Dr Madeleine Castro

Red Tents (RTs) are women’s circles that have increased in popularity in recent years, but they are an under-researched movement. This paper explores the way in which RTs are presented online by those involved. Setting these groups in a postfeminist context, and building on the work of Longman (2018), I explore the place of RTs in relation to neoliberal discourses of individualism and autonomy. Via an analysis of the RTs online presence, I argue that the RT presents as a place of acceptance (of self and others) where negative emotions can be aired and bonds between women are formed. Whilst acknowledging several caveats to accepting this presentation at face value – not least the potential perpetuation of hegemonic power relations, systemic inequalities and privilege, particularly regarding biological essentialism and whiteness – I also assert that the full picture is more nuanced. Drawing on a feminist position of possibility (e.g. Haraway, 2019), ultimately I argue that RTs appear to offer a refuge of resistance from neoliberalism.

Drawing on empirical research, this chapter argues for the normality of reported paranormal experiences and notes the potential connection between the paranormal, postsecularism and reenchantment in popular culture. In exploring what reported experiences tell us about ourselves (psychologically and as a society or culture), dominant explanations (e.g. the cognitive deficits model in Psychology) are challenged for their impoverished perspective on the paranormal. Instead, this chapter repositions the focus and suggests that some reported paranormal experiences can be situated on a continuum of engagement with the sacred or spiritual in contemporary postsecular society.

Transpersonal Psychology (TP) has been criticised for not engaging sufficiently with feminist material (Brooks et al, 2015). Peggy Wright (1995, 1996) argued that some TP theory perpetuated patriarchal structures. She persistently engaged in critical conversation with Ken Wilbur’s work regarding this. In this sense, there is more space for a consideration of women’s experiences and spirituality in TP. However, there is equally room for an analysis of gender and the ways in which gender is constructed. To examine this issue of gender and, or gender in, TP, I want to explore some of the early findings emerging from a research project on the Red Tent. The Red Tent is a form of women’s circle, where women gather together (usually monthly) to share stories, support and listen to one another, whilst celebrating womanhood (Starkweather, 2011). The space is often dressed in crimson fabrics, colours, hues and textures, which lends a distinctive quality to this time set aside from ordinary life (Leidenfrost, 2012). Considering several accounts (publicly available online or via e-newsletters) regarding the Red Tent, I will demonstrate how the Red Tent offers one way of drawing together some of the concerns from feminism and TP. In particular a consideration of the construction of femininity. This paper concludes by suggesting that in attempting to socially situate human experience and incorporate insights from feminism TP has an opportunity. In working to integrate insights from spirituality and feminism TP could be something of a trailblazer, as this is something that has been neglected by both secular feminism and other ‘religious’ disciplines e.g. theology (Graham, 2012; Llewellyn & Trzebiatowska, 2013).

This paper considers the benefits of adopting a feminist transpersonal ethos towards researching TEHEs. During doctoral research I interviewed 30 people who reported having a transcendent experience (Castro, 2009). Transpersonal and feminist methodological approaches both emphasise the potential importance of the involvement and participation of the researcher during the research process (e.g. Anderson & Braud, 2011; Braud & Anderson, 1998; Devault, 1999; Reinharz, 1992), which can be an emotional and potentially transformative experience. A respectful and sensitive approach to ‘honouring human experiences’ is encouraged in transpersonal research. This is paralleled by the way in which feminist research has aimed to prioritise lived experiences and give voice to the marginalised. In many ways, TEHEs can be considered sensitive experiences, as although they are not necessarily indicative of mental distress or individual suffering they have historically been considered potentially pathological. Thus, sharing these experiences with strangers can be a potentially daunting experience (Castro, 2009). However, it is possible that sharing TEHEs can have positive effects. Primarily, the individuals might be increasing the chances of integrating their experience(s) more effectively (there is certainly evidence for disclosure having positive affects in a structured or therapeutic environment – e.g. Palmer & Braud, 2002; Parra & Corbetta, 2013). But equally, the effects of being heard and/or listened to in an unstructured environment, but in a sensitive, respectful, and non-judgemental manner, should not be underestimated. Researching these experiences was often an intense and personally-involving experience and I found myself effected by many of the participants and their stories. I explore these issues in relation to several accounts from my doctoral research (Castro, 2009) and illustrate just what adopting a feminist transpersonal ethos brought to the project.

