Any thoughts on the Camino and good mental health

[zip62]

On Saturday I will start my Camino in Pamplona.

I will be accompanied by my eldest son Tom. The focus of the blog will be on my conviction that walking in general and walking the Camino in particular is beneficial to maintaining good mental health. For some people walking the Camino can help the recovery from mental illness and Im sure it can also help others maintain a good level of mental health.

This is not a story of misery and dipair but one of hope and optimism. It is about my struggle manage my condition, the relationship I have with my family, and the relationship that i will develop with the community of pilgrims that will walk alongside me on the way to Santiago.

I would welcome any thoughts on mental health and the Camino as it nearly always good to read something from another perspective.

I would be grateful if you could take the time to check out the blog

Passport to Purgatory
http://www.zEdeyepee.blogspot.com

Thank you

 

[redjeep63]

I will definetly keep up to date on you and your walk, We will be doing the same one in June 2013.
Buen Camino

 

[David]

Interesting - will look forward to the blog. You could say that the pilgrimage itself is a crazy thing ... which then leads into what is crazy anyway .... :|

Simple food, hours of natural exercise every day in the fresh air, the sights and sounds of the countryside and the benefits of a fully oxygenated brain - all these have to be beneficial, don't you think?

Mental illness is mainly a Western disease, in all its forms. Incidence of mental problems in societies without the 'benefits' of processed adulterated food, intense networks of electro-magnetic radiation, unbelievably stress-filled lives, sedentary living with hours of tv and so on is much much less than we encounter ....

so ... guessing here ... I would expect that simple mental illnesses such as depression (I do understand that it isn't simple to experience it, I mean in the sense of not severely delusional, etc) would truly benefit from five weeks or so on the Camino - especially if one stayed away from alcohol and restaurant/take away food and ate fresh and simple produce.

Also, the time for true and uninterrupted introspection as well as the chance to see the home problems form 'outside' as it were ... surely this is all good?

Do write that blog

 

[dazzamac]

I'm wary of advocating the Camino as a cure for any illness, mental or physical but from my own experience I've found that regular exercise does help maintain good mental health. However, the Camino does exert a physical and mental toll on the peregrino.

There is no end of advice to prospective pilgrims warning of the potential physical harm that comes from being under-prepared but I've come across less warning when it comes to mental health. The Camino can offer an opportunity to evaluate and assess away from the distractions of day-to-day life but similarly there is a risk to such isolation. As prepared to depart for my first Camino, I wondered if six weeks alone was a good idea for a man prone to introspection and depression. Getting lost in my thoughts isn't always a positive experience.

With adequate preparation, foresight and awareness of relevant health issues, the vast majority of pilgrims benefit tremendously from the Camino, both physically and mentally. I would not deny anyone the experience of the Camino but I would caution that whatever health problems you have before the Camino, you will have them during the Camino and perhaps afterwards too. Be they mental or physical.