Book Reviews Review of Dr. Adrian Cooper’s Places of Pilgrimage and Healing (Capall Bann)

By Mick Taylor

There are only about twelve books which are at the heart and soul of my thinking. Adrian Cooper’s Places of Pilgrimage and Healing is one of them.

To research his book, Cooper interviewed 45 people, all of whom had been told by their medical professionals that there was nothing more that could be done to help them. Those interviews took fifteen years to complete. Some of the interviewees had been diagnosed with terminal illness. Others live with chronic mental illness such as depression, stress, anxiety, Alzheimer’s, and other types of dementia.

Despite the range of medical challenges which those 45 interviewees face, they all had at least one opportunity to be taken on pilgrimage journeys. The experience of having done so changed each of their lives. Cooper’s book tells those stories.

The result of each pilgrimage was to change the perspective of each individual. Instead of dying from terminal illness or their other medical conditions, pilgrims learned to live with the challenges. The difference is fundamental. It is life changing.

Throughout the book, I like the way Dr Cooper uses extracts from his interviews with pilgrims to bring a powerful sense of authenticity to each chapter. Cooper’s narrative introduces and explains the background to each pilgrim’s journeying. He also includes extracts from works of scripture and other literature which have been important to each pilgrim. The final result is a book of many voices. I like that because it creates a fascinating richness to the book. It is a wonderfully non-elitist way of telling pilgrimage and healing stories.

Another important feature of Places of Pilgrimage and Healing is that it does not offer false hope or easy answers. Instead, pilgrimage is only ever shown to be a significant contribution toward journeys in search of healing. Moments of miraculous transformation and realization come from witnessing spectacular sunsets above mountainous landscapes for example; or sharing walks with friends and sitting together in awe and wonder at the joy of encountering nature in its magnificent glory.

I also find it interesting to listen to other readers of this book who have realized that they, too, can find healing for their challenges through what they often call “local pilgrimage destinations”. That is, when neither time nor money are available for epic journeys, it is sometimes just as effective to travel to local rivers, woodland or other wildlife conservation spaces to find a sense of healing such as calm, tranquility, serenity, inspiration, and other positive memories. So Places of Pilgrimage and Healing is a book which has consequences - not just as an inspiring read, but as a book which makes readers connect to their local environment in new and life-affirming ways. For example, I have heard other readers describe the way they have learned to listen more attentively to their local river estuaries or sea shores as a consequence of reading this excellent book. I suspect that Places of Pilgrimage and Healing will continue to inspire its readers in those ways for many years to come. 

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