November 25, 2025 • 28 mins
The holidays are often filled with a variety of rituals but why are rituals so important to so many of us and do they positively influence our health? On this show, Karolyn and Lise will dig into the science of rituals. Whether they come during times of celebration, loss, or other important life transitions, rituals can have transformative healing powers. Learn more on this episode with Lise and Karolyn.
Five To Thrive Live is broadcast live Tuesdays at 7PM ET and Music on W4CS Radio – The Cancer Support Network (www.w4cy.com) part of Talk 4 Radio (www.talk4radio.com) on the Talk 4 Media Network (www.talk4media.com).
Five To Thrive Live Podcast is also available on Talk 4 Media (www.talk4media.com), Talk 4 Podcasting (www.talk4podcasting.com), iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, Pandora, Spotify, Audible, and over 100 other podcast outlets.
Five To Thrive Live is broadcast live Tuesdays at 7PM ET and Music on W4CS Radio – The Cancer Support Network (www.w4cy.com) part of Talk 4 Radio (www.talk4radio.com) on the Talk 4 Media Network (www.talk4media.com).
Five To Thrive Live Podcast is also available on Talk 4 Media (www.talk4media.com), Talk 4 Podcasting (www.talk4podcasting.com), iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, Pandora, Spotify, Audible, and over 100 other podcast outlets.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Any health related information on the following show provides general
information only. Content presented on any show by any host
or guest should not be substituted for a doctor's advice.
Always consult your physician before beginning any new diet, exercise,
or treatment program.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Hello everyone, and welcome to five to Thrive Live. I'm
Carolyn Gazella and I'm here with my co host and
good friend, doctor Lise Alschuler. I am just going to
get started because you know why I love this topic
so much. This topic is timely as we head into
the holiday season. We're going to be talking about the
(01:04):
transformative healing power that comes from rituals. And I think
our listeners may be surprised at the level of science
associated with the mental, emotional, spiritual, and even physical benefits
that we can get from rituals. And that's what we're
going to talk about tonight. So, doctor Alschuler, are you
(01:29):
with me? Okay? Well, Lisa is having some technical difficulties,
so I'm just going to go ahead. I'm just going
to go ahead. Lise, are you there, Nope? Okay, Well,
before we dig into this topic, I'm going to go
ahead and thank our sponsors because we appreciate our sponsors
(01:50):
so much. They've been with us forever, and we just
love our sponsors. Beginning with Cetria, a patented form of
glutathione clinically proven to raise blood glutathione levels. Glutathione is
the master antioxidant and the body's primary defense against free radicals.
It also helps support respiratory health. For more information, visit
Cetria Goodathione dot com. Also cognizanceticoline, which is nature's way
(02:14):
of keeping the brain's energy producing centers firing on all cylinders.
If you're looking for a way to enhance your brain function,
including memory, focus, and attention, look for cognizant on the
label or go to Cognizan dot com for more information.
Prothriver's Wellness Brain is a product that contains Cognizant as
well as other brain supporting nutrients and herbs. You can
(02:34):
find Prothriver's Wellness Brain online at pureformulas dot com. There's
also Prothrivers Wellness Sleep, which combines higher dose melatonin and
other sleep supporting natural ingredients specifically designed for thrivers. You
can find Prothrivers Wellness Sleep also at pureformulas dot com
(02:54):
and doctor Oherras Probiotics. It's a best selling probiotic for
more than thirty years and it can change twelve probiotic
strains that are shelf stable, so no refrigeration is required
because of a unique three year fermentation process. It's a
very effective probiotic. You can learn more at doctor Ohira
probiotics dot com. All right, well, we're still having technical
(03:17):
difficulties with doctor al Schuler, so I am going to
get started. Let's start by defining or describing rituals and
maybe giving some examples of rituals. And I think that
this is a really good place to start because I
(03:38):
think there might be some misconceptions and you know, some
confusion regarding what a ritual is. And certainly tis the season,
so holidays provide a wonderful opportunity for rituals. But one
of the possible misconceptions is that are only religious. But
(04:03):
the reality is that's just one type of ritual, a
religious ritual. There are many other types of rituals. Even
though religious rituals do have a lot of symbolism and
they are very powerful rituals. But the other misconception is
that you may be thinking that rituals are they have
(04:24):
to be a big event, you know, like Thanksgiving, or
like you know, a New Year's Eve party with intentions
and cheers and everything else. Weddings, funerals, all of these
big celebrations that are ritualistic are big events. But what
we're going to learn tonight is that ritual doesn't have
(04:45):
to be a big event. It can be a small event.
So when I was doing my research for this topic,
here's the definition that I came up with based on
a couple of papers that I, you know, really really
enjoyed reading. So here's the definition. Ritual is defined as
a repeated behavior pattern performed at a specific time that
(05:10):
often includes symbols. It can be done alone or in
a group setting. And I really loved this description from
a twenty nineteen paper. It was a very thorough paper
and included a lot of research, but it discussed the
connection between ritual and being a witness, which I feel
(05:32):
is powerful. The author's state witness is ritual and they
go on to say that we can be a witness
to our own experience, a witness to the experience of others.
