The healer pays attention to the age and gender of the patient, the history and duration of the problem, and nonverbal cues, such as posture, breathing, tone of voice, and general deportment. The Lakota holy man, Fools Crow, would talk to the patient about his philosophy of healing. He would also discuss the possible causes of the disease, the patient's lifestyle and relationships, and how the patient's disease was affecting his family. These Navajo diagnosticians practice techniques in common with healers of many other Native traditions. It is commonly practiced by interpreting dreams, waking visions, or omens seen in such apparently random events as a toss of coins, a pattern in flowing water, or the crackling of a fire.
Medical divination has a world-wide distribution.
It was practiced by the Chinese more than 3000 years ago. Sometimes the patient is asked to read the markings on a stone in a type of free association to help both the patient and the healer discover relevant information from the realm of Spirit -what we might call the unconscious, both personal and collective. Spirits also supply diagnoses during the darkness of dream-time. The healer holds a pebble in each fist and recites a prayer formula. In a similar way, a silver coin may be immersed in water and its movements interpreted.