Page 212 - Creating Spiritual and Psychological Resilience

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Rituals, Routines, and Resilience

Koshin Paley Ellison and Craig L. Katz

Introduction

This chapter is written in two distinct parts, one from the perspective of a
spiritual care provider and the other from that of a psychiatrist. This for-
mat was initially born of the practicalities of two busy coauthors who have
not previously collaborated in any way, whether in writings or in disas-
ter response. But, we ultimately chose to retain this division because it
seems to reflect many of the differences between clergy and psychiatrists.
We suspect bear upon not just the topic of rituals but on the possibilities
of collaboration between the two fields in disaster response. Between the
writing of the two of us lie different voices, different focuses, and even
different sources. In this pairing, where one refers to poetry, the other
cites scientific journals. It seemed nearly impossible to merge our perspec-
tives and writings without diminishing the force of what we each had to
say. Our approaches to understanding disaster-related rituals are not in
any way at odds, and there are no counterpoints to be made. Nor do they
readily interlock like pieces of a puzzle. It would be best to say they hover
around each other like two birds, sharing the harmony of a common pur-
pose and hope. Themes of meaning, connection, and containment run
throughout this duet on rituals and disaster.

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