We can have others witness our experience, and we can
provide witness to a ritual event like a wedding or
(05:56):
even a protest. You know, we're coming together as community
and we are bearing witness to this particular routine or
this particular ritual. Which that got me thinking, what's the
difference between a routine and a ritual? So I came
up with this really great description that says, a routine
(06:19):
is a sequence of actions performed regularly, often mindlessly, to
create structure and efficiency. We all know about our routines.
I am definitely a creature of habit I love my routines.
A ritual is similar in its regularity, but it has
more intention, more meaning and purpose. It's transforming that experience
(06:43):
into a more mindful and emotionally significant practice. So the
key difference there is in mindset. Routines focus on the
what what am I doing? While rituals focus on the why.
So let me give you an example. If I get
up in the morning and I go make my coffee,
(07:04):
and while my coffee is brewing, I play my Wordle game,
which I actually do. That's a routine that quickly becomes
a habit, a routine. My coffee is brewing, I'm playing Wordle. However,
if I get up in the morning, and while my
coffee is brewing, I am setting an intention for the day.
(07:29):
I'm watching my coffee get brewed, and I decide my
intention for today is going to be gratitude. So I
am going to identify three or four things that I'm
grateful for that morning in that moment while my coffee
is brewing. That, my friends, can quickly become a powerful
(07:50):
morning ritual. So that's the difference. It's not what am
I doing. I'm making my coffee and I'm playing my
wordle game. It's why am I doing this. I'm doing
this to set an intention for the day, and that
morning ritual can be powerful, definitely powerful. So I, Lise,
(08:12):
are you with us?
Speaker 3 (08:18):
It was so loud that I turned down my volume,
but it wouldn't turn down into my sound setting, and
then just lost it all together, could not get it back.
So I'm so sorry.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
But did you hear my great introduction?
Speaker 3 (08:30):
I did find it Okay, Well, no I didn't hear that,
but I heard your your the example of your morning ritual.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Oh yes, So I was just trying to make the
case that you know, rituals can be Actually, what I
was trying to do is distinguish between routine and ritual,
which I think is a very important distinction, And then
I was defining it, and I think you're going to
like this that you missed. In one of the papers
I read, the authors state that witness is ritual and
(09:02):
this whole concept about bearing witness, and I just I
love that. So before we talk about science, because as
you know, I can't wait to jump into the science,
I want to hear your take on how you describe ritual,
how you even incorporate it or do you incorporate it
into the healing plan for your patients. Tell us a
(09:25):
little bit about your perspective on ritual and maybe even
how it is different from routine.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
Well, you know, I think one of the things that
I heard you say, which I agree with, is that
ritual is a behavior that has meaning that beyond the
actual behavior itself. I think traditionally, culturally, rituals are done
in relationship with others, and they often are at points
that mark major transitions. You know, going from a child
(09:55):
to an adult in many cultures is marked by a ritual.
There's the ritual of merit and the ritual in some
cases actually of divorce or separation. Like there's any major
life event, funerals, those are all considered. I think rituals,
and I think the purpose those rituals is that they
create a comma in our sentence of life and require
(10:16):
us to take a pause and to evaluate the significance
of what we are experiencing and to give it more meaning,
and to collect from that meaning the purpose that it
might be serving for us, or the significance that it
has for us. So I think of rituals generally speaking
(10:38):
as things that kind of add significance to our lives.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
Yes, I would agree. And what surprised me when I
was researching this topic. I mean, I love ritual and
that's why I wanted to really dig into it, because
I was really curious, do these rituals that we hold
dear do they benefit us like from an emotional, spiritual, mental,
(11:07):
physical standpoint? And I was shocked at how much research
I've found on this topic. So I don't know if
you want to start with your science or if you
want me to dig into mine. Where would you like
to begin?
Speaker 3 (11:20):
Well, all, since I've been absent for some of the
show so far, I'll do my part. So I'll start
and say that you know in many of my recommendations
to patients, I incorporate richel when I'm talking to them
about stress management, about re establishing their homeostatic mechanism of vitality.
(11:44):
And that's because rituals tend to provide Also, another purpose
of rituals is that they tend to provide a regularity
or something we can count on at certain times of day,
like beer morning that you described, you can count on
that every day and has a very important calming effect.
So it has anxiety, you know, it reduces anxiety, which
(12:05):
has been studied, and it also has been shown when
people have these consistent behaviors or ritualistic behaviors in their
day that it helps them to achieve better homeostatic balance.
And that is a system that's maintained by our adrenal
(12:25):
glands and our sort of sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
All of which is to say, that's how we interact
with the world from an anxious place a protective place
or a calm, protected place, and so rituals really help
us to move into that more calm and protected place.
