Walking side by side unlocks something
Walking side by side unlocks something.
Therapists have known this for years: people talk more openly when they're walking side by side than when they're sitting face to face.
On the Camino, this plays out every single day. Two strangers fall into step on a quiet stretch of path. They start with the easy questions — where are you from, how long have you been walking. Then, somewhere between kilometre three and kilometre eight, something shifts.
They're talking about a marriage that ended. A parent who died last year. A career that stopped making sense. A decision that's been sitting unanswered for two years. Things they haven't said out loud to anyone.
It happens because walking creates the perfect conditions for honesty. You're not sitting across from someone, reading their reaction. You're moving forward together, looking ahead. There's no eye contact to manage. The rhythm of footsteps fills the silences. And you'll probably never see this person again, which makes it somehow safer.
Pilgrims regularly describe conversations on the Camino as the most honest they've ever had.
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