss, you’re wearing black. But on this side, when we cross over and are welcomed, we’re all wearing white, and we’re happy. When we get here, it’s really nice, bright, and light.” This gave me a new perspective on grief and helped me feel more at peace with his passing. Knowing that he was happy and surrounded by light eased so much of the heaviness I’d been carrying. It’s been so comforting knowing that he’s ok. It’s been a profound step in my healing process.
In another session I connected with my father’s energy and was able to release deep guilt I had been holding. I heard him say he was proud of me and grateful for everything I had done for him in his final days. The sessions helped me release this weight and find peace in my relationship with his memory!
I’ve continued to feel his presence and communicate with him in ways that have been so comforting. He talks to me often. It’s been beautiful to witness him now, after his transition, as a protector and caretaker for me. I feel his protection in many magical ways. Through this work I came to understand that his life didn’t end there, he is still with me and my family in new and beautiful ways as spirit. Working with Selome also helped me release trauma I carried, particularly around the medical system and my father’s end-of-life care.”
Experience of Current Life Regression and Transforming the Energetic Relationship With a Grandmother in Spirit
One client had experienced emotional challenges connecting with their grandmother while she was alive and came into the work hoping to process and heal this relationship with her grandmother’s spirit.
In an earlier session, the client experienced being transported back to a specific memory from childhood with their grandmother, and felt they were right there in that moment with her again (current life regression). They became emotional during this journey, crying and feeling a strong physiological response in their body, as they were fully immersed in the moment again. In the memory, they saw their grandmother’s face as they remembered it at times in life: very strict and stoic. The client expressed being surprised at how vivid and palpable the experience was.
After we worked to clear the emotional charge and pain connected to the relationship, their grandmother appeared again in a later session. This time, the client shared that her grandmother’s face was different, and her expression felt softer, kinder and even happier. And that her grandmother’s energy felt noticeably lighter. They also shared that they saw their grandmother kick one of her heels up and went on her way. The client expressed that it felt as if there was a resolve of understanding and that the mission was accomplished.
The client became very emotional and expressed a sense of relief at the shift they felt in their own healing and the feeling that something between them and their grandmother’s spirit had shifted and been released.
Experience of Clearing Limiting Subconscious Beliefs & Experiencing Various Ways of Connecting With Spirit Guides
“One of the intentions I set for my healing journey was to open myself up to spiritual guidance and embrace unseen dimensions. These sessions with Selome helped me release skepticism and clear negative subconscious beliefs around the spirit world, and call in clarity and connection with my spirit guides. And now I feel their presence tangibly through dreams, signs, and intuitive messages, and I can sense their presence with me! Selome also showed me how to be open to the different ways they are trying to connect with me and to ask them for clarity when I need to. This connection has become an integral part of my life and I feel supported by their guidance daily.”
Experience of Somatic and Energetic Release of Ancestral Pain Leading to Relief and Lightness
"There was a part of my healing session that felt almost like an exorcism (in a good way)! I felt some kneading and pulling. I felt a knot rolling around in my womb. It felt heavy. Then I became overwhelmed with grief and sorrow. I was trying to fight it because it wasn't comfortable. I didn't want to let go of whatever was moving inside of me. I was fighting back tears, and I started trembling. I couldn't believe how all of a sudden, I was feeling so heavy with pain. I knew what was coming up wasn't all mine, though; it felt like my parents' and ancestors' pain, too. I focused on my breathing and tried to exhale slowly, and more tears came. I was afraid but I knew I had to let go of whatever I was holding. I felt an ancestor (my mom's spirit) come in and support me through it. I felt hot all over my body. Then I felt something being pulled out of me; I got a message that it was deep, buried old pain and trauma coming out of me. And then, after some time, I felt relief. I felt high and tired, but I felt a lightness in my womb. I never knew I could feel so light and open!"
Experience Connecting with a Non-Relative Spirit Guide & Experiencing Clear, Personal Communication
“I came to Selome to connect with my spirit guides because I haven’t been able to connect with them and I had been wanting to for a long time. During our sessions I was able to fully connect and not just that, but I got such clear and amazing communication from a specific guide. Many amazing things were revealed to me! I saw a guide very clearly and heard him say, “I’ve been here all along” and he told me very specific things about myself and my lineage. He was dancing and had very happy energy. I also had this feeling that someone was putting a blanket around me!”
Additional Client Experiences
If you’d like to explore more of the spectrum of experiences and connections that can unfold through this work, click below to read additional stories!
Frequently Asked Questions
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This is a multi-week group program that takes place over several weeks, with the 3 private one-on-one sessions and 6 group sessions dispersed throughout the program. Some weeks will include both a group and a private session for each participant, as outlined below.
Week 1 – Group Session
Week 2 – Group Session + Private Sessions
Week 3 – Group Session
Week 4 – Group Session + Private Sessions
Week 5 – Group Session
Week 6 – Private Sessions
Week 7 – Group Session (closing)
Private healing sessions are each 2 hours long, and group sessions are each between 2.5 and 3 hours long. The program is offered in both virtual and in-person group cohort formats. Private groups are possible as well.
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Each cohort will have a maximum of 8 people. Smaller cohorts are possible for private groups.
