Braiding western and eastern cultural rituals in bereavement
An autoethnography of healing the pain of prolonged grief
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21516458 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Linita Eapen Mathew (0000-0002-8911-8114, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 49 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 791-803 |
| Publication date | 2021-11-02 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | British Journal of Guidance and Counselling (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0306-9885 • E-ISSN: 1469-3534 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/03069885.2021.1983158 |
| OpenAlex | W3206598186 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 11 |
Despite the decline of rituals in North America, contemporary grief literature emphasises the healing potential of these practices. After my father’s death, and due to my cultural hybridity as an Indo-Canadian, once the short-term western ways of mourning concluded, long-term Indian rituals offered meaningful and sustaining ways to honour my grief. By engaging in year-long mourning traditions of prayer, fasting, sacred ceremonies, and charitable contributions, I learned how braiding western and eastern cultural rituals into my bereavement enhanced my ability to heal. This article narrates the positive impact that rituals had on lifting my prolonged grief: releasing my suffering through tangible actions. Using an autoethnographic approach, I combine storytelling, cultural traditions, and grief research to explore my interdisciplinary approach to healing
Archaeology · Art · Autoethnography · Grief · Honour · Literature · Narrative · Prayer · Psychoanalysis · Psychotherapist · Sociology · Storytelling · Gender Studies · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · History · Migration, Health and Trauma · Philosophy · Psychology · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology · Religious studies
| Citations per year | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Highly cited | No |