Healing Rituals & Ceremony

Healing rituals offer sacredness to an experience and place through an intentional action for healing or transforming feelings, creating hope and building resilience. Through healing rituals, the cancer journey can be processed and reframed to create a desirable quality of life and experience. This does not have to be in a religious context, though most religions have healing rituals such as: prayer, anointment, group meditations, prayer chains/ prayer circles, etc. These rituals create a connectedness to spirit, family and community to support recovery and coping strategies.

Ceremonies also can provide great comfort, strength, hope and relief from the strain of the cancer journey. Connection to cultural ceremony is also healing, such as Native American sweat lodges, talking stick circles, chanting groups, shamanic ceremonies, and group healings using energy medicine.

Creating your own personal ritual of daily journaling or art therapy is another example of this healing practice. Does your community have access to a Labyrinth to walk regularly? This can be a contemplative healing ritual. Humor is very powerful in promoting the healing process with decreases in stress hormones and inflammatory responses. Ritual can be created around laughter.

Try This: Create your own healing ritual

Pick a time of the day you want to set aside for your own healing. Create a comfortable space that feels sacred and soothing. If you like, add candles, incense, blankets, music, art for inspiration, music for healing or relaxation. The more you appeal to the 5 senses, the deeper the experience. You may want to begin by centering yourself with a simple breathwork practice of 5 slow deep breaths. Then journal, meditate, laugh, draw, or pray - whatever you find most transforming. Give gratitude for yourself and this time before moving out of this ritual and onto your daily routines. Repeat your healing ritual daily for best outcomes.

If practicing a ritual with a group resonates more with you, look to your spiritual community, support groups, or healing circles.