The tradition of Guatemalan worry dolls, also known as "muñecas quitapenas”, is believed to have originated with the indigenous Maya people of Guatemala and other Central American countries.
A local legend about the origin of the dolls refers to a Maya princess named Ixmucane. The princess received a special gift from the sun god which would allow her to solve any problem a human could worry about. Handy.
The tiny dolls (ranging in height from 1.5cm to 5cm) are made from colourful pieces of fabric, wood or other materials. They are seen as cultural symbols of Guatemala and are often sold as souvenirs to tourists visiting the country. They have become an important part of Guatemala's handicraft industry.
According to Guatemalan folklore, the dolls have the power to take away worries and concerns. Here’s how it works:
You tell your worries and fears to the dolls before bedtime (one worry per doll), placing them under your pillow. The dolls are said to then work through the night, absorbing your worries and providing you with a sense of relief when you wake up; which may explain why the dolls themselves look somewhat strung out. [Ed: Just kidding. They look fine.]
It’s a nice ritual to go through with kids, as celebrated in a 2007 book Silly Billy by Anthony Brown, although in that story young worrier Billy sleeps like a log, but then decides to get worried about the worry dolls. D’oh!
Worry dolls do in fact play a role in modern pediatrics and child psychiatry. During a psychological interview with children, some counsellors have offered a worry doll to the child as some kind of imaginary, but trustworthy "listener", "allayer" and "contact person". The doll, in turn, will work for psychiatrists, psychologists, educators and parents a kind of "agent" and "troubleshooter" between child and adult.
And, as it turns out, the process in which you use worry dolls can actually helps adults with their worries too.
Multiple studies show that by speaking our feelings aloud, we may reduce how intense those feelings are. When we speak, we use the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex of our brains, an area that is crucial for emotional regulation. When we put a name to our feelings and speak it aloud, this area lights up, reducing activity in places like the amygdala, an area that neuroscientists call the “fear center” of the brain. Less activity in the amygdala means that we may not be feeling things as intensely.
Whichever way you look at it, there seems to be very little reason why you wouldn’t want to have a set of these tiny dolls sitting in a drawer next to your bed.
Story Idea: Remo Giuffré
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References
wikipedia.org/wiki/Worry_doll
fromthemayan.com/post/how-to-make-worry-dolls-seamlessly-weaving-mayan-history-and-culture
practicalpie.com/worry-dolls
Images
1. Guatemalan Worry Dolls
2. Maya creation story
3. Making Guatemalan Worry Dolls
4. Small box containing 6 Guatemalan Worry Dolls
5. Sleeping child. No worries!
6. Silly Billy by Anthony Browne, 2007
7. The ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Source: thescienceofpsychotherapy.com
