Contemplative practices have formed part of religious, philosophical, and humanistic traditions across all cultures since ancient times. Two key intentions of contemplative practices are to cultivate 1) awareness and 2) communion/connection to God, the Divine, or inner wisdom [1] While secular mindfulness practices have focused on cultivating self-awareness, both Buddhist and mystical Christian traditions focus on transcendence of the self to connect with the divine oneness of Buddha nature or a divine God, respectively [2]. The self in relationship with others and the divine is an integral aspect of African wisdom traditions.
Davidson and Dahl (2017, p. 121) defined contemplative practices as forms of mental training to elicit “self-awareness, self-regulation, and/or self-inquiry to enact a process of psychological transformation” with the aim to “bring about a state of enduring well-being or inner flourishing” [3]. By investigating African Contemplative Practices (ACPs), which are rooted in the relational philosophy of ubuntu, we believe we can open the field of Contemplative Science to a cultural category of spiritual practices that has received limited attention to date.
The research retreat from which this paper emerges was supported by a Think Tank grant from the Mind and Life Institute, established in 1991, seeking to explore the question of “what impact could be achieved through combining scientific inquiry with the transformative power of contemplative wisdom” [4]. In recent years, the Institute has “started looking deeply at how to advance the principles of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) within [their] organizational structure, processes, and programs” [4]. Mind and Life Think Tanks invite transdisciplinary participation and multiple epistemologies to open new fields of enquiry, and this research retreat provided the opportunity to continue the discussions that began at the 2017 Mind and Life Dialogue held in Botswana.
The intended aim of this paper was to identify and analyze the experience of participating in selected indigenous rituals and cultural practices from the South African context. Research participants were invited to reflect on their temporary state changes during the guided practices, while the facilitators reflected on their own experience of longer-term changes resulting from their engagement in these rituals.
Conceptual Framework
Indigenous, precolonial cultures each have distinct practices for individual health, community cohesion and connection with the natural world. They tend to rely on embodied rituals and oral ways of transferring this wisdom from generation to generation.
Africa’s embodied arts-based healing practices are community-based and require participation, both essential aspects of the African philosophy of ubuntu [5,6,7]. With ongoing psychology-based studies and a commitment to neuroscience research, we could establish how these practices, which we define as contemplative, could promote social cohesion, support resilience, and aid collective human flourishing, particularly given the dehumanization of the colonial and apartheid eras.
While there has been some research on relational practices [8] and movement practices [9,10], most of the secular mindfulness and Buddhist meditation practices that have been the object of research are conducted in silence, stillness, and solitude. Empirical research studies (both qualitative and quantitative) have revealed significant benefits of these meditation practices [11], namely, affective benefits, such as emotion regulation [12] and increased flexibility [13,14]; intrapersonal benefits [15], including self-awareness [16], morality [17], and fear modulation [18]; and interpersonal benefits, such as pro-sociality [19, 20] and relationship satisfaction [21]. Tang and Tang (2017 p 29) describe how:
Growing evidence has indicated that mindfulness practice induces both state and trait changes: that is, it temporarily changes the condition of the brain and the corresponding pattern of activity or connectivity (state change), and it also alters personality traits following a longer period of practice. [22]
In a meta-analysis of mindfulness, loving-kindness and compassion meditation practices, Donald et al. (2019) found an association between meditation practice and altruism [23]. Of interest was that mindfulness alone (with its focus on nonjudgmental awareness) predicted prosocial helping behaviors even without including loving-kindness and compassion practices. The researchers identified that greater empathic concern, emotion regulation and positive affect were key to enhancing pro-social behaviors. Relevant too for this paper was their conclusion that intergroup bias was reduced immediately following a mindfulness meditation suggesting that “mindfulness fosters ethical and cooperative behavior across a range of interpersonal contexts” (p. 119) [23].
Some mindfulness facilitators have raised a concern that silent sitting practices do not always give beneficial results for participants with a history of trauma [24]. Rhythmic movement practices, however, have been shown to release trauma held in the body [25] and could therefore be an important prerequisite for, or alternative to, sitting practices. Arts-based therapies and indigenous contemplative traditions show promising results, as they are movement-based and conducted in community settings [26]. Kok et al. [27] and Dana [28], extending the work of Porges [29], have theorized that the human nervous system is best regulated by social connection and social engagement. Synchronized movements (during dance or drumming) and vocalization have been shown to support experiences of connection and belonging [30]. Empirical research has also revealed considerable health benefits of arts-based therapies, such as improved interoception and body awareness, concentration and focus, stress reduction and the ability to relate to self and others with kindness, compassion and acceptance [31].
With the high incidence of mental health and other social disorders worldwide, exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic [32], the need to find ways of working skillfully with body-mind connections necessitates deeper exploration. Ancient cultural practices may well hold the key to supporting resilience and enhancing human well-being and flourishing in these times of global mental health crisis. While they may not have been tested yet in clinical trials, Banerji, 2018, p.9 reminds us that
“...metaphysics are heuristic frameworks, derived partly from experience, partly from intuition, tested, nuanced, and course-corrected with practice and validation in individual and collective experience.” [33].
We selected five contemplative healing practices that are commonly performed within the Southern African context: Umphahlo, Umgidi Wokulingisa, Isicathamiya, Iintsomi and Djembe Drumming.
Umphahlo uses instruments, song and herbs (mpepu/sage and snuff) to invite and welcome the ancestors (the living dead) into the space to seek their wisdom. They are called with head bowed to show humility, and healers make it clear that they are ready to listen at a multisensory level to the messages of the living dead.
Umgidi Wokulingisa has been translated as a stamping ritual, which in traditional contexts leads to an altered state of consciousness or trance to remove the usual barriers between the living and the living dead. Framed within a drama therapy context, it has been used to bring the energy of loved ones into the circle, enabling deep healing and connection.
Isicathamiya is a type of cappella developed by migrant Zulu communities combining singing (often call and response) and dance. It enables an embodied understanding of the history of South Africa, particularly of mine workers living in hostels.
Iintsomi is part of the oral tradition rooted in Africa and is often translated as storytelling. However, it encompasses a sense of an invitation to participate in a storytelling moment. The participants are part of the story, and while there is a formal structure, it is the energy of the participants that builds the story. Many Iintsomi moments do not have a clear conclusion but rather are left open-ended to encourage reflection. This oral tradition has been a way of transferring African cosmology to children and the community for generations.
Djembe Drumming is carried out with a sense of moving into conversation and enabling the drummer’s intention and words to be transmitted through the vibration of the drum. This allows for a conversation to be held between the drum and the drummer, as well as within the whole drum circle community. The word ngoma has a meaning similar to vibration or resonance, which allows the transmission and receiving of messages. The word is also used for the skin of the drum, which calls people to it, as well as a type of dance or a nighttime dance ceremony. It is the root of the word sangoma or healer, someone who can receive messages from the ancestors.