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You will no doubt be asked one day why you want to go walking on the paths of Saint-James.

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The motivations are very diverse and varied from one person to another: desire for freedom, adventure, discovery, to regain control over one's life etc ... but it is often difficult to say at the precise moment when the you are asked this basic question, why you finally decided to take your pilgrim's sticks.

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To walk the paths of Saint-James, is not in my opinion just a simple hike, it is a real initiatory journey, an interior adventure which transforms us little by little, to discover a better version of ourselves .

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More than a hike, it is a journey towards oneself that goes well beyond the destination that we had initially set ourselves. Taking the paths of Saint-James is a long apprenticeship, it is continuous training, as I am used to saying, which for some people lasts a lifetime.

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The road to Compostela is not therefore limited to the simple fact of walking from point A to point B. It begins well before departure and continues well after arrival. After a certain time, the path remains anchored in you: we do not follow it, it is he who follows us, we do not do it, it is he who makes us not after step.

 

It is also the point of view of the French explorer Théodore Monod who said that “travel is a slow teacher !! ". It is so well said, but much more than a teaching, the Way of Saint James is a real therapy, which one can describe here as a set of processes of personal transformation and of key ideas which are articulated to each other for a better being. It is a curative or preventive method which remains a means like any other to develop one's humanity and one's self-confidence.

 

So how exactly can the Saint-James way help us individually to go even higher and further?

 

Many specialists agree that travel has therapeutic virtues, especially for the mind. They allow you to escape the hassle of everyday life, to take a break in your life and to recharge your batteries.

 

These getaways allow us to feel very much alive in the present moment, here and now.

 

Long-haul itinerant hiking also seems to fill the different levels of the pyramid of basic human needs, described in the 1940s by psychologist Abraham Maslow.

 

In his theory on motivation, he distinguishes 4 main types of needs to be satisfied:

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• a need for self-fulfillment,

• of self-esteem and of others,

• belonging to a group and seeking the approval of the other,

• to be safe in a stable environment without experiencing stress or boredom,

• or even a physiological need (eating, drinking, sleeping, etc.).

 

Most of the people who embark on the Saint-James way should all be able to meet these basic needs.

 

Santiago-Therapy, also called Camino-Therapy, has many benefits for physical and moral health.

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1- it is first of all a liberation

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Thanks to long walks, the individual can relax both physically and mentally and thus free themselves from their worries for the moment of a week, a month or two for the lucky ones. It is true, the road to Santiago has a liberating character.

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The notion of freedom is to be linked to a quest for identity, because accessing a certain freedom is also learning to know yourself, as the philosopher Socrates said so well.

 

Sometimes, without realizing it, we are like imprisoned in our own habits (or “habitus” to use a notion well known by sociologist Pierre Bourdieu). We are all more or less conditioned by our education or our social representations: we do mechanically "as we have been told to do", without realizing it, we reproduce what our neighbor does and finally we are no longer really free to our own thoughts, to do what we want in relation to who we really are, deep within our being. The Way of Saint James, pushing the limits of what is possible every day, allows us to reveal what we are capable of in the face of a physical challenge, to see how far we can go, what our mental limits are.

 

It's a great opportunity to learn and grow on your own. To achieve this, it will therefore be necessary not only to accept on the way to getting lost in order to find oneself better, but also to learn to fend for oneself in complete autonomy. When we are with friends, we might tend to rely on each other. Therefore, we might not be doing the things we probably could have done on our own. When we are on our own in the middle of nowhere, there is a good chance that we will surpass ourselves. We are obliged to react, when we are faced with an unforeseen situation, without the help or judgment of others.

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In solitude, there is less pressure and responsibility towards other people. It is also by being alone that we often meet the most on the way, that we might not necessarily do if we were accompanied. The advantage of going alone on the road to Saint-James therefore lies above all in the fact that one should not expect anything from others and that one must take charge of oneself. It is through testing that we will succeed in learning where our limits lie, in better controlling our reactions and emotions.

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From my point of view, autonomy is therefore one of the conditions for a successful Santiago-Therapy, otherwise we will not be able to really move forward and surpass ourselves. This new autonomy may take a long time to arrive, but with practice, effort and perseverance, it will ultimately be easy to achieve.

 

2- It is then a question of letting go

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Walking on the Saint-James way is a good opportunity to question and evolve. In this adventure, there are plenty of opportunities to go beyond your limits, but you still need to know them well. It will be about getting out of your comfort zone every day, doing things you've never done, meeting people you probably would never have met.

 

At the end of each stage, the satisfaction is great and allows you to revalue yourself, to strengthen your self-confidence and to let yourself be better carried away thereafter by the providence and the magic of the path.