And that's actually been shown quite eloquently. I might add
(12:47):
in a number of studies.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Yes, I mean, that's actually when I was going to
talk about the physical benefits. I was going to talk
about the central nervous system and the fact that rituals
can often release those feel good brain chemicals and doorphins
which can physically help with pain management, chronic illness, help
us manage stress. So there's a very physical mechanism that
(13:13):
takes place that can benefit us. I mean, and we
also know that bedtime rituals, for example, can help with
sleep quality and quantity. So there are physical benefits as well.
But can I stay on this emotional regulation that you're
talking about, because what surprised me there. I kind of
(13:35):
knew like anxiety, depression, stress, but the research showing that
people not only with anxiety and stress, but also with
trauma or people with obsessive compulsive disorder, you know, abuse victims,
(13:56):
people in palliative care. These groups of people create their
own rituals as a soothing, healing mechanism and it does
lessen their symptoms and they actually get some relief. So
I was surprised at the scope. So it's not just anxiety,
(14:16):
but it's trauma and all these other things. How rituals
can help with that.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
M And there's been some studies too to say that
the more deeply you experience the ritual and the more
often or the more regularly you practice the ritual, the
deeper the benefits of it, both I think in terms
of the physical symptoms like you were saying, but also
especially in terms of its anxiety relieving effect. And I
(14:44):
think that's important because sometimes people might feel a little
silly when they're first establishing a ritual, like, oh, this
is just a routine. No, I don't really feel any different,
but to just recognize and be patient with the fact
that it's just the repetitive, regular nature of it that's
part of its anxiolytic or anxiety lessening impact.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Yeah. Absolutely. And the studies that so eloquently describe that
are with performance and goals. So studies with athletes, for example,
who use ritual to prepare for their game, they perform better.
Students who use study rituals to prepare for their exam
(15:28):
perform better. You know, people who create those morning rituals
like we were talking about to prepare for their great
work day, you know, they have better performance performance and
they're happier at work because of these rituals that they've established.
Speaker 3 (15:44):
Yes, indeed, And you know, I think it's it bears
mentioning that I talked about this just briefly, but I
think it's really important for us to acknowledge and to
celebrate the rituals that we have, you know, that mark
big transitions that typically occur for people. So, for example,
(16:07):
the coming of age rituals that many traditional cultures still maintain,
we've largely lost in the society, and I think that
has something to do with why some of our young
adults feel a little bit lost as adults, that they've
not had the opportunity to really mark that transition in
a way that's witnessed, acknowledged, and supported by their community.
(16:27):
We're about to enter into, as we're recording this, into
the season of Thanksgiving, which for many people is a
very ritualistic affair. It's, you know, something that we have
a typical kind of meal that we eat and spend
time in a typical way with our family, and that
serves a really important function in knitting the family or
the people that you celebrate Thanksgiving with together. So I
(16:51):
think it's really important for us to acknowledge the big
kind of landmark life landmark rituals too.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Yeah, I would agree. I think rituals can help us
cope with these life transitions. It can help us cope
with grief and suffering and celebration. And I would also
agree that I think that perhaps younger people have not
yet created their own rituals. And you know, I think
of rituals as being a language for expression. You know,
(17:24):
this helps us express ourselves, and it helps us gain
connection with others, and it helps us feel stable and safe.
And I think all of those things are important. And
when we don't have rituals that resonate with us on
an individual basis, we may have the opposite. We may
(17:46):
not feel safe, we may not feel stable, we may
not feel connected, we may feel lonely. And I feel
like that is a key benefit and a key factor
in the healing power of rituals. It's in one of
the papers I've read, the author said ritual is its
(18:08):
own language, which I think is just beautiful. And they
use an example that in cases of people who have dementia,
when there's no longer meaningful speech, these same individuals when
they participate in ritual like let's say singing, they all
(18:29):
of a sudden are communicating and they're feeling alive, and
so I think ritual can be a very powerful healing
tool to provide a lot of connection and emotional support
for people.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
Yeah, for sure. And you know, I think ritual is,
like you said, it's a language in and of itself,
and I would take that one step deeper and say
that it's a symbolic language. So the ritual itself symbolizes
the greater meaning of whatever it is that we have
(19:03):
associated or linked that ritual too. So, you know, the
ritualistic aspects of a funeral, for example, would be a
way it's really a symbol of how of both how
people have held that individual in their lives and also
of their acceptance of that life as we know it
(19:25):
having ended and letting that person go. So you know,
it gives it serves as a symbol for those deeper meanings.
And I think that's important because sometimes when we think
about rituals, people can get can can kind of get
a little mixed up and think about them as superstitions. Actually,
so a superstition can become or people can become superstitious
(19:47):
about a ritual, like oh, if I don't do my
my thing I'm gonna have a bad day or if
I don't do my my morning you know, coffee and
what was the and wordle, I'm gonna, you know, have
I'm going to get in a fight with whatever. Like
that's more of a superstition. That's just kind of thinking
that the ritual is causitive of whatever else happens, whereas
(20:09):
I think it's a little bit that's not what ritual is.
Ritual is, really, like we talked about, is resetting your
nervous system, putting yourself into a calmer state of mind,
and giving yourself the opportunity to be reflective of the
moment or the event.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
That the ritual is associated with. Yeah, I would agree.
