SOUL LOSS

departure of the soul from the body and its failure to return, which in many preliterate cultures, but especially among those in Siberia and the northwestern coast of North America, is believed to be the cause of illness. Though the soul may wander inadvertently when its owner's guard is relaxede.g., in sleep or when sneezing or yawningthe most common cause of soul loss is its enticement and capture by an enemy through witchcraft. When the owner is conscious of the danger, the soul may be prevented from wandering by expedients such as saying God bless when one sneezes. In the case of witchcraft, the retrieval of the soul from an enemy's power requires complex techniques and the services of a religious specialist. The essence of most cures by shamans (religious personages with healing and psychic-transformation powers) is the catching of a lost soul by the shaman and its reintroduction into the patient's body.