Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Members of a West Indian Christian sect called the Spiritual Baptists participate in a "mourning" ritual that is characterized by praying, fasting, and the experiencing of dreams and visions while in isolation. Sixteen individuals who underwent mourning were evaluated with the SCL-90-R before and after the ritual. In general, the mourners showed significant improvement on the self-report scales.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Griffith et al. (1986) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 10 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: