Abstract. – This article provides a detail description of a Sakai shamanic healing ritual session. The aim is to show that certain therapeutic techniques and themes associated with Freud are prevalent in indigenous form within the shamanic healing “tool kit.” These Freudian themes are a) recognition of the therapeutic force of the word, b) the healing qualities of the father archetype, c) recognition of transference type phenomena, and d) recognition of the detrimental side of emotional investment in others (object cathexis). This article also makes the point that in our attempt to understand indigenous healing we should focus on the one-to-one relationship between the healing techniques and the indigenous theory of consciousness. [Sumatra, Sakai, shamanic healing, talking therapy, transference, father archetype]