I think that taking the pressure off of the ritual
is important and having the ritual be more of an
enjoyable spiritual event. I look at ritual as a way
sometimes for us to get in touch with our identity,
our purpose. And then when we do ritual in group settings,
(20:52):
you know, there is this sense of belonging, like there's
something bigger than us.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
I feel like.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
One thing that I wanted to get across is that
ritual doesn't and you mentioned like you know, don't have
this pressure and make it into a superstition. Ritual has
the ability to be easy, and you know, it's it's
a matter of you know, having the intention, having a plan,
(21:25):
And I think that that's really key. In addition to
these big events like Thanksgiving and you know, these holidays
and New Year's and whatever, we can incorporate rituals into
our daily lives, our weekly lives, our monthly lives, you know,
into our schedule. They can become a part of the
(21:45):
fabric of our wellness plan. And rituals can be easy,
and they can be fulfilling, and in the process they
can also really benefit our mental, emotional, spiritual, and even
physical health. So I feel like this is a really
(22:06):
interesting wellness strategy that maybe our listeners have not thought about,
you know, doing above and beyond the biggies, you know,
the big events.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
Yeah, for sure, and those smaller ones or the individual rituals. Again,
I would just say that if somebody is engaging in
a ritual, it has to be purposeful and it has
to be with intent. And for some people, rituals are
almost always involving spiritual spirituality, so that there's a feeling
(22:43):
of connecting to the greater intelligence in some way. And
I think that that's not necessarily true for all rituals,
but it can be a component of rituals. But in
whatever way, there's meaning, there's meaning applied beyond the actual
act itself, which is what distinguished is it from just
a repetitive behavior.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
Yes, I would agree. I think the symbolism is critical.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
You know, I.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
My dog Ellie passed away, and I moved to New Mexico,
and I took my ashes with me, and I created
this beautiful rock formation and I spread her ashes, and
I did it in a place where I could see
(23:29):
it out my window. And I often will take the dogs,
you know, my new dogs there. I'll go on horseback
and I will pause and I will appreciate the you know,
what she did for me and the love that we shared.
And I think that that becomes one of my favorite
(23:50):
little hikes because of what I've created there. So I
would I would agree. I think symbolism is and meaning
is absolutely critical.
Speaker 3 (24:03):
Yes, indeed, And I'm glad that you have. You know,
you're so proactive about incorporating rituals into your day, and
you know I do too. I have little tiny rituals.
Sometimes it's just the ritual of taking a making myself
aware enough of whatever I'm about to do that I
take a mindful moment before I engage in something. And
(24:25):
that feels very much of a ritual because I'm transcending
this act of doing and I'm gaining what I call
a meta awareness of being in the moment, and that
allows me to just kind of develop a bit more
calm and focus going forward. And the other thing I'll
say about rituals, which is kind of interesting, is there are,
(24:45):
like all of us have, let's say, some habits that
perhaps are not on the healthiest side of the equation. Right,
So things that are maybe not us a good for us.
So a really common habit that a lot of people have,
and I use that word purposely, is to come home,
have a glass of wine to relax. Now, if somebody
just does that, has a glass of wine to relax,
that's a habit. It's just something that somebody does mindlessly.
(25:09):
Whereas if somebody comes home and makes that drinking the
glass of wine a ritual, so now it's mindfully So
now they're coming home, they're purposely realizing that this is
their moment to disengage from their day there's a you know,
maybe they imbue a certain way in which a place
in which they sit, maybe they say a certain you know,
(25:30):
statement of gratitude, or they just appreciate their surroundings for
a moment, maybe they really feel the texture of the
wine in their mouth, and now they're like imbuing more
meaning into the moment, and that can become Actually not
to say that the wine is necessarily healthy, but it
can become a healthier activity because of the extra ritualness
(25:52):
and mindfulness that's been interlaced with the activity.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
Yeah. Absolutely, That's kind of what I was describing in
the beginning talking about the difference between routine and ritual.
You know, ritual has much more intention, meaning and purpose,
and it's focused on the why versus just the act
of drinking that wine. But it's as you said, it's
(26:17):
focused on gratitude and appreciation and relaxation and all of
these things that are much more significant than just a
you know, habit.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
Mm hm. Any final word scalon on rituals.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
Well, I feel like, you know, there's a lot that
we can do to be healthy and happy and joyful,
and creating spiritual, meaningful rituals is a part of the Plan.
Speaker 3 (26:52):
Love it. Yeah, I would fully agree. I think, especially now,
the world is very chaotic, it's very orienting for a
lot of people. There's a lot of change, and it's
coming at a very rapid pace, and it's only going
to accelerate with the advent of artificial intelligence making its
way into our lives. So I think it's critical that
(27:13):
we give ourselves these regular pause moments just to help
get ourselves reoriented back into our lives. And I think
rituals are beautiful, inexpensive and very accessible way to do that.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
Yeah, now more than ever. All Right, Lis, this has
been a great show. Why don't you go ahead and
thank our sponsors. I love to so.