How can we envision transcendence in the contemporary West? In an age of post-secularism characterized by neoliberalism and a fractured relationship (for many) with institutional faith traditions, how is transcendence understood? Post-secularism effectively captures a complex and intimate co-mingling between the sacred and secular in Western societies as a result of secularization. Alongside this, the holistic milieu, containing the vestiges of mind, body, spirit, ‘New Age’ phenomena, (Neo)paganism and complementary therapies coalesces with the self-help genre the wellbeing industry and psychology as part of what some scholars have termed ‘therapeutic culture’. These interconnecting spheres are often viewed detrimentally, as perpetuating the neoliberal status quo and for the most part commodifying transcendence. This chapter explores transcendence and contextualizes its nature within a contemporary post-secular, neoliberal backdrop. It critically considers how transcendence might be visualized in contemporary culture. On the one hand, this chapter depicts some of the ways in which matters of transcendence have been commodified and usurped by the neoliberal imperative for a highly individualized trajectory of never-ending self-focused improvement. On the other, it argues for a more nuanced view of phenomena in this domain, and for a broader, more grounded, and collective vision of transcendence in secular spaces. Various caveats concerning gender, power, race, and inequity are flagged. The chapter concludes by tentatively tethering this potential shift in transcendence to theories of critical hope, resonance, and collective care in society.

Historically, there has been limited sociological interest in the paranormal and no systematic study of reported paranormal experiences. There are also few medium-to-large-scale survey results with nationally representative populations focusing on paranormal experiences. This paper provides details of an exploratory survey conducted in 2009 with a nationally representative sample of 4,096 adults aged 16 years and over across Great Britain. Our findings show that 37% of British adults report at least one paranormal experience and that women, those who are middle-aged or individuals resident in the South West are more likely to report such experiences. These results establish incidence levels of reported paranormal experiences in contemporary Britain. We argue also that they merit a more sustained sociological consideration of the paranormal. In this respect we renew and update the robust justification and call for serious research positioning the paranormal as a social phenomenon, originally proposed well over thirty years ago by Greeley (1975).

This presentation aims to demonstrate both the social significance and socially embedded nature of transcendent experiences (TEs as one form of Exceptional Human Experiences or EHEs – White, 1994). Transcendent or mystical experiences are often referred to as ineffable (Bucke, 1905; James, 1901; Maslow, 1964 and Stace, 1960). This attribution places these experiences in some senses out of reach, potentially as the numinous ‘other’ in Otto’s (1923) conceptualisation and certainly as off-limits to the material plane. However, the way in which these experiences are shared, communicated and written about requires a manifestation in more earthly-bound mediums. Whilst this could be a piece of art or music, it is invariably language through which these experiences are depicted. Drawing on several accounts collected via interviews for my doctoral research (Castro, 2009), and using a particular approach to language in the social sciences informed by Conversation Analysis and Discursive Psychology I consider what the invocation of ineffability ‘does’ on a social level and the implications of this claim. In doing so, I argue that in locating TEs beyond language, experients simultaneously establish a prodigious level of profundity for their experiences (Castro, 2009) and equally advocate that first-hand experience is necessary for understanding, therefore perhaps drawing boundaries around those qualified to speak authoritatively about TEs. What is interesting then, is that experients also work hard to position themselves as normal or ordinary in interaction (Sacks, 1984; Wooffitt, 1992). These potential tensions in their accounts can offer us clues about the social context in which these experiences are embedded as not only psychological, but also social, phenomena.

Women’s circles appear to be on the rise in the West in recent times. Contemporary academic research claims multiple potential benefits for the women involved. They are variously viewed as safe spaces of connection, belonging, healing and even transformation. The Red Tent (RT) Movement affiliates individual circles that often meet monthly and engage in various rituals and practices during these gatherings. Popular practices include sharing stories, meditating, and engaging in ‘spiritual’ arts and crafts. Chia Longman proposes that circles are forging ‘new’ forms of femininity. This chapter reviews these claims via an analysis of qualitative survey responses. Through three themes emanating from the survey analysis – The RT as a ‘Ceremonial space’, The RT as ‘Cultivating Agapē’, and ‘Embodying Femininity’ – I discuss how the ritual of ‘sharing’ is a potent practice that facilitates transformative processes. These are connected to emerging forms of femininity. One version runs counter to the ‘postfeminist gaze’ and connotes supportive, non-judgemental expressions of femininity, and the other demonstrates an energetic and symbolic form centred around the ‘womb-space’. These forms indicate the existence of counter narratives in RTs, both to the dominant neoliberal governmentality of bodies and behaviour, and also to limited and limiting traditional gender norms. They also demonstrate the potential power of ritual practices within non-traditional sacrosanct spaces.

