The world of prehistoric man was a complete one, wondrous and awful, and to survive in it he needed the protection that shamans could give.
One of the least understood aspects of shamanic work is soul-retrieval, in which the shaman journeys to retrieve the soul of a sick person, who may be near to death. It relates to the phenomenon of ‘soul loss’ experienced by so many people today.
John Matthews, The Celtic Shaman: a handbook.