Speaker 3 (27:37):
We have pro Thrivers wellness sleep formula, Thank you pro Thrivers.
We have Cetria glut to thion, the superior glutathion to
support liver and immune health, Cognizance tot of Colling to
help enhance memory, focus and attention, and doctor Ohira's award
winning shelf stable probiotic.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
Yes, thanks to our sponsors, and thanks for listening. And
just a reminder that you can find past shows at
ithriveplan dot com or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.
All right, Lise, may you experience joy, laughter and love
as well, Yes, all right, all right, and it's time
(28:20):
to thrive. Everyone, have a great night.
Any health related information on the following show provides general
information only. Content presented on any show by any host
or guest should not be substituted for a doctor's advice.
Always consult your physician before beginning any new diet, exercise,
or treatment program.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Hello everyone, and welcome to five to Thrive Live. I'm
Carolyn Gazella and I'm here with my co host and
good friend, doctor Lise Alschuler. I am just going to
get started because you know why I love this topic
so much. This topic is timely as we head into
the holiday season. We're going to be talking about the
(01:04):
transformative healing power that comes from rituals. And I think
our listeners may be surprised at the level of science
associated with the mental, emotional, spiritual, and even physical benefits
that we can get from rituals. And that's what we're
going to talk about tonight. So, doctor Alschuler, are you
(01:29):
with me? Okay? Well, Lisa is having some technical difficulties,
so I'm just going to go ahead. I'm just going
to go ahead. Lise, are you there, Nope? Okay, Well,
before we dig into this topic, I'm going to go
ahead and thank our sponsors because we appreciate our sponsors
(01:50):
so much. They've been with us forever, and we just
love our sponsors. Beginning with Cetria, a patented form of
glutathione clinically proven to raise blood glutathione levels. Glutathione is
the master antioxidant and the body's primary defense against free radicals.
It also helps support respiratory health. For more information, visit
Cetria Goodathione dot com. Also cognizanceticoline, which is nature's way
(02:14):
of keeping the brain's energy producing centers firing on all cylinders.
If you're looking for a way to enhance your brain function,
including memory, focus, and attention, look for cognizant on the
label or go to Cognizan dot com for more information.
Prothriver's Wellness Brain is a product that contains Cognizant as
well as other brain supporting nutrients and herbs. You can
(02:34):
find Prothriver's Wellness Brain online at pureformulas dot com. There's
also Prothrivers Wellness Sleep, which combines higher dose melatonin and
other sleep supporting natural ingredients specifically designed for thrivers. You
can find Prothrivers Wellness Sleep also at pureformulas dot com
(02:54):
and doctor Oherras Probiotics. It's a best selling probiotic for
more than thirty years and it can change twelve probiotic
strains that are shelf stable, so no refrigeration is required
because of a unique three year fermentation process. It's a
very effective probiotic. You can learn more at doctor Ohira
probiotics dot com. All right, well, we're still having technical
(03:17):
difficulties with doctor al Schuler, so I am going to
get started. Let's start by defining or describing rituals and
maybe giving some examples of rituals. And I think that
this is a really good place to start because I
(03:38):
think there might be some misconceptions and you know, some
confusion regarding what a ritual is. And certainly tis the season,
so holidays provide a wonderful opportunity for rituals. But one
of the possible misconceptions is that are only religious. But
(04:03):
the reality is that's just one type of ritual, a
religious ritual. There are many other types of rituals. Even
though religious rituals do have a lot of symbolism and
they are very powerful rituals. But the other misconception is
that you may be thinking that rituals are they have
(04:24):
to be a big event, you know, like Thanksgiving, or
like you know, a New Year's Eve party with intentions
and cheers and everything else. Weddings, funerals, all of these
big celebrations that are ritualistic are big events. But what
we're going to learn tonight is that ritual doesn't have
(04:45):
to be a big event. It can be a small event.
So when I was doing my research for this topic,
here's the definition that I came up with based on
a couple of papers that I, you know, really really
enjoyed reading. So here's the definition. Ritual is defined as
a repeated behavior pattern performed at a specific time that
(05:10):
often includes symbols. It can be done alone or in
a group setting. And I really loved this description from
a twenty nineteen paper. It was a very thorough paper
and included a lot of research, but it discussed the
connection between ritual and being a witness, which I feel
(05:32):
is powerful. The author's state witness is ritual and they
go on to say that we can be a witness
to our own experience, a witness to the experience of others.
We can have others witness our experience, and we can
provide witness to a ritual event like a wedding or
(05:56):
even a protest. You know, we're coming together as community
and we are bearing witness to this particular routine or
this particular ritual. Which that got me thinking, what's the
difference between a routine and a ritual? So I came
up with this really great description that says, a routine
(06:19):
is a sequence of actions performed regularly, often mindlessly, to
create structure and efficiency. We all know about our routines.
I am definitely a creature of habit I love my routines.
