Labyrinth walking

Domain XIII · Contemplative & religious disciplines · Lauren Artress · 1990 · San Francisco

What it is

A labyrinth is a single continuous path that winds from the outer edge to a centre and back, with no choices, tricks or dead ends; Veriditas stresses that it is not a maze. Veriditas describes it as a walking meditation and a path of prayer, "an archetypal blueprint where psyche meets Spirit". At…

Format

• Session count and format: the sources set no number of walks and no duration. Veriditas says some people gain clarity from one walk, others need several; it recommends starting with meditative walking and notes that regular (daily or weekly) walks may have a cumulative effect, and that some people…
• Formats in therapy:

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• This is a cross-traditional contemplative practice: it has Christian roots and is widely offered in churches, but Veriditas presents it as open to people of any or no faith, who may walk with a prayer, a mantra or a secular intention. Lauren Artress introduced the walk in the 1990s (painted canvas labyrinth at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco; indoor and outdoor versions followed in 1994 and 1995), led groups at…

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• Health claims: Veriditas makes no medical claims. A 2026 scoping review found 25 studies (2000–2025) reporting positive mental, cognitive, physical and spiritual outcomes but called the evidence base limited; the walk is not a treatment for any physical disease.

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• How do you and the practitioner understand what is happening, in spiritual or cultural terms? Is that a source of comfort, worry, or both?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• pressure to comply with the therapist; magical expectations of a cure.
• dual roles if you also facilitate walks; avoid leading walks for your own clients outside therapy.
• frustration with fine motor demand or vision; restlessness. It also suits telehealth with a printed design.
• the therapist's own beliefs steering the content; client worry that the practice conflicts with their religion.
• questions that demand certainty or a sign ("Will God tell me if I should leave?"); gently note the walk may bring no answer, and that is acceptable.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.