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As the client experiences shared throughout this page reflect, each person’s journey is unique. Participants arrive with a wide range of experiences, blocks, stories, needs, and intentions. Many people come to this work with energetic, emotional, mental, spiritual, subconscious, or ancestral blocks that have made connection feel difficult or inaccessible - including fears, skepticism, conditioning, grief, pain, traumas, confusion, imposter syndrome, dissonance, disbelief, illusion of separation, the belief that you have to be a medium to connect, the beliefs and fears of others being held in the body and psyche, an attachment to connection only showing up in certain ways, and more.
In order for the channel to be activated for spirit connection, blocks need to be cleared and replaced with something new. For participants who feel called to heal wounds with ancestors who’ve transitioned, this can also include working through unresolved resentment, pain, guilt, grief, or unanswered questions that can inhibit connection from occurring - allowing space for tangible release, peace, clarity, forgiveness & reconciliation.
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While many people experience clear, direct connection during this work and often receive answers they have long been seeking, the timing, form, depth, and degree of connection can vary from person to person. It is important to remain open to the many ways connection can be experienced - including seeing, hearing, feeling, sensing, receiving intuitive messages, dreams, signs, protection, orchestration, support, and other forms of communication and guidance. For others, aspects of the work continue to unfold with additional time, integration, or ongoing support beyond the container, as trust & connection deepens gradually over time.
The program provides a supportive container and facilitates the conditions for this work, but each person's experience unfolds in its own way
Regardless of how connection unfolds, participants often leave with a deeper sense of being supported & not alone in their spiritual journey.
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Then this is perfect for you! This process was intuitively designed to support someone in your position to clear the blocks to spirit connection, receive support in opening your channel, and begin to experience connection on your own - while learning how to continue and grow the connection.
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This work supports connecting with spirit guides in various forms, including ancestors (both those you knew and those you never met in the physical world), loved ones who have transitioned, friends, animals, non-relative spirit guides, as well as non-physical beings, multidimensional beings, deities and other divine beings, angels, your higher self, and other forms of nonphysical guidance.
It is important to note that not all ancestors are necessarily spirit guides. Some may be connected with for healing, understanding, reconciliation, or ancestral relationship rather than as ongoing guides. The program explores these distinctions further and supports you in understanding the different relationships and forms of connection that may emerge.
You can find examples of the various types of spirit guide connections with guides in the client experiences on this main page and on the Additional Stories page, accessible through the button at the bottom of this page.
It is important to note that while the work creates conditions for connection, we won’t know who will come through or what someone's experience will look like until the work begins; so there is no guarantee that a known guide will come through. There is no requirement or expectation that you will connect with a particular guide or ancestor. Each person’s connections unfold differently, and the work supports you in becoming open to the relationships and forms of guidance that emerge for you.
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No - this work is not about the practitioner channeling messages, information, clarity or visions for you. While many are used to having information about their guides given to them by a medium, this process will support you being able to receive the direct information from your guides yourself, and will take place during the energy healing sessions and can continue on after.
As the practitioner, I also pick up on and work with information during the sessions— such as blocks, emotions, patterns, messages, beliefs, fears or the presence of guides or other spiritual information — and will share what arises as relevant to the session. This includes supporting the energetic clearing and integration of what surfaces, while the direct connection itself is cultivated through your own channel.
Please also check out the client experiences at the end of this page to get an idea of the direct experiences that are cultivated through this work.
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Participants are encouraged to actively engage in the process rather than remain passive. This includes learning to open, sustain, and deepen connection through intentional participation, becoming co-creators in their relationship with spirit - asking for what they need & playing a conscious role in the journey.
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Community agreements are created collectively to ensure a safe, respectful, and confidential environment for all participants. These agreements support trust, integrity, and care within the shared space.
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Yes. I have worked with people who follow various religions. The work doesn’t take away from your beliefs.
Program Application
If this program resonates with you, please click the button below to fill in the application form. After submitting your application, you’ll be invited to a consultation call to explore whether the program is a good fit for you at this point in your journey. Please note that cohorts are offered virtually and in person in various U.S. cities and internationally. The application form includes current and future cohort options by date and location.
About the Practitioner
Selome Araya
Selome Araya is a holistic healing practitioner, teacher, and founder of Root Alchemy Institute. She is a certified Reiki Master/Teacher, Spirit Medium, and Mental Health Holistic Healing Practitioner and Trainer. For over a decade, she has supported individuals, groups, and practitioners through trauma-informed, integrative approaches to healing that offer alternative pathways to root level transformation and awakening. She has developed original healing methodologies, programs, and trainings rooted in energy medicine, holistic mental health approaches, ancestral healing, and spiritual development and connection. Selome has partnered and worked with community organizations and institutions in the U.S. and internationally. She holds a Master of Public Health from Columbia University and is committed to expanding access to holistic, indigenous and spiritually rooted healing services and trainings, and to normalizing decolonial non-Western approaches within and beyond conventional systems of care.
Interested in learning more about the evolution and development of the Direct Spirit Guide Activation Methodology? Read more here
Partner With Us
This program can be adapted for healing and wellness centers, retreat spaces, spiritual communities and other communal spaces. Cohorts can be structured as weekend intensives or multi-week series. We collaborate to align with your community’s needs. To partner with RAI to bring this program to your space, please contact us here