The significance of ritual in a church-based healing model
Authors: E E Griffith
Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry (1983)

Four major ritual patterns are exhibited in a church-based clinic in Jamaica that represents a model of collaborative clinical care catering to spiritual, psychological, and orthodox medical needs. Three of the ritual patterns correspond to the three sectors of care, with their different beliefs and values, and this creates tension. The fourth pattern has the potential to be a superordinate ritual that could bring the clinic together in a cohesive approach to the task of health care, but this does not occur, as staff and patients remain bound in their unique sociocultural traditions and heritage.The ritual patterns of a church based healing clinic in Kingston, Jamaica were examined. This West Indian clinic is a model of tripartite collaborative clinical care catering to spiritual, psychological, and orthodox medical needs. Due to the fact that these 3 subsystems are founded on different beliefs, values, and traditions, their rituals are naturally dissimilar and have at least some opposing functions. It was hypothesized that the juxtaposition of the subsystems creates tension in the clinic, which negatively affects its functioning. The church that sponsors this clinic is a full and active member of the Jamaica Baptist Union and is located in an urban area of Kingston. The minister and deacons of the church gave their permission for observation of the workings of the healing ministry and to interview the clinic's patients and staff and church members. Each of the 82 patients who attended the clinic during 12 consecutive sessions was invited to an hour long interview, which 39 of them completed. Owing to the incompleteness of clinic records and the nature of the research interviews, assessing how this group compared with other clinic patients was a problem. No patient in the sample was observed in different treatment modalities for the same problem. 4 principal patterns of ritual took place in the clinic. The 1st pattern took the form of a short devotional service, which was held at the beginning of each clinic session and was led by a group of women who were called prayer partners. Most of these women had no special technical skills and little formal education. The 2nd principal ritual occurred within the medical subsystem of the clinic and was conventional and orthodox. Patients were screened by a nurse who took their temperature, blood pressure, and pulse. The 3rd pattern of ritual, performed by the psychological counselors, was geared to helping patients solve their problems in living within a Christian framework. Emphasis was on the development of a practical, problem solving approach. The prayer room was the center of the spiritual activity led by the prayer partners and was the location for the 4th ritual pattern. The ritual was clearly religious. These multiple healing modes are characterized by their distinctively different rituals. Since rituals reflect definite beliefs, values, and traditions, founders of any holistic system need to work hard to devise patterns of activity that reflect a melange of different philosophies. Fostering the success of the opening devotional services as an overarching ritual in the Jamaican clinic would at least helped to faciltate the interaction and assimilation of the 3 healing systems.