Susto, the word we use to describe shock or major fright, is understood here as one of the things that most affects children, even though it can also impact anyone. Things as simple as a strong sound, severe accidents, things that make your muscles contract and produce changes in blood pressure and breathing.
When we are asleep, all of our feelings come out and are manifested in sudden movements in the bed or in waking up in a start and then suddenly falling into sorrow without knowing what is going one.
All of these things have remedies that we can rely on. For example, mothers generally call the souls of their children back, since they are understood to have separated due to fright. For this they use bread and egg. These absorb the susto like sponges.
Healers and older people are those who carry out these kinds of cleansings. For them they use different methods and steps as they carry out sessions to cure susto.
First, they hold up and egg. They blow on it within their hands, giving it energy, while they pray. They person who is to be cured from susto should be standing with their gaze to the north. They close their eyes and begin a session rubbing the egg on the person from head to toes. This causes their skin to turn to goose bumps.
Once finished, they break open the egg and drop the yolk and white into a glass of water. They wait a few minutes and then the curandera or old person looks at it and reads what they are seeing. For example, the yolk represents the person’s body. Within the white there is something like a web which surrounds the yolk They consider that the soul.
In this way they visualize he connection between the body and the soul. They can see if there is any sickness of problems. On the other hand if bubbles appear, some larger than others, then that is called susto. Finally, two knives protect the glass, stopping the susto from returning to the person’s body.
One the session has ended, people feel relaxed as if something heavy was removed from them.