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Walking towards Santiago de Compostela therefore implies for everyone the surpassing of oneself, in other words to try what we believed until then impossible: for some, this corresponds to a daily walk of 12 to 25 km, for others 30 to 40 km. Regardless of the distance, what matters is the maximum intensity of effort specific to each person. To reach this critical limit, you should therefore not be afraid of failure and it is probably better not to book accommodation like me in advance and not to set any goals, simply by letting yourself be guided. by the signs of fate.

It is important to rely on our day-to-day intuition and above all to listen to the messages sent to us by our body and our heart. It is the surest way to move forward, slowly but surely.

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Most pilgrims who have arrived in Santiago de Compostela will tell you. They understood that finally “the path was the destination” and that we must above all take the time to travel it, even if it means making a few detours and breaks before this beautiful breakaway ends.

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Above all, you will need to know how to take advantage of the slow pace offered by long-distance hiking. It is urgent to take our time and to enjoy the surrounding landscapes, but also to take an interest in ourselves through the practice of introspection. It is a chance that is offered to us far from the hectic life and the perpetual movement of cities, to really enjoy life at our own pace and especially without feeling guilty. Hiking several days in the great outdoors are precious moments of mindfulness that will forever be engraved in our memory and our awareness that no one will ever be able to take us back. Our freedom is our greatest wealth.

 

3- It is finally a question of reconnecting with nature and with others

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The development of new technologies and social networks has greatly contributed to reinforcing the isolation of many individuals. Our modern society induces new modes of operation and behavior sometimes leading to a significant impoverishment of social ties.

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Some people will seek to fill this loneliness (real or felt) and this lack of human contact on a daily basis through travel, others by going for a walk on the road to Saint James.

 

Beyond the simple question of socialization, it is above all a question of meeting the other, the one who is different from us. It is sometimes by being confronted with the different life experiences of others, that we can have a different vision of our own situation and take the necessary distance to reassess it more favorably.

 

We thus find in the long walks an effective treatment against egocentrism and gloom, because it is proven that a sick person focuses much more often on his illness than on the rest of the world.

 

Man can also heal effectively from some of his wounds by reconnecting with nature, by developing all his senses and by recognizing some simple but essential pleasures of life: to smell the damp earth in the morning dew, to observe a simple web spider, a sunset or a starry night, listen to birdsong or the sound of leaves stirred by the blast of the wind ...

 

Walking on the Saint-James way can thus be easily compared to the practices of contemplation or meditation. The solitary walk off the beaten track allows you to fully enjoy the silence, only disturbed by the music of our footsteps and the surrounding nature.

 

It is therefore important in my opinion to walk with little or no connection. This frees us from the technological pressure that attaches us to everyone at all times and sucks all of our energy and time. Disconnecting is also reconciling with our essentials.

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In conclusion: Santiago-Therapy one day, Santiago-Therapy, forever ...

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The Saint-James way is an eternal beginning. It has become for many people a therapeutic rite, an annual meeting not to be missed for anything in the world.

For some, this path is repeated endlessly. More than a remedy, it becomes for some a real addiction, for those who could be qualified as "camino-dependent".

 

Indeed, it is not uncommon to see pilgrims traveling the same routes several times from one year to the next to find there this state of plenitude and return to nature, this fraternal and sharing atmosphere that the we do not find anything else.

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One departure will probably not be enough for your personal count.   It is good to leave often to always feel the beneficial effects of this journey. As in any good therapy, there must be continuous and prolonged follow-up.

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If I had to summarize the reasons that lead us to return to the Saint-James way, I would simply say that we do not walk on the Camino de Santiago to escape life, but so that life does not escape us.

 

It's true, the best way is to prove to yourself how free you are, but it is useful to remember that there is no happiness without freedom, nor freedom without courage. We must be ready to give up along the way, the life that has been imagined for you, in order to live the life that awaits us here and now.

 

In this infinite quest for the other shore, Santiago-Therapy is one door among many others.

 

I share with you on my website https://www.compostelle-autrement.com/ my various thoughts throughout my peregrinations.

 

By clicking on the following links, you will discover what are the key ideas of Santiago-Therapy: move forward , believe , find oneself , meet the unknown , find one's way , live , be happy , dream , walk , be content , walk , learn , surpass oneself , venture , face, explore, trace, free oneself, seek, persevere, progress, shed oneself etc ...

 

Santiago-Therapy works !!!

 

The Saint-James way is the only trip whose expense will make you richer.

 

Buen camino

Lionel de Compostelle

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