456 The Professional Counselor | Volume 13, Issue 4 Letting-Go Ceremony A letting-go ceremony is a ritual that allows a person to process and/or release thoughts, emotions, or memories around beliefs or experiences in order to bring about healing and a sense of peace and to make room for new ways of being or engaging in the world (McCormick, 2021). It is often believed that one cannot simply talk their way through a trauma, but that they must spiritually and physically release it as well. Using tobacco ties is one traditional way to release a trauma, as a symbol of letting go, freeing oneself from the human experience, and returning the trauma back into the earth. It is a metaphor for no longer having to carry a certain burden. Tobacco is considered a sacred medicine that represents the earth and is used for myriad purposes in Indigenous communities (National Native Network, n.d.). A tobacco tie can be created by placing a small amount of tobacco on a cloth and folding or tying the corners to create a small ball or sachet. It can be connected to a chain of ties, as well. The ties are released or given to the earth or sky, through laying them near the roots of a tree or placing them in a fire. The process itself can be ceremonial, implemented with fasting or praying. The idea is an offering to the spirit world meant to impact the here and now in the physical world and to release some of the pain associated with an event (Wilson & Restoule, 2010). When the client and counselor practice the ceremony together, both are able to let go of part of the pain. The collective connection of healing helps to ease some of the traumatic experience. In an example of using tobacco ties in group counseling, Smith-Yliniemi would often invite a medicine person to be part of the closure process for trauma groups. The medicine person would instruct group members to make a tobacco tie for each trauma they wanted to release from their bodies and their lives. These ties would then be used in a sweat lodge ceremony in the final session of a 10–12 week group. The idea of symbolically “giving over/letting go” or releasing something as a means for healing is a universal act and therefore can be drawn upon and applied by counselors and clients of any identity. However, the ceremony would look different according to the client’s identity and wishes. Letting go allows one to release thoughts or beliefs that keep them held to the past—hence, it allows people to stay more focused in the present moment, which could apply to many topics. Common letting-go issues include grief, traumas, and depression, as well as negative and harmful thoughts, feelings, habits, and experiences. Ultimately, we could not think of any issue that necessarily would not benefit from a spiritual and/or physical ceremonial process of “letting go.” The client, of course, must be amenable to the idea of letting go; hence, the counselor should collaboratively determine client readiness for letting go and explore client reluctance, if it does arise, as a natural part of the process. Ethical Considerations Individuals of any identity can engage in letting-go ceremonies, and likely the best practice is to initially draw upon clients’ own cultural practices specific to letting go in line with standard E.5.b. Cultural Sensitivity (ACA, 2014). However, if they are unaware of any such practice in their own community, counselors may adapt a letting-go ceremony as described here to meet the client’s need. Because letting-go ceremonies can be particularly emotionally laden for both the client and counselor, we encourage counselors to monitor their own wellness and to be mindful of counselor impairment, as noted in ACA ethical standard C.2.g. Impairment (2014).
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