In this case study I review part of the first phase of data collection for research into the UK Red Tent movement online. The Red Tent movement is a loosely affiliated international network of women’s circles that ordinarily meet face-to-face in differing locales monthly to support and nourish each other. In this phase of the research, I was interested in determining how the UK Red Tent movement imagined and presented itself online. Researching the Movement online presented several challenges such as establishing the boundaries of a dataset and attempts to discern web content that originated from or was connected to the UK. Other difficulties included developing efficient and effective processes of cataloguing data via manual archiving, especially considering the fluctuating nature of online content, dead links, and the emergence of ethical issues connected principally to the use of interactive web platforms as potential data. These methodological and practical challenges are discussed in detail with a view to taking the reader through some idea of the research actions performed, relaying any lessons I learnt and highlighting the beneficial implications of this for anyone wishing to conduct this kind of scoping research online themselves.

What can accounts of spontaneous ‘extraordinary’ experiences (under this rubric are experiences sometimes also called paranormal, supernatural, transcendent, etc.) tell us about compassion and wellbeing? This is an interesting question. Whilst there has been some support for the idea that extraordinary and/or spiritual experiences are associated with increased wellbeing (e.g. Greeley, 1975; Hay & Morisy, 1978; Parra & Corbetta, 2014; Palmer & Braud, 2002; Smith, 2006; Wulff, 2000) there are few that have taken a critical look at the concept of wellbeing itself. This paper therefore, seeks to explore various questions. Firstly, what do we mean by wellbeing and how can we measure or assess this? Secondly, how convincing is the evidence to suggest a relationship between extraordinary experiences and wellbeing? And thirdly, what are the implications of this possible relationship for a compassionate approach to those reporting experiences such as these? In exploring these questions, this paper draws some tentative conclusions about the sharing and reporting of extraordinary experiences and argues for sensitivity towards and the increased normalisation of both these experiences and those that report them.

Red Tents are women’s groups and spaces that provide opportunities for women to meet and regularly connect with other women. Inspired in part by a work of fiction – ‘The Red Tent’ by Anita Diamant (1997) – two of the key ideas associated with the movement seem to centre upon rewriting dominant cultural narratives about women’s bodies and menstruation; drawing on more positive, informative and celebratory constructions (see for instance, Starkweather, 2011). They are also spaces to share stories, listen and be supported by other women. There is minimal academic research into Red Tents so far, though that which has been conducted in the US reports of the transformational potential of these groups for individual women (Leidenfrost, 2012). In recent years (since 2009 in the UK) there has been an increase in the number of visible groups which suggests an upsurge in women’s interest across various geographic locations (there are approximately 130 listed groups in the UK at this time (05.12.17), and this number is consistently increasing (Red Tent Directory, 2017). This paper introduces the Red Tent movement, reflecting on its’ origins and evolution. It details the purpose of the research which seeks to detail the shape and form of the movement over a specific period and consider how online media enables and facilitates this process. The project is in the early stages and any constructive suggestions or feedback on the current scope are most welcome.

Red Tents are a form of women’s spaces or groups in the West. Whilst their exact form varies widely, all centralise the lives and experiences of women and both honour and celebrate womanhood. Many groups centralise notions of the divine or sacred feminine (see Tate, 2014) and provide a space to respect the differences of women’s experience, whilst also sharing wisdom, and stories about the common features. In this paper, I explore the Red Tent phenomenon that has been growing across parts of the world in recent times and reflect also on its history and development. I discuss the purpose of the Red Tent and the potential power of these spaces as a context for profound shifts in some women’s lives at an emotional, psychological, and spiritual level. I begin to argue that this movement might represent a way of reclaiming aspects of the experience of womanhood to be celebrated and revered (rather than hidden and cursed) and redefine traditional conceptions. Focusing on the Red Tent as a context for exploration of the sacred and therefore associated with female spirituality and wellbeing, I will also draw on some reflections and experiences of members in a Red Tent group. Whilst Transpersonal Psychology has been interested in the psychospiritual aspects of human lives, there is a gap in terms of integrating feminist works and oversight regarding the situatedness of human experience (see Brooks et al, 2013). This paper thus seeks to contribute to these aspects of a more contemporary transpersonal conversation.

