Mini Session
Using experimental methods, we examined how people responded spiritually and emotionally to Chartres and Classic labyrinths. We sought to understand if these labyrinths would evoke distinct ways of praying and feeling; we discovered no distinct differences. Overall, however, positive emotions increased and negative emotions decreased, regardless of the labyrinth pattern.
Abstract
While the use of labyrinths as spiritually and affectively powerful tools has received considerable attention at the anecdotal level, less is known about their effects in experimental contexts. Some evidence suggests a generalized increase in positive and decrease in negative emotions related to real-time experiences in labyrinths. The present study explored the extent to which that emotional shift potentially was related to the physical design of the labyrinth. 32 adults with active prayer practices and limited exposure to labyrinths participated in a within subjects, counterbalanced experiment where they first walked and prayed while following one labyrinth pattern, then returned after one week to encounter a different pattern. Results revealed no significant differences in how people engaged in prayer in the different labyrinths. A general effect of increased positive and decreased negative emotional experience emerged, but there was no significant difference between the patterns. This evidence contributes to the notion that the individual influence of labyrinths with regard to spiritual and emotional experience is linked to the walking practice in general more so than to the particular physical shape of the labyrinth encountered.