What does religion have to do with psychology? What contributes to healing through the divine?
For followers of folk religion, community temples are often trusted and familiar spaces of worship, housing deities who are believed to be protective and good. In this realm of the divine, people may have experiences of the sacred that can be associated with transformation or transcendence.
As one Taipei devotee nearing 50 and recovering from a recent surgery explained, “I go to temple when I am facing a particular difficulty. I speak with the gods from my heart, like they are an intimate friend. I open up in their company about my situation and feelings. They listen patiently and help me find resolution. It shows me a way out of my problem.”