A ritual is similar in its regularity, but it has
more intention, more meaning and purpose. It's transforming that experience
(06:43):
into a more mindful and emotionally significant practice. So the
key difference there is in mindset. Routines focus on the
what what am I doing? While rituals focus on the why.
So let me give you an example. If I get
up in the morning and I go make my coffee,
(07:04):
and while my coffee is brewing, I play my Wordle game,
which I actually do. That's a routine that quickly becomes
a habit, a routine. My coffee is brewing, I'm playing Wordle. However,
if I get up in the morning, and while my
coffee is brewing, I am setting an intention for the day.
(07:29):
I'm watching my coffee get brewed, and I decide my
intention for today is going to be gratitude. So I
am going to identify three or four things that I'm
grateful for that morning in that moment while my coffee
is brewing. That, my friends, can quickly become a powerful
(07:50):
morning ritual. So that's the difference. It's not what am
I doing. I'm making my coffee and I'm playing my
wordle game. It's why am I doing this. I'm doing
this to set an intention for the day, and that
morning ritual can be powerful, definitely powerful. So I, Lise,
(08:12):
are you with us?
Speaker 3 (08:18):
It was so loud that I turned down my volume,
but it wouldn't turn down into my sound setting, and
then just lost it all together, could not get it back.
So I'm so sorry.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
But did you hear my great introduction?
Speaker 3 (08:30):
I did find it Okay, Well, no I didn't hear that,
but I heard your your the example of your morning ritual.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Oh yes, So I was just trying to make the
case that you know, rituals can be Actually, what I
was trying to do is distinguish between routine and ritual,
which I think is a very important distinction, And then
I was defining it, and I think you're going to
like this that you missed. In one of the papers
I read, the authors state that witness is ritual and
(09:02):
this whole concept about bearing witness, and I just I
love that. So before we talk about science, because as
you know, I can't wait to jump into the science,
I want to hear your take on how you describe ritual,
how you even incorporate it or do you incorporate it
into the healing plan for your patients. Tell us a
(09:25):
little bit about your perspective on ritual and maybe even
how it is different from routine.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
Well, you know, I think one of the things that
I heard you say, which I agree with, is that
ritual is a behavior that has meaning that beyond the
actual behavior itself. I think traditionally, culturally, rituals are done
in relationship with others, and they often are at points
that mark major transitions. You know, going from a child
(09:55):
to an adult in many cultures is marked by a ritual.
There's the ritual of merit and the ritual in some
cases actually of divorce or separation. Like there's any major
life event, funerals, those are all considered. I think rituals,
and I think the purpose those rituals is that they
create a comma in our sentence of life and require
(10:16):
us to take a pause and to evaluate the significance
of what we are experiencing and to give it more meaning,
and to collect from that meaning the purpose that it
might be serving for us, or the significance that it
has for us. So I think of rituals generally speaking
(10:38):
as things that kind of add significance to our lives.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
Yes, I would agree. And what surprised me when I
was researching this topic. I mean, I love ritual and
that's why I wanted to really dig into it, because
I was really curious, do these rituals that we hold
dear do they benefit us like from an emotional, spiritual, mental,
(11:07):
physical standpoint? And I was shocked at how much research
I've found on this topic. So I don't know if
you want to start with your science or if you
want me to dig into mine. Where would you like
to begin?
Speaker 3 (11:20):
Well, all, since I've been absent for some of the
show so far, I'll do my part. So I'll start
and say that you know in many of my recommendations
to patients, I incorporate richel when I'm talking to them
about stress management, about re establishing their homeostatic mechanism of vitality.
(11:44):
And that's because rituals tend to provide Also, another purpose
of rituals is that they tend to provide a regularity
or something we can count on at certain times of day,
like beer morning that you described, you can count on
that every day and has a very important calming effect.
So it has anxiety, you know, it reduces anxiety, which
(12:05):
has been studied, and it also has been shown when
people have these consistent behaviors or ritualistic behaviors in their
day that it helps them to achieve better homeostatic balance.
And that is a system that's maintained by our adrenal
(12:25):
glands and our sort of sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
All of which is to say, that's how we interact
with the world from an anxious place a protective place
or a calm, protected place, and so rituals really help
us to move into that more calm and protected place.
And that's actually been shown quite eloquently. I might add
(12:47):
in a number of studies.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Yes, I mean, that's actually when I was going to
talk about the physical benefits. I was going to talk
about the central nervous system and the fact that rituals
can often release those feel good brain chemicals and doorphins
which can physically help with pain management, chronic illness, help
us manage stress. So there's a very physical mechanism that
(13:13):
takes place that can benefit us. I mean, and we
also know that bedtime rituals, for example, can help with
sleep quality and quantity. So there are physical benefits as well.
