The Ritual Series: Session 2
The Science of Ritual: A Conversation with Dr. Gordon Neufeld
Sunday, July 19th, 10:00–11:30am PST
The Science of Ritual with Dr. Gordon Neufeld
For many of us, we’ve always felt that ritual does something to us, but what? Whether we’re marking a threshold or returning to a ceremony year after year, something in us changes ~ how we feel, how we connect, how we move through times of change. Now science is catching up to what humans have always instinctively understood.
In this second session of the The Ritual Series, Megan Sheldon is joined by Dr. Gordon Neufeld, one of the world’s leading developmental psychologists and the co-author of Hold On To Your Kids, for a deep dive into the science behind why ritual works. Drawing on the second section of Ritual Without Religion, this session explores what is actually happening in our brains and bodies when we engage in ceremony, and what it costs us when we don’t.
What We'll Explore
This session covers the neuroscience of ritual, including why ceremony creates genuine psychological change, how ritual builds emotional resilience and supports us through grief, loss, and transition, and the role of attachment and belonging in our need for ceremony. We’ll also explore why shared rituals are one of the most powerful tools we have for building and sustaining community, and what the science tells us about the mental health consequences of a ritual-depleted life.
What To Expect
This session is for anyone who wants to understand not just that ritual matters, but why. It will resonate especially with therapists, counsellors, social workers, and educators who are looking for a deeper understanding of the role ceremony can play in our emotional health. It is also for parents, partners, and community builders who want to understand the science behind what they already feel intuitively ~ that ritual holds us together in ways nothing else quite can.
Why It's Needed
We are living through a mental health crisis that is, at it’s root, a crisis of connection and belonging. Research increasingly points to loneliness, disconnection, and the erosion of shared meaning as drivers of anxiety, depression, and emotional dysregulation. Ritual is not a luxury or a nicety, it’s one of the most evidence-backed tools we have for building the emotional resilience, community bonds, and sense of continuity that human beings need to thrive.
Megan Sheldon
Megan Sheldon (she/her) is a humanist celebrant, end-of-life doula, ritual designer, and founder of Be Ceremonial. For over a decade she has guided individuals, families, and communities through the moments that matter most, from births and weddings to grief, loss, and the invisible thresholds in between.
Her book Ritual Without Religion: A Humanist Guide to Creating Secular Ceremonies offers a path back to one of the most ancient of human practices for anyone who has felt the ceremony-shaped hole. She lives and works on the unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples in North Vancouver, BC.
Dr. Gordon Neufeld
Dr. Gordon Neufeld (he/him) is a Vancouver-based developmental psychologist with over fifty years of clinical experience working with children, families, and professionals. His work integrates attachment theory, depth psychology, and neuroscience into a model of human emotional development.
He is the co-author of Hold On To Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers (with Dr. Gabor Maté) and the founder of the Neufeld Institute. Dr. Neufeld’s work continues to shape how we understand belonging, resilience, and what humans need to truly flourish. Learn more about Dr. Neufeld here.
About The Series
Megan Sheldon’s new book, Ritual Without Religion, is structured around four dimensions of ceremony: The Nature of Ritual, The Science of Ritual, The Art of Ritual, and The Practice of Ritual. This series is designed to expand and deepen your experience of the book, taking each of its four sections and bringing them alive through the voices of some of the people who have most inspired my journey.
Whether you’ve read it cover to cover or are just arriving, these conversations are designed to bring the themes and ideas presented in the book to life, and to connect you with people who believe that life’s moments deserve to be marked with intention and care.
Virtual $30 per session | $100 for the full series
FAQs
Not at all. Each session stands on its own and is designed to be valuable whether or not you’ve read the book. That said, readers will find the series brings each section of the book vividly to life.
You’re welcome to join just the sessions that call to you. Single session tickets are $30, or you can register for the full series for $100 and save $20.
All Zoom sessions are recorded and will be made available within 24 hours. Please note that breakout sessions will not be recorded, so we encourage you to join live if you can.
Each gathering includes time in small groups with fellow participants, giving you a chance to reflect on what’s been shared, connect with others, and go a little deeper. These are some of the most meaningful moments of the series and won’t be captured in the recording. You can choose not to join the breakout session and instead have a 10min break on your own.
All sessions are hosted on Zoom. A link will be sent to you upon registration.
All sales are final as you will receive the recording even if you can’t join live. We encourage you to review the session dates and times carefully before registering.
We don’t offer scholarships for this series. Instead, we’ve worked hard to keep pricing as accessible as possible from the outset — and a portion of every registration goes directly to our guest speakers, honouring the expertise and generosity they bring to each session.
Yes, CAD pricing is available for our fellow Canadians. You’ll see it reflected at checkout as long as you are in Canada when purchasing the session (Stripe connects to your IP address).
We’d love to hear from you. You can reach me directly at megan@beceremonial.com and I will do my best to answer any questions you have.
