In the shamanic tradition of the secoyas, like most of the indigenous people of the amazons, the hallucinogenic plant mix called ayahuasca, or in secoya yagé, is used to enter the shamanic trance. The tradition of using yagé may go as far as 5000 years back.The shaman was in the old days both the communities priest and doctor. He was the man the community called on if they had any problems physically of mentally. Because he was the man with the right knowledge, experience and qualities in the spiritual worlds to heal and defense his people. Something he had achieved through hard schooldays consisting of violent doses of yagé.