Alevi Bektashi Ritual Semah and Mental Health: a Qualitative Study

EasyChair Preprint no. 6774

Abstract

Aim: The study was carried out to determine the effect of semah on mental health in the Alevi Bektashi community.

Method: This study was a qualitative study using content analysis method. Eleven individuals who agreed to participate in the research and performed the semah ritual were interviewed, determined by the purposeful sampling method. Five of the individuals in the sample were female and six were male. Data were collected with demographic information form and semi-structured interview form. Expert opinion was taken to ensure the clarity and content validity of the questions in the interview form.  Permission was obtained from the ethics committee of Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli University. In addition, individual consent was obtained from the participants.

Results: In the study, the ages of the participants ranged from 35 to 69, and it was determined that eight of the 11 people were married, all of them were literate, seven of them had a medium-income level and all of them lived with their families. In addition, it has been determined that all of the participants have been intertwined with semah for about 40 years. In the research, 3 main themes and 9 sub-themes emerged. Themes; Feeling good (Union of hearts, Climax point, Beyond Senses and Emotions), Seeking (Search-Find, Guide, Belonging) and Purification (Judgment, Moral Values, Distancing).

Conclusion: The results of this study reveal that semah has positive and protective effects on mental health in many ways in the Alevi Bektashi community, that the feelings, thoughts and experiences of individuals during the semah ritual are unique, and that semah has positive effects on individuals' family, social and social lives. More qualitative studies are recommended to determine the effects of religious rituals on mental health.

Keyphrases: Alevi Bektashi, mental health, qualitative study, semah

@Booklet{EasyChair:6774,
  author = {Kamuran Özdil and Gülhan Küçük Öztürk},
  title = {Alevi Bektashi Ritual Semah and Mental Health: a Qualitative Study},
  howpublished = {EasyChair Preprint no. 6774},

  year = {EasyChair, 2021}}