A weird trend has been emerging worldwide where well-off women are paying thousands of dollars to go deep into the woods and scream like hyenas at the top of their lungs while smashing sticks.
USA Today reported that these events, known as rage rituals, have garnered attention on social media platforms, including TikTok. Women who have partaken in these events claim they are inspired to see other females manifest their anger.
Mia Banducci, an author and self-proclaimed “Spiritual Fairy Godmother,” is one of the individuals organizing these retreats. She told the outlet this month that the retreats help release negative feelings and increase happiness elsewhere in participants’ lives.
“When people do this and give themselves permission to release their anger, their capacity for joy actually expands,” she said. “They’re able to feel more happiness and pleasure, and they go home to their families with more gratitude and ease and peace.”
Banducci has led rage rituals for several years. She started doing them for herself before offering them to the general public.
These retreats can cost participants between $2,000 and $4,000. Banducci offers a one-day version for $222 per ticket.
Below is one example of a “rage ritual” led by Banducci:
WATCH:
@miamagik Rage Rituals are one of my greatest honors to lead during my retreats. Check out my YT for the full video. If you want to experience a rage ritual with me and a group of sisters, I’m hosting 2 retreats this fall. #womensretreat #rageritual #spiritualretreat #spiritualtiktok #queendom
The process of a rage ritual is simple. Banducci explained to USA Today that participants first grab big sticks while thinking about “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.”
After taking warm-up breaths, the contestants start screaming and swinging the sticks for at least 20 minutes or until their arms go limp.
Banducci claims the ritual is held in the woods so participants can scream without annoying people nearby.
Kimberly Helmus, a cybersecurity engineer, told the outlet that she experienced surprising feelings while on her first rage ritual in Scotland with Banducci two and a half years ago.
Helmus said she believed the event would address the fury she felt toward her ex-husband after their divorce. But she instead felt a sadness she’d been holding in since witnessing a friend’s death when she was 15 years old.
“I remember it was a very clear, light-switch moment where I was like, ‘Oh, that’s what this is about,’” she explained. “So many times, I think you can’t really feel a lot of stuff until you work through it.”
USA Today points out that while Banducci may be the most prominent figure leading these crazy rituals, she is far from alone. Secret Sanctuary, for example, is scheduled to host a “Sacred Rage Ceremony” in Alberta, Canada, in July.
Author Jessica Ricchetti, an author and self-described mystic, will hold a “Sacred Rage” women’s retreat in North Carolina in June.
