How we heal: The trance dance of San

There are countless ways to be alive, and for us, survival amid changing fortunes has meant preserving many ancestral practices. At the heart of our spiritual and religious life is the healing trance dance, a powerful, guiding force.

Like any customary ritual in our community, the dance begins with gathering around the fire, collecting enough wood to keep it burning through the night. We sit in a circle, clapping, singing ancient chants, and rhythmically weaving beats together.

The healers dance in counterpoint to the rhythm, creating a spiritual energy known as num. The fire, central to the ritual, serves as a focal point and generates its own force. As time passes, the dormant num at the base of the spine is activated, gradually awakening the community's collective num in waves.

It slowly rises along the spine, intensifying as it nears the skull, culminating in Kia, a deeply emotional state. Physically, this manifests as spasms of shaking, jerking, screeching, and often intense, searing pain.

Our way of life is so deeply rooted in this tradition that the ritual dance becomes a space to listen to the healer’s body in ways that awaken the senses and imagination. The healers engage in this practice to expel both “star illness” and physical ailments from the community.

For us, the trance dance is more than movement; it's a profound way of listening to the healer's body, awakening the senses and imagination to facilitate healing.