This paper draws on data from my doctorate (Castro, 2009) which explored reports of spontaneous transcendent experiences (TEs). These experiences are wide-ranging in their exact manifestation but experients often report overwhelming emotions (usually positive); a sense of connection or unification (perhaps to the world or the Divine) and a dramatic alteration in their perception of ordinary space and time. One aspect which appears to be common to these experiences is their potential to transform an individual’s life (Braud & Palmer, 2002). These transformations are often dramatic and lifechanging: they are presented as forms of salvation.

In this paper, I will explore some issues in the relationship between language and anomalous experience. This paper was inspired by Cardeña (2004), whose recent work re-evaluates the importance of introspection for a study of consciousness, and makes various recommendations for future approaches. This work is a welcome addition to ongoing methodological considerations in the study of subjective experience. However, there are some conceptual issues, which may benefit from further attention - a discussion of which can advance our contemporary understanding of anomalous experience. Scientific methods have often considered the tools of the first person approach to be riddled with problems - for instance, the perception of intractable lack of reliability or validity afforded to introspective methods has persisted. There has been, in some sense a split between, on the one hand advocates of the third person approach, and on the other, supporters of the first person method (Blackmore, 2002, 2003). This has led some to surmise that studies into anomalous experiences and therefore consciousness "may remain fruitless unless sophisticated methodologies can adequately map states of consciousness in a reliable and valid manner" (Pekala & Cardeña, 2000: 50). However, more recently, reflections on introspection as a method for studying consciousness highlight that it may be misleading to think about first and third person methodologies as so starkly distinct (Varela, 1996; Cardeña, 2004). Cardeña's (2004) re-assessment of methods considers various versions of introspection methodology, including phenomenology, concurrent reporting methods and retrospective report methods. In this evaluation he sets out the strengths and weaknesses associated with these methods. For instance, 'thinking out loud' is considered a good method for provision of a comprehensive account, but may affect the experience and does not address long-term effects. The overall assessment is that although individual methods associated with introspection have their limitations, mainly revolving around memory problems, distortion, censorship, and lack of verification, a more pluralistic approach (combining methods) can be employed to lessen these problems. Cardeña's (2004) assessment is a useful reflection on this method. There are however, a range of perspectives on the nature of language and communication in the social sciences, on the basis of which, we may wish to be cautious about wholeheartedly adopting Cardeña's (2004) account. Within the social sciences, specific methods and approaches have been evolving towards the study of discourse (namely discourse analysis and conversation analysis) aiming to reveal how people make sense of the world and their experiences through their use of language. This work has consistently demonstrated that the language we use to describe our experiences is socially produced (e.g. Schegloff, 1997). That is, the way in which an introspective account of an anomalous experience is articulated will be informed primarily by the circumstances or setting in which the account is communicated (written, spoken etc.). These, mostly 'non-conscious', processes of selection and construction, perform social actions - we do 'things' with our talk (Hutchby & Wooffitt, 1992) - and can begin to inform us about some of the foundations of such accounts. Furthermore, it is worth considering that we do not have the actual anomalous experiences themselves to study, but the accounts, the reflections, and the reports of experients (Blackmore, 1988; Wooffitt, 1992; Yamané, 2001). By beginning with a look at the way in which people articulate their anomalous experiences, we can start to see what is being communicated through their accounts. I want to suggest therefore, that a study of spontaneous anomalous phenomena is in the first place a study of language and communication. Furthermore, I want to argue that an approach informed by both aspects of Cardeña's (2004) approach and the methodology of discourse studies, can help to furnish a pragmatic and sophisticated alternative, and can offer one potential in-road to a reliable, accountable and fruitful study.

Red Tents (RTs) are women’s circles that gather regularly as safe, special, and supportive spaces. They have been increasing in number across the UK (and elsewhere) in recent years. They typify aspects of a holistic grouping, aligning somewhat with ideals, values and practices found in the mind, body, spirit and ‘New Age’ genres. This broader context – the ‘holistic milieu’ – has been criticized for perceived privilege, overwhelming Whiteness, and affluence. Furthermore, it is argued that this sphere aligns with neoliberal narratives of individual consumerism, autonomy, and choice. Reviewing recent research into UK RTs, I explore intersecting issues of gender and race. I show how unspoken ambiguity around the label ‘woman’ both signifies normative female embodiment and conceals ‘Whiteness’. I explore how these hidden and inaudible conceptions ‘close off’ non-normative or minority ethnic inclusion. In contending that the RT operates as a ‘White space’ and is therefore a space of race privilege, I critically investigate how ‘Whiteness’ might be sustained. Ultimately, I present RTs with complexity, as sacred and empowering for some women but as silently cultivating/perpetuating cis embodiment and an unnamed and unnoticed ‘Whiteness’, maintaining structural privileges that need unpacking.

