‘Rage rituals’ are the latest wellness trend among women

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“Rage rituals” are the latest wellness trend among women on TikTok.

A new trend is gaining traction online, where women are paying a fortune to go to the woods and smash things, which wellness experts have dubbed “rage rituals”. Some exclusive wellness retreats now include these stress-relieving ceremonies, where participants scream and beat large sticks on the forest’s ground. Since the forest is far away from residential areas, participants have the freedom to fully embody their rage.

For years, self-described “Spiritual Fairy Godmother” Mia Magik has led rage rituals in Scotland. She began doing them for herself and her friends, before adding them as an option to her wellness retreats. These days-long excursions typically include a range of activities and are priced between $2,000 to $4,000. However, she does include a one-day option at $222 per ticket, according to USA Today.

During the rage ritual, Magik guides the participants to sit with their deepest emotions, walking them through warm-ups and deep breaths. Typically, she tells them to conjure “every person who’s ever crossed you, who’s ever hurt you, who’s ever ignored your boundaries or taken advantage of you or abused you in any way.”

“When people do this and give themselves permission to release their anger, their capacity for joy actually expands,” Magik - who’s real name is Mia Banducci - told the outlet. “They’re able to feel more happiness and pleasure, and they go home to their families with more gratitude and ease and peace.”

The rituals have resonated with women on social media, as many comment below viral videos on how much of a relief it is to channel their anger - especially in a society that frowns upon women embracing their ugliest emotions.

“Why did I have an immediate visceral reaction and start crying?” one woman wrote.

“I literally cried seeing this… I NEED this,” another said.

“As a now middle aged woman with even more rage, I need this!!” commented someone else.

Reflecting on the positive reaction to her videos, Banducci said it made sense that her rage rituals have resonated with so many women.

“It’s like, ‘Don’t be a b****’ or don’t be angry or don’t be aggressive or don’t stand up for yourself. Don’t protect your integrity. Don’t tell anyone that they don’t have consent to touch your body or speak to you in a certain way,’” she explained. “There are particular emotions that are accepted in the gender binary that we each need to feel. Men need to cry - and it’s so healthy for men to cry - and women need to be able to get angry.”

Banducci isn’t the only one to host rage rituals, with wellness group Secret Sanctuary planning an upcoming “Sacred Rage Ceremony” in Alberta, Canada, in July. Author and mystic Jessica Ricchetti is also reportedly hosting a women’s “Secret Rage” retreat in North Carolina in June.

Experts note that rage rituals likely won’t work for everyone. Depending on the person, rage can be better exorcised with active strategies like a high-intensity workout, while others can benefit from more soothing activities like a sound bath.

Primal scream therapy, which is an important aspect of the rage ritual, was developed in the 1970s by psychologist Arthur Yanov to release repressed trauma, and was touted by the likes of power couple John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

Despite it being previously maligned by mainstream psychology, Vogue writes that spiritual gurus like Rachel Pringle - a tantra teacher and the creator of the spiritual workshop Wild Woman - find that physical expressions of rage, such as primal screams, can be therapeutic “when expressed in a safe way, a rage ritual can be a gateway to pleasure, power, creativity.”