Spiritual therapeutic landscapes and healing: a case study of St. Anne de Beaupre, Quebec, Canada

Author:
WILLIAMS Allison
Journal article citation:
Social Science and Medicine, 70(10), May 2010, pp.1633-1640.
Publisher:
Elsevier

This article outlines how very little work has addressed spirituality in relation to health and well-being using the therapeutic landscape framework – a framework that recognises places, settings, and situations that work to achieve an “enduring reputation for achieving physical, mental and spiritual healing”. Certainly the larger geographical literature, and specifically that of cultural geography, has identified the spiritual aspects of landscapes and places, and in so doing, has highlighted their importance for both secular groups and broader society alike. The increased recognition of the beneficial relationship between being spiritually active and health demands the examination of spiritual places reputed for their healing and health qualities. This paper provides a case study, conducted in 2006 and 2007 of a Christian pilgrimage site called St. Anne de Beaupre – Quebec, Canada. The author suggests the analysis helps to contribute to filling the spirituality gap in the therapeutic landscapes literature and offers a number of suggested research directions to better understand spiritual landscapes and places and their association with health.

Subject terms:
mental health, religious beliefs, spirituality, case studies, environment, health;
Content type:
research
Location(s):
Canada
Link:
Journal home page
ISSN print:
0277-9536

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