The Red Tent movement has emerged fairly recently in Europe and worldwide (some Red Tent groups are listed at http://www.redtentmovie.com/red_tents_near_you.html and www.redtentdirectory.com). Red Tent groups provide a space for women to meet, take time out of their ordinary existence, share their experiences with each other and be supported and supportive. They are sometimes connected to the cycles of the moon (meeting around the new moon for instance), are sometimes explicitly ‘spiritual’ (or concerned with the sacred feminine) and part of the focus has been around increasing positive constructions of menstruation and the body (Starkweather, 2011). Some research in the US has suggested that they have been potentially transformational and healing for some women (Leidenfrost, 2012) and there are various positive comment pieces in several media outlets regarding attendance at Red Tent gatherings and groups (e.g. Bussey, 2016; Olorenshaw, 2015; Parkes, 2009). However, there have been some concerns raised via blog posts (e.g. Firefox Allen, 2016; Transwaffle, 2016), about the extent to which the movement is perpetuating forms of gender essentialism and whether a focus on wombs, fertility and menstruation has an exclusionary effect on group membership. This paper outlines the history and purpose of The Red Tent in a contemporary social context, and considers the extent to which The Red Tent is merely a problematic repackaging of sisterhood, or whether it has the potential to be a positive movement for change.

These experiences are wide-ranging in their exact manifestation but experients often report overwhelming emotions (usually positive); a sense of connection or unification (perhaps to the world or the Divine) and a dramatic alteration in their perception of ordinary space and time. One aspect which appears to be common to these experiences is their potential to transform an individual’s life (Braud & Palmer, 2002). These transformations are often dramatic and life-changing: they are presented as forms of salvation. The accounts of transformation are both discursively and thematically concerned with authenticity, (self as) authority and credibility – notions that also appear in expressions of post-Christian spirituality in the West (Houtman & Aupers, 2007). They are interwoven with the lives of those reporting them, as part of a coherent trajectory concerning personal identity, meaning and purpose. This chapter explicates some of these accounts in more detail, locating them in relation to contemporary alternative spirituality and religion (Heelas, 1996; Heelas & Woodhead, 2005). It also contributes to knowledge regarding ‘the personal beliefs and practices by which individual spiritual lives are shaped and transformed, expressed and experienced’ (McGuire, 2008: 215).

Red Tents are a form of women’s spaces or groups in the West. Whilst they vary widely in their exact manifestation, all centralise the lives and experiences of women and both honour and celebrate womanhood. A significant aspect of this is, for many, a deeply held passion for what might be called ‘The Sacred Feminine’ (e.g. Tate, 2014). Whilst the notion of spirituality is often embedded in these gatherings, the arrangement and practice of this varies – for instance Pagan and Wiccan rituals have been integrated into the practices of some groups (Leidenfrost & Starkweather, 2011). The concept is originally based on a novel by Anita Diamant (1997) called The Red Tent, which narrates the rape story of Dinah found in the bible. “The novel makes the argument that to develop a sense of context for the self, we need spaces and time for mothers and daughters to share stories beyond the stories of “great women.” (Blackford, 2005: 78). As a potentially empowering context for women, ‘The Red Tent Movement’ emerged in the US around the turn of the millennia (late 1990s into early 2000’s) and a little later in the UK (approximately 2009 according to The Red Tent Directory (http://redtentdirectory.com/herstory/). The concept of the Red Tent has been challenged as a solely positive space for women, some suggesting that its contemporary empowering conception is a far cry from its disempowering roots. The inspiration for the novel’s portrayal of the Red Tent originates in the pre-modern ‘menstrual hut’ which has a fairly well documented depiction of male control and domination, seen as a location for women to be ‘banished to’ during menstruation potentially in part because of perceived impurity (see for instance, Strassman, 1996). This paper reflects on the history and development (including the increasing popularity) of the Red Tent movement and Red Tent groups. It argues that this movement might represent a way of reclaiming aspects and stages of womanhood and experience to be celebrated and revered (rather than hidden and cursed) and marks a redefinition of traditional conceptions. Focusing on the Red Tent as a context for exploration of the sacred and therefore associated with female spirituality and wellbeing, I will also draw on some of my own early personal reflections and experiences in recently joining a Red Tent group.

The theme of this symposium is to introduce the area of transpersonal psychology, while sharing three research perspectives related to transcendent human experiences.