Trauma and Transformative Passage

The strategic introduction of stressors to intentionally produce targeted psychological states has a long history among indigenous peoples. Rites of passage ceremonies commonly involve subjecting individuals to controlled violence to attain desired transformative outcomes. In this context, violence is held to be sacred and generative, ritually introducing distress in the service of loosening orientation and preparing the individual for spiritual advancement and the acquisition of a new identity. Traditional ritual initiation ceremonies are typically tripartite and characterized by stages of Separation, Ordeal, and Return. This article suggests that accounts of the experiences of initiates in Separation and Ordeal stages bear striking correspondences to trauma disorder phenomena, yielding insights that may contribute to improving the effectiveness of modern trauma interventions