Abstract

A process of heuristic inquiry, this paper documents the author's adaptation of a Neopagan approach to ritual for appropriate secular use with clients in a therapeutic setting. Two groups are discussed. The first group was comprised of the author and two fellow creative arts therapy students who were also practicing Neopagans. The second was a client group of three women that the author designed and facilitated for a bilingual community mental health centre. The same retrospective open-ended questionnaire was used after both groups to elicit members' responses to the ritual experiences they shared. Complete results from each group are included as appendices. Related areas of literature reviewed by the author include the following: ritual in theatre, ritual in drama therapy practice, ritual and the Sacred in therapy, as well as a contextual overview of common Neopagan beliefs and ritual practices. The peer group that served as inspiration to the author is described and the adaptation process is discussed, including various challenges as well as an examination of the role of the therapist. The structure and unfolding of the client group are documented in detail, as well as the life-death-rebirth theme that shaped its culmination. Photographs of group sculptures related to this theme are included. Questionnaire results are discussed separately for each group and a synthesis of common themes is included in the final chapter.