“…Sick people place all their hopes in the shaman's alleged magical power, a phenomenon that the shaman reinforces by displaying symbolrich and ritualistic aesthetics, masked by his/her garb, gestures and the repetitive rhythm of his/ her chant, dancing, and music instruments. 5 As it happens, this reminds us of the role of symbols in today's office visits, as pointed out by Balint, who coined the concept that a physician's presence is therapeutic itself.…”