David Feldman’s mother was only 18 years old when her boyfriend suddenly broke up with her. Because of this, she experienced a mixture of shock and sadness. Fortunately, there was Richard, her brother, who had experienced a similar stage in his life, and he knew exactly what to do.
He picked her up in his late-1960s Firebird and took her to the local A&W Rootbeer stand. There, they sat together. They didn’t say much—just gulped down root beer floats.
When Richard recently passed away at the age of 65, my mom also knew just what to do. In silence, she drove herself, now in a mid-2010s Toyota, to the local A&W Rootbeer stand. There, she ordered two floats and drank both of them.
The act of visiting the root beer stand and drinking floats there has been a ritual for David’s mom, and it’s an effective one. This brings us to the question: why are rituals so powerful in healing us?
Find out the answer over at Psychology Today.
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