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Inshamanism, the termloss of soul refers to the loss of thehuman part of the life force, thesoul.[1]
The prevailing concept in traditional shamanism is "any illness is a consequence of a lost or stolen soul.[2][3][4] The Khanty and Mansi had the idea that a person had five souls.[5]
The main explanation of the mechanism of soul loss is that in order to preserve oneself in an intolerable situation, part of the soul leaves, as continuing to be in these conditions is so uncomfortable that it can lead to complete disintegration.[6]
In some cultures sayingGod bless you after sneezing is believed to help prevent soul loss.[7]
InBali,motorcycle accidents are believed to cause soul loss, resulting in a revival of the belief.[8]
Sandra Ingerman, in her bookReturn of the Soul, identifies the following symptoms of soul loss:[9]
Some people believe that the soul can be returned with the help ofshaman, that he goes to his helper spirits[10] or teachers with a request to help in the return of the soul, negotiates with the part of the soul found, asks about the reasons for its departure, finds out the conditions under which the soul will be willing to return, with the claim that the shaman shifts the vast majority of the work of returning the soul to other entities.In preparation for the return of the soul, the shaman may preliminarily produce the return of an animal power.[11]