Using Labyrinth Walking as a Contemplative Pathway to Connection, Transcendence, Social Engagement
Labyrinth walking was once an ancient contemplative or spiritual practice, and its benefits for contemporary society are being understood through study. Today, the practice is used as a therapeutic experience and can be found in many churches, hospitals and universities. On World Labyrinth Day, which occurs every year on the first Saturday in May, individuals and communities walk labyrinths in a unified gesture for peace and healing.
Baylor University researcher Jocelyn Shealy McGee, Ph.D., associate professor in the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work, has found that walking a labyrinth, particularly with others, can create a sense of unity through a shared intention, igniting powerful emotional and spiritual experiences.
Unlike a maze, a labyrinth is a single, winding path that leads to a center and back out again, allowing walkers to feel a sense of confidence and security.
“Walking labyrinths with a shared intention among groups of people, akin to an agreed-upon prayer, can lead to a profound sense of meaning, purpose and solidarity,” McGee said.
In McGee’s study, published in Frontiers in Psychology, more than 600 research participants walked labyrinths on World Labyrinth Day during the COVID-19 pandemic, revealing that walking with a shared intention can cultivate emotional and spiritual unity.
“During that time of social disconnectedness and loss, many walkers felt a sense of connection and deep peace that the world would overcome the pandemic and other issues they were concerned about,” McGee said.
Tracing back nearly 2,000 years, labyrinth walking has been used in a variety of cultures as an act of devotion, reflection and pilgrimage around the world.
“The ancient practice of labyrinth walking can be likened to a prayer in motion” - Jocelyn Shealy McGee, Ph.D.
“The ancient practice of labyrinth walking can be likened to a prayer in motion,” McGee said. “This contemplative practice cultivates walkers’ capacity to embark on a spiritual journey by stepping onto a meandering, often unicursal path, patterned after sacred geometry.”
McGee’s research highlights three primary benefits of implementing labyrinth walking, including connectedness, transcendence and compassionate insight for social action.
The Three Benefits of Labyrinth Walking
Connectedness
McGee’s research revealed that labyrinth walking sparks a sense of connectedness among groups walking the labyrinth, the local community, humanity and with God or a higher power. Participants reported feeling more whole or centered individually as a result and also reported a greater sense of unity among friends, family or other walkers and the world, despite physical distances. The repetitive, winding path encourages mindfulness, helping individuals tune into thoughts and emotions, she said.
“In our studies, we found that many people have a sense of being part of something sacred or meaningful and much bigger than themselves, such as God, the universe or the greater good,” McGee said.
Transcendence
Labyrinth walking was also found to create the transcendent feeling of stepping beyond the ordinary into a sacred or expansive experience. This includes a sense of boundlessness, or stepping beyond the barriers of time and space, ultimately allowing walkers to feel “fully alive and present” in the moment, and a feeling of deep peace.
“Walking with a shared intention can lead to powerful transcendent experiences among walkers, leading to spiritual emotions such as peacefulness, joy, compassion, gratitude, hope and awe even amid significant challenges,” McGee said.
Social action
Labyrinth walking can cultivate compassionate insight through intrapersonal reflection. Participants shared that walking a labyrinth inspired personal or social action, as they became more aware of the suffering in the world and their desire to engage in advocacy, volunteer work or personal growth.
“In essence, they had a shift from healing themselves to engaging in actions that could help others in their communities and the world,” McGee said.
Since the 2023 study, McGee has been researching how walking labyrinths with a shared intention in groups concerned about important social issues prepares them for productive civic engagement.
“Our experience has been that when people can calm their minds and come from a more heart-centered place, it may become easier to work collaboratively on issues that may be socially charged. Our hope is that labyrinth walking will be utilized for individual and group well-being as well as flourishing in communities,” she said.
Jocelyn Shealy McGee, Ph.D., leads a group of students in a labyrinth walk at the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work
Quiet the mind, open the heart
McGee suggests that before walking a labyrinth, it can be helpful to engage in activities to calm the body, such as meditation or breathing practices. This allows for reflection and better attunement to emotions, quieting the mind and opening the heart to the intention of walking the labyrinth.
To set an intention, individuals or groups can focus on a question, theme or reason for engaging in the experience. While walking, focus on mindfulness, awareness, intentional breathing and following your body’s pace. If walking with others, allow for different approaches and respect other’s experiences, regardless of shared intention.
To find a labyrinth near you, search the worldwide Labyrinth Locator website.
Jocelyn Shealy McGee, Ph.D.
ABOUT JOCELYN SHEALY MCGEE, PH.D.
Jocelyn Shealy McGee, Ph.D., is an interdisciplinary scholar, researcher and social work educator who serves as an assistant professor at the Baylor University Diana R. Garland School of Social Work. She has published and presented widely in the field of Gerontology on topics such as spirituality and health, caregiving, living with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease and related progressive neurocognitive diseases, the use of virtual reality and other technologies to assist older persons, positive aging, aging and international aging and resilience. She is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) in the Behavioral and Social Sciences Section and the past co-chair of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Interest Group. Her work has been featured in journals such as The Clinical Gerontologist, Geriatrics, International Journal of Qualitative Research, Experimental and Clinical Neuropsychology, Religion Spirituality, & Aging, Frontiers in Psychology and Dementia: International Journal of Social Research and Practice.
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ABOUT THE DIANA R. GARLAND SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work is home to one of the leading graduate social work programs in the nation with a research agenda that values humanity, engages spirituality and promotes equity. Upholding its mission of preparing social workers in a Christian context for worldwide service and leadership, the School offers a baccalaureate degree (BSW); a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree available in Waco or online; three joint-degree options, MSW/MBA, MSW/MDiv and MSW/MTS, through a partnership with Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business and George W. Truett Theological Seminary; and an online Ph.D. program. Visit the School of Social Work website to learn more.
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu.
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