Sacred Waters, Silent Wounds
Navigating Mikveh and Niddah Observance After Sexual Trauma
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24229353 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Shulamit Sperber, Ateret Gewirtz‐meydan (0000-0001-8221-9425) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-10-15 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Sexuality & Culture (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1095-5143 • E-ISSN: 1936-4822 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s12119-026-10636-0 |
| OpenAlex | W7222273945 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 33 |
Religious practices can be sources of meaning and continuity, yet their bodily, relational, and symbolic features may also intersect with survivors’ trauma histories. This exploratory qualitative study examined how women with histories of sexual victimization experienced mikveh immersion and niddah observance and what forms of coping, adaptation, and support they found meaningful. An anonymous online survey was distributed in Israel between February and April 2026. The analysis focused on 101 women who reported sexual victimization. Participants responded to two open-ended questions concerning their experiences of mikveh and niddah and their coping strategies and sources of support. Reflexive thematic analysis generated 10 interrelated themes, organized for presentation within three overlapping experiential domains: anticipation and regulation; embodied threat and exposure; and authority, autonomy, and meaning. Participants also described adaptations that restored privacy and choice, supportive partners and professionals, sensitive ritual personnel, and, in some cases, avoidance or discontinuation. The findings illustrate how sacred meaning and trauma-related distress can coexist within the same practice. They suggest that trauma-sensitive responses should emphasize individualized choice, privacy, explicit consent, flexible guidance, and collaboration among survivors, partners, clinicians, and religious authorities.
Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology · Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies · Theological Perspectives and Practices
The Compulsion to Repeat the Trauma
The role of childhood sexual abuse sequelae in the sexual revictimization of women
The body as a site of knowledge
Women and Water
Conceptual and design thinking for thematic analysis
Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis
Sexual Violence and Shame
Sexual dysfunction in women with a history of childhood sexual abuse
Prevalence of Child Maltreatment in Israel
What impacts Jewish orthodox womens’ mikvah experience
A scoping review of adult survivors’ experiences of shame following sexual abuse in childhood
Impact of child sexual abuse
Religious-Cultural Context, Sexual Abuse, and Well-Being
One size fits all? What counts as quality practice in (reflexive) thematic analysis
Between Childhood Maltreatment and Shame
Ritual impurity and religious discourse on women and nationality
Sexual compliance
The traumatic impact of child sexual abuse
Observance of the Laws of Family Purity in Modern–Orthodox Judaism
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Lived Regulations, Systemic Attributions
| Highly cited | No |
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