But can I stay on this emotional regulation that you're
talking about, because what surprised me there. I kind of
(13:35):
knew like anxiety, depression, stress, but the research showing that
people not only with anxiety and stress, but also with
trauma or people with obsessive compulsive disorder, you know, abuse victims,
(13:56):
people in palliative care. These groups of people create their
own rituals as a soothing, healing mechanism and it does
lessen their symptoms and they actually get some relief. So
I was surprised at the scope. So it's not just anxiety,
(14:16):
but it's trauma and all these other things. How rituals
can help with that.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
M And there's been some studies too to say that
the more deeply you experience the ritual and the more
often or the more regularly you practice the ritual, the
deeper the benefits of it, both I think in terms
of the physical symptoms like you were saying, but also
especially in terms of its anxiety relieving effect. And I
(14:44):
think that's important because sometimes people might feel a little
silly when they're first establishing a ritual, like, oh, this
is just a routine. No, I don't really feel any different,
but to just recognize and be patient with the fact
that it's just the repetitive, regular nature of it that's
part of its anxiolytic or anxiety lessening impact.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Yeah. Absolutely. And the studies that so eloquently describe that
are with performance and goals. So studies with athletes, for example,
who use ritual to prepare for their game, they perform better.
Students who use study rituals to prepare for their exam
(15:28):
perform better. You know, people who create those morning rituals
like we were talking about to prepare for their great
work day, you know, they have better performance performance and
they're happier at work because of these rituals that they've established.
Speaker 3 (15:44):
Yes, indeed, And you know, I think it's it bears
mentioning that I talked about this just briefly, but I
think it's really important for us to acknowledge and to
celebrate the rituals that we have, you know, that mark
big transitions that typically occur for people. So, for example,
(16:07):
the coming of age rituals that many traditional cultures still maintain,
we've largely lost in the society, and I think that
has something to do with why some of our young
adults feel a little bit lost as adults, that they've
not had the opportunity to really mark that transition in
a way that's witnessed, acknowledged, and supported by their community.
(16:27):
We're about to enter into, as we're recording this, into
the season of Thanksgiving, which for many people is a
very ritualistic affair. It's, you know, something that we have
a typical kind of meal that we eat and spend
time in a typical way with our family, and that
serves a really important function in knitting the family or
the people that you celebrate Thanksgiving with together. So I
(16:51):
think it's really important for us to acknowledge the big
kind of landmark life landmark rituals too.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Yeah, I would agree. I think rituals can help us
cope with these life transitions. It can help us cope
with grief and suffering and celebration. And I would also
agree that I think that perhaps younger people have not
yet created their own rituals. And you know, I think
of rituals as being a language for expression. You know,
(17:24):
this helps us express ourselves, and it helps us gain
connection with others, and it helps us feel stable and safe.
And I think all of those things are important. And
when we don't have rituals that resonate with us on
an individual basis, we may have the opposite. We may
(17:46):
not feel safe, we may not feel stable, we may
not feel connected, we may feel lonely. And I feel
like that is a key benefit and a key factor
in the healing power of rituals. It's in one of
the papers I've read, the author said ritual is its
(18:08):
own language, which I think is just beautiful. And they
use an example that in cases of people who have dementia,
when there's no longer meaningful speech, these same individuals when
they participate in ritual like let's say singing, they all
(18:29):
of a sudden are communicating and they're feeling alive, and
so I think ritual can be a very powerful healing
tool to provide a lot of connection and emotional support
for people.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
Yeah, for sure. And you know, I think ritual is,
like you said, it's a language in and of itself,
and I would take that one step deeper and say
that it's a symbolic language. So the ritual itself symbolizes
the greater meaning of whatever it is that we have
(19:03):
associated or linked that ritual too. So, you know, the
ritualistic aspects of a funeral, for example, would be a
way it's really a symbol of how of both how
people have held that individual in their lives and also
of their acceptance of that life as we know it
(19:25):
having ended and letting that person go. So you know,
it gives it serves as a symbol for those deeper meanings.
And I think that's important because sometimes when we think
about rituals, people can get can can kind of get
a little mixed up and think about them as superstitions. Actually,
so a superstition can become or people can become superstitious
(19:47):
about a ritual, like oh, if I don't do my
my thing I'm gonna have a bad day or if
I don't do my my morning you know, coffee and
what was the and wordle, I'm gonna, you know, have
I'm going to get in a fight with whatever. Like
that's more of a superstition. That's just kind of thinking
that the ritual is causitive of whatever else happens, whereas
(20:09):
I think it's a little bit that's not what ritual is.
Ritual is, really, like we talked about, is resetting your
nervous system, putting yourself into a calmer state of mind,
and giving yourself the opportunity to be reflective of the
moment or the event.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
That the ritual is associated with. Yeah, I would agree.
