New Age somatisk terapi och dess stigmatisering : En Goffmansk analys av kroppsliga och andliga upplevelser inom New Age andlighet

The purpose of this study is to analyze the main character in a youtube video; “I Tried An ‘Ancient Lumurian’ Healing Activation" and her experience of somatic therapy related to her wellbeing, healing and spirituality. In addition also her experience of stigmatization using Erving Goffman's (1968) and Link & Phelan's (2001) descriptions in relation to the somatic practice in New Age religion. This study has a qualitative method called thematic content analysis. The study questions were: How does the main character describe her experiences with somatic therapy in relation to pain, healing and wellbeing? How is the body portrayed as a source of spiritual knowledge and healing in the main character's experience? The third question has a deductive approach to examine stigma. How is stigma expressed, according to Link and Phelans model (2001), in the main character's comments about her somatic New Age practice? The results show how the main character finds somatic therapy helpful with her wellbeing and overall health. She describes somatic therapy as a way to express underlying emotions and trauma and this creates an overall feeling of lightness and ease. The analysis shows how the main characters experience stigmatization through all of Link and Phelan's (2001) five components of stigma. The main character also shows an overall feeling of stigmatisation through Erving Goffman’s concepts likediscreditable and covering.