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 more desirable experience and better quality of life. 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, funerals, etc. These rituals create a connectedness to spirit, family, and community to support recovery and healing.

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. Ritual can also be created around laughter. Humor is very powerful in promoting the healing process with decreases in stress hormones and inflammatory responses.

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 all five senses, the deeper the experience. You may want to begin by centering yourself with a simple breathwork practice of five slow deep breaths. Then journal, meditate, laugh, draw, or pray. Do whatever you are drawn to and find most transforming. Before moving out of this ritual and onto your daily routines give thanks for this time you’ve taken. 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.