The increasing popularity of pilgrimage at the Camino de Santiago is one of the most interesting developments in terms of religion and spirituality in the Western world. Based on qualitative and quantitative content analysis of 32 pilgrim travelogues, this study constructs an empirically grounded typology of Exceptional Human Experiences (EHEs) among pilgrims, whereby EHEs are understood as specific combinations of out-of-the-ordinary experiences during the pilgrimage and their transformative aftereffects (TAs). Combining different techniques of coding and statistical analyses, we identify seven basic types of EHEs. The most common type is denoted as the experience of interconnectedness with the main effect of a higher emphasis on unity and love. Together with six other identified types, it forms a coherent worldview that closely resembles the "Being-values" defined by Abraham Maslow. These values are at the core of the process of self-actualization of an individual and typically include notions of interconnectedness, unity, wholeness, simplicity, essentiality, just-rightness, spontaneity, effortlessness, benevolence, honesty, autonomy, and individuality. We conclude that the main effect of walking the Camino is a boost in self-actualization as understood in terms of humanistic psychology. It is also argued that the EHE perspective is a useful approach for studying the experiences of pilgrims at Camino de Santiago and for other aspects of late modern spirituality as well.

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The Camino de Santiago pilgrimage is an extraordinary endeavour that tends to trigger exceptional human experiences. Following our previous investigation of this topic, we conducted an online survey of 501 pilgrims in order to assess the frequency of different exceptional experiences (EEs) on the pilgrimage and their transformative aftereffects (TAs) in everyday life afterwards. More than 70% of the respondents reported improvement in terms of self-confidence, personal relationships and letting go of emotional “baggage”. The results show strong correlations between the observed EEs and the (consequent) TAs. We contend that walking the Camino de Santiago often produces exceptional experiences that lead to positive long-term psychosocial effects.

The purpose of this article is to develop a comprehensive understanding of people’s motivations for going on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage using qualitative and quantitative methods. The methodology comprised qualitative research based on content analysis of 32 travelogue testimonies and quantitative research based on an online survey of prospective pilgrims (N = 228). Three dimensions of motivation were identified using the following factor analyses: secular, spiritual, and religious. Then, a two-step cluster analysis was conducted to classify pilgrims into seven different types. The results revealed that pilgrims are not homogeneous in their motivations and that, except for two types with a total frequency of 4%, secular motivation is more or less present in all other types of prospective pilgrims. There are no “purely religious” pilgrims. Religious motivation always appears together with secular, spiritual, or, most often, both these forms of motivation. The findings suggest that secular motivation may be related to a need for exploration, the core motive underlying self-actualization.

Pomembna ugotovitev našega preučevanja romanja Camino de Santiago je, da romarji na poti doživljajo izredne človeške izkušnje. Mednje sodijo tudi obsmrtne izkušnje, tako romanje kakor obsmrtne izkušnje pa potekajo v liminalnosti, ki nedvomno spreminja ljudi. Z vprašalnikom, ki je bil prvotno oblikovan za merjenje življenjskih sprememb po obsmrtnih izkušnjah, smo izmerili spremembe v stališčih in vrednotah po izkušnji romanja in jih primerjali s spremembami po obsmrtnih izkušnjah v metodološko podobni raziskavi. Na podlagi primerjave življenjskih sprememb, pri katerih posameznik hote izstopi iz strukturirane družbe v nestrukturirani, liminalni prostor, z življenjskimi spremembami po obsmrtnih izkušnjah, pri katerih je posameznik v prostor med življenjem in smrtjo potisnjen nehote, ugotavljamo, da so transformativni učinki obeh liminalnih izkušenj podobni. Rezultati kažejo, da govorimo predvsem o porasti spoštovanja do življenja, o povečani skrbi za druge in o večjem samosprejemanju. Edino zmanjšanje smo zabeležili na področju samopoudarjanja in samodoseganja.