An analysis of the therapeutic elements in a black church service.
Hospital & community psychiatry May 1, 1984 E E Griffith, J L Young, D L Smith
Interviews with twenty frequent attendees of a midweek service at an independent urban black church revealed that different aspects of the service produced distinct psychological experiences. Testimony was described as an ineffable, explicitly religious experience; Holy Ghost possession provided an emotionally ecstatic feeling that also produced a sense of relief; dancing and speaking in tongues were intense individualistic experiences, with speaking in tongues being more explicitly religious. The service as a whole imparted feelings of group closeness and strength. The authors note that participants' responses correspond to several curative factors associated with group psychotherapy and suggest that the black church service is a functional community mental health resource for its participants.