The shamanic worldview sees basically 2 states of consciousness: the ordinary state of consciousness (OSC) and the non-ordinary state of consciousness (NOSC).  The non-ordinary state of consciousness is also sometimes referred to as the shamanic state of consciousness.  The OSC is our ordinary waking state of mind.  The NSOC are those states of consciousness that allow the shaman to journey and travel to subtle levels of awareness to bring back information and healing into this ordinary state of awareness.

Within the NSOC, there are 3 worlds or realms of consciousness: the upper, middle, and lower world.  The middle world is the same as our physical reality but on an inner key.  The upper and lower worlds are places inhabited by compassionate and helping spirits.  A person journeys in consciousness to the upper and lower worlds to meet their Teachers and specifically these are the places that will be journeyed to in Shamanic Counseling.