The body knows how to die, just like he knows how to be born. At the moment of death, when activity of nervs ceases and the electromagnetic field of central nervous system is dissolved, a gate opens between the dimensions (described as a tunnel in near-death experiences and by shamans) and allows the soul to enter the hidden world and return home.
From the shamanic point of view the death is not the end, but a segue, a transition of worlds. Only when we resist against death, we stay attached to the earth.
Under certain circumstances a soul can "get stuck" and therefore is unable to start the journey. Thereby it possibly responds to murder, suicide, an accident by car or plane, a drug overdose or death at war.
Such souls are lost souls and don't even know that their body has already died, feel lonely and unhappy. They get stuck to certain places, causing distress and grief.
Soul guidance
Lost souls the shaman heals in his function als psychopompos (Greek: soul guide). That means, the shaman goes to "non-ordinary reality" in search of a deceased person, finds him and brings the lost soul to the place it should visit in the hereafter. Aim of the shaman is, giving the deceased access to life a last time and persuade them to release all unfinished matters and left persons behind. Only then he can guide a lost soul "home".
Our culture no longer knows how to give this spiritual help. In our society it is not taught that there is "a life", an otherworldly existence, for our souls.
So death told me he would not to be involved in dying.
He would guide the souls home only.
Eva Ruprechtsberger (Quote from seminar "Psychopompos")