Psychotherapy and Witchcraft?

When I floated this idea to the people around me, the response was encouraging but skeptical. I think most of the colleagues and friends I surround myself with are fairly open minded, so I am not surprised that they were encouraging, and they also demonstrated a skepticism I hadn't quite anticipated. While everyone tended to immediately buy-in to the idea that ritual and spirituality has a place in healing, they were also wondering how it fit within the scope of psychotherapy and how things like governing bodies (for example the CRPO in Ontario) would respond.

There is already an existing practice of Christian Counsellors offering psychotherapy which incorporates prayer and verses from their religious text, not to mention that religious leaders, such as priests are often allowed to offer services that fall within the scope of psychotherapy. Many of our industry mindfulness practices were brought into our discourse by Jon Kabat-Zinn who had taken and distorted them from Buddhism. Maslov's pyramid of needs which informed Carl Rogers' Person Centered therapy was also inspired by Indigenous practices (and distorted). The bilateral stimulation used in EMDR therapy can be seen in healing practices around the world that pre-date western medicine. Within the Canadian context there has also been a move towards cultural competence and allowing client-led ritual within sessions, such as Indigenous clients beginning session with a smudging to prepare themselves for healing and to enhance the mind-body connection.

Why then did the idea of witchcraft or paganism instill such skepticism?

What do people even really know about witchcraft and paganism? Generally, we know very little for sure. The nature of witchcraft and paganism, that they are an oral tradition often with regional or even within family practices, automatically breeds skepticism. There is no single resource to turn to for guidance the way one might turn to a Torah, Koran, Bible, etc. Historically, we know that many women were accused of witchcraft and were tortured and murdered under the premise that they were 'evil' or complicit with the devil. There have also been countless depictions of witchcraft in TV show, movies, books, etc. that further confuse what practicing witchcraft may mean within the modern context. Furthermore, what would something like paganism or witchcraft look like when incorporated into something like psychotherapy where there is the requirement that we use evidence-based practices and interventions.

For now, let's set aside some of the larger questions that might be coming up. For me some of those questions are:

• Who decides how to bestow legitimacy onto a practice?

• How have existing institutions regulated aspects of our role that historically have transcended and pre-dated those institutions?

• How have patriarchal systems controlled, designed, and limited how we view healing?

• What does it truly mean to be evidenced-based? Why has qualitative analysis, such as phenomenological reports, largely been relegated to the "anecdotal".

For now, let's investigate how witchcraft can support and enhance existing therapeutic practices.

Generally, each modality of therapy has an intervention that includes the client setting a goal or intention. They may arrive at it differently, use different questions, use different jargon, but by the end of session there is usually some kind of takeaway. They could be something quite tangible, especially in the case of behavioural models. Some examples could be:

1. I am going to start attending the gym

2. I am going to ask person x for my need

3. I am going to bring more structure into my day

4. I am going to do x activity to help reduce stress/ anxiety/ depression etc.

5. I am going to set x boundary

When a goal or intentions is set, it is the client committing to show up for themselves in a new way. So what could that look like if we added ritual? Writing a goal on a bay leaf and burning it is a simple practice. Maybe it seems like a wish or a spell, but because of the therapeutic work beforehand and the intention behind it, the bay leaf can act as a way to confirm that commitment to self and universe. Many of my clients already use notebooks or notes apps to write down their goals and commit them to memory. Ritualizing this part of therapy doesn't negate the evidence-based process of arriving at that goal to begin with.

Sometimes in therapy we are not working on a tangible goal. Sometimes we are working on shifting our mindset, increasing our emotional tolerance, accepting change, grieving, and more. Each modality offers its own pathways, but usually the client will arrive at something that they would like to welcome into their lives or expel. Once this has been arrived at, ritual can help support the process of that change. Simple rituals, such as candle magic, knotwork spells, moon water, simmer pots, etc. can help as reminders of the change we are seeking. They can act as mindfulness practices, or externalizing practices. They can help people find presence with self or their spirits, the same way prayer can. What is that different between tying nine knots while you welcome in an intention and praying on a rosary? What is that different about drinking moon water you have collected to welcome in your intention and writing that intention on a piece of paper and taping it to the wall by your computer? What is that different between lighting a candle and watching as it melts to sitting on a bolster and attempting to meditate?

Well one dangerous difference does come to mind.

And this speaks more to how witchcraft has been depicted than how it is safely practiced. A lot of the time we see spells or ritual depicted in ways that attempt to control or change another person or situation. In reality, most genuinely practicing witches will focus on change to self. The same as therapy. Instead of lighting a green candle to "wish for wealth" you might light a green candle so that you become open to seeing opportunities for growth and following up on them. Instead of casting a spell so that your ex falls back in love with you, you might light a candle and ask the universe to guide you in accepting the breakup and being open to renewed connection. When the focus is on internal change and on the client's own empowerment towards that change, witchcraft starts to already look a lot like therapy. When the focus is on expecting external change, like a circumstance changing or someone else changing, that is when it stops being therapy and also when it truly stops being genuine witchcraft.

Do you already use ritual in your life?

Do you think there are ways you could see using ritual in your psychotherapy sessions (clients or therapists)?