Wisdom Notes on Psychology

Rites of Passage

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The nihilism of Western Europe seems to be absent from other societies that are looked down upon as being tribal or aboriginal or even primitive. In my view, the main indicator that nihilism exists in society is the widespread occurrence of the various forms of long-term psychological trauma that do not seem to have obvious causes. Yet within aboriginal societies such trauma is still an occasional reality. So how do they usually manage to escape nihilism?

Many forms of adult trauma originate in the experience of psychological trauma in early childhood, which I call infancy trauma [²]. In my view this distress occurs even in aboriginal societies. The way that such societies assimilate childhood problems is by putting the children through the rituals of rites of passage. In their book The Human Encounter With Death, Grof and Halifax compare the rites of passage of native cultures with psychological therapy, together with the use of psychedelic drugs within a therapeutic setting [³]. Rites of passage are emotionally-intense rituals which are designed to transform the belief systems of individuals. These rites are performed at important stages of an individual’s life, such as puberty, marriage, birth of children, old age and dying.

The first rite, at puberty, is the most important one. Typically the rite begins by separating the neophyte from his social network. Without his accustomed social support he begins to feel fear, especially fear of the unknown. He is then taught his society’s mythology by the presiding shaman. In the second stage of ritual he begins to undergo intense emotional experiences and learns to interpret them according to his new mythologically-based values. Sometimes psychedelic drugs are used. Finally the neophyte constructs a new conceptual world-view and is re-integrated into his community.

Death and Rebirth

The central feature of the first rite is the psychological enactment of symbolic death and rebirth. During this process the neophyte is likely to engage in a review of his life, using mythological symbols to understand it.

By comparing rites with the results of death-rebirth scenarios that are produced in Western individuals by psychedelic drugs, I assume that the life review will predominantly bring into consciousness any traumatic and disturbing incidents from childhood. For this to happen, the rites have to be very intense. To be effective, rites have to reach far enough down into the subconscious mind so that they can connect with early trauma. Then childhood trauma will be re-enacted as a fight against demons. The use of myth as the means of interpretation prevents any repercussions on family relationships.

In the death-rebirth struggle, enormous amounts of destructive and sexual material rise into consciousness. Immature and sorrowful beliefs and attitudes, buried in the subconscious mind since childhood, are re-experienced. When the neophyte successfully assimilates this stage he passes into transpersonal experiences of bliss, cosmic unity, or other features of higher consciousness.

Now it becomes possible to understand the true purpose of rites of passage. The first rite at adolescent puberty is the most important one of all. During this rite the neophyte, if he is successful, learns to overcome and sublimate infancy trauma! His ego’s belief systems, containing psychotic beliefs intermingled with naive social beliefs, are swept away into symbolic death. His rebirth is the symbolic birth of a “new” ego with beliefs that are now harmonious towards his society. The death and rebirth scenario is actually the death and rebirth of belief systems, so that the ego completely re-orientates itself to a new system of values.

Later rites will focus more on maintaining harmony with nature and the stages of social participation (marriage, birth of children, etc), but such harmony will be prevented till the de-stabilising effects of childhood have been worked through. Rites of passage, especially at adolescence, are the methods whereby “natural” societies resolve infancy trauma and other important social issues.

During the first rites ceremony, emotions and beliefs swing between terror, excitement, sorrow and bliss. This indicates that abreaction is occurring. The process ends in a conversion experience (which is only a secular form of a typical religious conversion experience): the neophyte has successfully been inculcated with a new belief system.[4]

Psychological Therapy and Rites

Western society has no standard equivalent to rites of passage except psycho-analysis, but this takes years. In the view of Grof and Halifax, the combined use of short-term suitable psychological therapy with sessions of psychedelic drugs produces results that are comparable to rites (so long as there is a supportive network available for the client so that he can learn to interpret the results). Perhaps this is the direction that Western culture has to go. On the other hand, psychedelic drugs are not for everyone.

The pace of social change in Western societies is increasing with each generation. This means that the psychological pressures on people are also increasing. Hence the effects of infancy trauma, as they play out their influences in the life of the adult, will likewise increase in intensity too. The central issue is that as the psychological stresses increase in the adults, the stresses that the adults pass on to their children will also increase in tandem.

The problem seems to be that without a viable alternative to rites then Western society is only going to get more violent in each succeeding generation as the pace of social change intensifies.

What a rite of passage can feel like when undertaken without a guide is described by R.D. Laing.[5]

[¹]. I have two articles on Nihilism. The first one is The Philosophy of Nihilism and the second is The Psychology of Nihilism. [1]

[²]. I call this trauma by the name of infancy trauma to indicate it happens very early on, usually within two to four years of life, rather than much later in childhood. [2]

[³]. Grof, Stanislov and Halifax, Joan. The Human Encounter With Death. Dutton, New York, 1977. [3]

[4]. The conversion experience is described in Abreaction-6, on the Home page. [4]

[5]. Laing, R.D. The Politics of Experience, section A Ten-Day Voyage.  Penguin Books, 1967 and 1990. [5]

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