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Could This Ancient Ritual Be an Effective Treatment for Depression?
I’m writing this in a tent, using a pen, at the Headwaters Outdoor School. The school is in the forest near the foot of Mount Shasta, a dormant volcano and the second-highest peak in the Cascade mountain range. Cindy and I come here every year to reconnect with this sacred place in nature and to spend time with a group of old friends. This is Cindy’s tenth year and my fifth. We sit around fires and talk and cook s’mores; we build forts from fallen branches and climb trees while blindfolded; we swim in crystal-clear water; and we put ourselves through the intentional ordeal of a sweat lodge ceremony.
Sweat lodges have played a central part of many human civilizations going back at least 10,000 years. Now in his sixties and having participated in sweat lodges since he was a child, Tim, the founder and benevolent king of Headwaters, has been leading them for at least 30 years. We will sweat again tonight and what I am writing here is from memories of previous years.
In the pitch-black, stifling heat, we huddle together around a pit of volcanic stones, stones that are glowing orange and speckled with bright spots of the angelica herb that Tim has sprinkled onto them. As we chant, some of us sobbing, others laughing, we call in all the parts of ourselves to be witnessed and welcomed. This discomfort demands…
