Could ritual just be a way of working with the subconscious?

That can be a useful psychological reading. A ritual may focus attention, make an intention feel concrete, and encourage choices that line up with it. But calling that “programming” can make the mind sound more controllable than it is. And explaining some effects through belief doesn’t prove that every spiritual experience is only psychological.

I wouldn’t treat the subconscious explanation as a final answer about entities. It describes one way a person might understand an experience, but it can’t settle whether that experience has a spiritual source. People can hold a psychological interpretation alongside a spiritual one, or prefer one without claiming they’ve proved the other false.

Belief can do real work without being a magic switch. It may affect what someone notices, how they act, and how they interpret an outcome. That still doesn’t show that belief alone caused an external event. For a particular ritual, it helps to decide beforehand what would count as success and keep ordinary explanations in view. With health claims especially, a meaningful experience isn’t a substitute for medical care.