The Effects of Ritual Healing on Female Victims of Abuse: A Study of Empowerment and Transformation

Abstract

This research analyzes the effects of ritual healing on women who have been victims of abuse, including incest, rape, and battering. The study was conducted through participant observation of a women's spirituality group. The focus of the analysis is on the process of empowerment as it is experienced in a ritual context that provides a means for cathartic expression as well as participant identification with female symbols of power. The findings of this study suggest that women-centered rituals are effective in reducing fear, releasing anger, increasing one s sense of power, and improving the overall mental health of those who have experienced the trauma of victimization. The study of spiritual healing in the United States has become an increasingly significant area of research, as the phenomenon of psychic healing has become more widespread. Traditionally, the study of spiritual healing is most frequently associated with cross-cultural investigations into shamanism and ritual practices of non-Western cultures (Eliade, 1964). With the rise of new religious movements in the West, however, the last two decades have witnessed the proliferation of contemporary ritualistic practices that have as their objective the healing of individuals as well as the healing of society as a whole (Beckford, 1984). Thus, McGuire reports that nonmedical forms of healing are actually rather widespread among educated, fully acculturated, and economically secure persons in the United States (1983:221). This view is corroborated by Torrey (1975) and LeShan (1975), both of whom have conducted investigations into psychic healing from the perspective of traditional psychiatry and psychotherapy. The growing interest in contemporary forms of spiritual revivalism and psychic healing provides a framework in which to consider the healing dimension of women's spirituality. As both traditional (Ruether, 1985) and nontraditional (Starhawk, 1982) feminist theologians redefine and reconceptualize notions of religious experience, ideology, and spiritual identification, these efforts at reconstructing female spirituality have been incorporated in a movement toward self-healing. This trend in women's spirituality has emerged through the creation of women-centered rituals that are designed to provide women with a means to bond with one another while exploring images of female strength derived from ancient symbols of the goddess.