Shaman spiritual healing practice. South American shaman doctor performing a ritual using a chakapa plant (Schacapa sp.) to cure a sick boy. This is known as Ayahuasca healing. It is based on the concept of retrieving the lost soul of the sick person. The shaman doctor sings icaros (musical chants) and gently rustles the leaves of the chakapa plant to place the patient into a trance state. This enables communion with the spirit world, which facilitates the healing process. Photographed in the Amazon rainforest, Ecuador.