I think that taking the pressure off of the ritual
is important and having the ritual be more of an
enjoyable spiritual event. I look at ritual as a way
sometimes for us to get in touch with our identity,
our purpose. And then when we do ritual in group settings,
(20:52):
you know, there is this sense of belonging, like there's
something bigger than us.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
I feel like.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
One thing that I wanted to get across is that
ritual doesn't and you mentioned like you know, don't have
this pressure and make it into a superstition. Ritual has
the ability to be easy, and you know, it's it's
a matter of you know, having the intention, having a plan,
(21:25):
And I think that that's really key. In addition to
these big events like Thanksgiving and you know, these holidays
and New Year's and whatever, we can incorporate rituals into
our daily lives, our weekly lives, our monthly lives, you know,
into our schedule. They can become a part of the
(21:45):
fabric of our wellness plan. And rituals can be easy,
and they can be fulfilling, and in the process they
can also really benefit our mental, emotional, spiritual, and even
physical health. So I feel like this is a really
(22:06):
interesting wellness strategy that maybe our listeners have not thought about,
you know, doing above and beyond the biggies, you know,
the big events.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
Yeah, for sure, and those smaller ones or the individual rituals. Again,
I would just say that if somebody is engaging in
a ritual, it has to be purposeful and it has
to be with intent. And for some people, rituals are
almost always involving spiritual spirituality, so that there's a feeling
(22:43):
of connecting to the greater intelligence in some way. And
I think that that's not necessarily true for all rituals,
but it can be a component of rituals. But in
whatever way, there's meaning, there's meaning applied beyond the actual
act itself, which is what distinguished is it from just
a repetitive behavior.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
Yes, I would agree. I think the symbolism is critical.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
You know, I.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
My dog Ellie passed away, and I moved to New Mexico,
and I took my ashes with me, and I created
this beautiful rock formation and I spread her ashes, and
I did it in a place where I could see
(23:29):
it out my window. And I often will take the dogs,
you know, my new dogs there. I'll go on horseback
and I will pause and I will appreciate the you know,
what she did for me and the love that we shared.
And I think that that becomes one of my favorite
(23:50):
little hikes because of what I've created there. So I
would I would agree. I think symbolism is and meaning
is absolutely critical.
Speaker 3 (24:03):
Yes, indeed, And I'm glad that you have. You know,
you're so proactive about incorporating rituals into your day, and
you know I do too. I have little tiny rituals.
Sometimes it's just the ritual of taking a making myself
aware enough of whatever I'm about to do that I
take a mindful moment before I engage in something. And
(24:25):
that feels very much of a ritual because I'm transcending
this act of doing and I'm gaining what I call
a meta awareness of being in the moment, and that
allows me to just kind of develop a bit more
calm and focus going forward. And the other thing I'll
say about rituals, which is kind of interesting, is there are,
(24:45):
like all of us have, let's say, some habits that
perhaps are not on the healthiest side of the equation. Right,
So things that are maybe not us a good for us.
So a really common habit that a lot of people have,
and I use that word purposely, is to come home,
have a glass of wine to relax. Now, if somebody
just does that, has a glass of wine to relax,
that's a habit. It's just something that somebody does mindlessly.
(25:09):
Whereas if somebody comes home and makes that drinking the
glass of wine a ritual, so now it's mindfully So
now they're coming home, they're purposely realizing that this is
their moment to disengage from their day there's a you know,
maybe they imbue a certain way in which a place
in which they sit, maybe they say a certain you know,
(25:30):
statement of gratitude, or they just appreciate their surroundings for
a moment, maybe they really feel the texture of the
wine in their mouth, and now they're like imbuing more
meaning into the moment, and that can become Actually not
to say that the wine is necessarily healthy, but it
can become a healthier activity because of the extra ritualness
(25:52):
and mindfulness that's been interlaced with the activity.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
Yeah. Absolutely, That's kind of what I was describing in
the beginning talking about the difference between routine and ritual.
You know, ritual has much more intention, meaning and purpose,
and it's focused on the why versus just the act
of drinking that wine. But it's as you said, it's
(26:17):
focused on gratitude and appreciation and relaxation and all of
these things that are much more significant than just a
you know, habit.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
Mm hm. Any final word scalon on rituals.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
Well, I feel like, you know, there's a lot that
we can do to be healthy and happy and joyful,
and creating spiritual, meaningful rituals is a part of the Plan.
Speaker 3 (26:52):
Love it. Yeah, I would fully agree. I think, especially now,
the world is very chaotic, it's very orienting for a
lot of people. There's a lot of change, and it's
coming at a very rapid pace, and it's only going
to accelerate with the advent of artificial intelligence making its
way into our lives. So I think it's critical that
(27:13):
we give ourselves these regular pause moments just to help
get ourselves reoriented back into our lives. And I think
rituals are beautiful, inexpensive and very accessible way to do that.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
Yeah, now more than ever. All Right, Lis, this has
been a great show. Why don't you go ahead and
thank our sponsors. I love to so.
Speaker 3 (27:37):
We have pro Thrivers wellness sleep formula, Thank you pro Thrivers.
We have Cetria glut to thion, the superior glutathion to
support liver and immune health, Cognizance tot of Colling to
help enhance memory, focus and attention, and doctor Ohira's award
winning shelf stable probiotic.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
Yes, thanks to our sponsors, and thanks for listening. And
just a reminder that you can find past shows at
ithriveplan dot com or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.
All right, Lise, may you experience joy, laughter and love
as well, Yes, all right, all right, and it's time
(28:20):
to thrive. Everyone, have a great night.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.