Sacred Waters, Silent Wounds: Navigating Mikveh and Niddah Observance After Sexual Trauma

Abstract Religious practices can be sources of meaning and continuity, yet their bodily, relational, and symbolic features may also intersect with survivors’ trauma histories. This exploratory qualitative study examined how women with histories of sexual victimization experienced mikveh immersion and niddah observance and what forms of coping, adaptation, and support they found meaningful. An anonymous online survey was distributed in Israel between February and April 2026. The analysis focused on 101 women who reported sexual victimization. Participants responded to two open-ended questions concerning their experiences of mikveh and niddah and their coping strategies and sources of support. Reflexive thematic analysis generated 10 interrelated themes, organized for presentation within three overlapping experiential domains: anticipation and regulation; embodied threat and exposure; and authority, autonomy, and meaning. Participants also described adaptations that restored privacy and choice, supportive partners and professionals, sensitive ritual personnel, and, in some cases, avoidance or discontinuation. The findings illustrate how sacred meaning and trauma-related distress can coexist within the same practice. They suggest that trauma-sensitive responses should emphasize individualized choice, privacy, explicit consent, flexible guidance, and collaboration among survivors, partners, clinicians, and religious authorities.