Power of Ritual at the American Cancer Society

Yesterday I had the great privilege of leading a training for the Quality of Life team at the American Cancer Society Seattle office. I had been invited to speak about greif and loss, and to design a ritual to support the patient navigaotrs in their work with patients.

Ritual is a tool that encourages us to express ourselves though story, symbol, and action. The power of ritual, no matter how simple, is not to be underestimated. Have you ever noticed that ritual can last a moment - as in lighting a candle, or it can last for hours - with song, dance, drumming, and costumes? Ritual may be used to request a healing, honor a transformation, or communicate with the divine.

For some people, ritual is experienced as a form of prayer - a conversation with God, or higher spiritual power. Anthropologists tell us we are experiencing a revival of ritual, possibly because ritual offers an experience that can be "spiritual but not religious."

For yesterday's ritual, I carefully selected a piece of music that had recently been introduced to me by my colleagues at Mind/Body Associates International. The song, Devi Prayer, comes from the album, 108 Sacred Chants of Mother Divine by Craig Pruess & Ananda. It is a beautiful, meditative chant that I find evokes calm and serenity.

We began yesterday's ritual with a guided meditation, designed to create stillness in mind and body. Then, each participant was invited to select a river rock from a large bowl. The rock was to symbolize people the patient navigator had supported but are no longer working with, either because of recovery or death.

After a time of silent reflection to honor past patient relationships, a bowl of water was passed. Each participant placed their rock into the bowl of water, and then silently passed the bowl. When complete, we placed the bowls in the center of the room.

The purpose of this ritual was to offer the navigators a way to honor, yet release, their relationships with patients in a way that acknowledged the transformation the patient had experienced. I am pleased to report it was a deeply moving experience.

Launched in 2005, the ACS Patient Navigator Program is a great community resource. Locally we have patient navigators posted at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Swedish Cancer Institute, Virginia Mason Cancer Institute, and other locations. Patient navigators are available to "lend a helping hand wherever the patient needs it most." You can read more about this direct service program here.