In this deeply moving conversation, Trystan Owain Hughes shares his journey of undertaking a 140-mile pilgrimage across North Wales while living with chronic pain, and the unexpected second pilgrimage that followed when his back injury worsened dramatically. Drawing from his latest book "To Hell's Mouth and Back: Pilgrimage, Suffering, and Hope," Trystan explores how vulnerability in leadership, finding meaning in suffering, and noticing "God winks" in everyday moments can transform our understanding of healing and hope.

Key Topics Discussed

The Physical Pilgrimage

• The Pilgrim's Way: 140 miles across North Wales to Bardsey Island (Ynys Enlli)
• Undertaken eight years after major back surgery (titanium bolt between vertebrae)
• Challenges included knee injury, getting lost, bad weather, and ongoing chronic pain
• Five elements that define pilgrimage: suffering, wonder of nature, friendship, dependence on God and others, and signs from God

• Extreme back pain returned the day after completing the walk
• Spent a month largely confined to a red sofa
• Explores the "pilgrimage mindset" - finding the same sources of hope whether on a 140-mile walk or a 30-yard walk to a lake
• Viktor Frankl's insight: suffering expands to fill whatever space we're in, regardless of size

• The goldfinch as a traditional Christian symbol of healing
• "God winks" - moments when God prompts, directs, or comforts us
• Carl Jung on synchronicity: "People don't see God in their lives because they don't look long enough"
• Scientific backing from neuroscientist Tara Swart and the concept of spiritual intelligence

• The healing shrine of St. Winifred at Holywell
• Remote churches, healing wells, and crosses along the route
• Welsh concepts: Heddwch (outer peace) vs. Tangnefedd (inner peace)
• R.S. Thomas's "confetti moments" - small instances where hope, love, and joy break through

• Why Trystan chose to share his personal story after seven previous books
• The challenge of being defined by disability rather than seen as a whole person
• New criteria for Church in Wales ministry that emphasizes vulnerability and weakness as strengths
• "We don't want Superman in our churches. We want Lois Lane's, Clark Kent's - real people who are vulnerable, open, and compassionate"

Resources Mentioned

Books:

• "To Hell's Mouth and Back: Pilgrimage, Suffering, and Hope" by Trystan Owain Hughes
• "Finding Hope and Meaning in Suffering" by Trystan Owain Hughes

Other references:

• "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl
• "The Signs" by Tara Swart
• Dylan Thomas's "Under Milk Wood"
• Carl Jung's work on synchronicity
• Edith Eger (Holocaust survivor and psychologist)
• David Gray's album "Life in Slow Motion"

About GoHealth

GoHealth is an organization with a vision to enable churches and individual Christians to be a healing presence in the world. The GoHealth Community offers online courses, monthly gatherings, and a supportive space to explore how to connect faith and health.

Connect with GoHealth:

• Join the GoHealth Community
• Join the conversation about vulnerability and impactful leadership

• Bishop Sarah’s reflections on saying “yes” to the call to be Archbishop of Cantebury and discerning vocation.
• How her nursing background shapes her ministry and leadership style.
• The importance of holistic health and rhythms of wellbeing for clergy and leaders.
• Servant leadership in practice—and its challenges in a culture of power.
• Cultural change in safeguarding and creating safe spaces in the church.
• Practical ways churches can engage in social prescribing and community health.
• Bishop Sarah’s hopes for the church and the nation as she steps into her new role.

• Dance as expression: Rachel discovered early on that movement can express what words can’t.
• From stage to healing: She shifted from professional dance to dance movement psychotherapy, helping others connect body, mind and spirit.
• Healing through movement: Gentle awareness of posture, breath and gesture helps release emotion and restore balance.
• Working with trauma: Movement can safely unlock feelings held in the body, bringing freedom and integration.
• Embodied prayer: Rachel links movement and Scripture — especially Psalm 139 — to explore the body as a place of encounter with God.
• Rediscovering the body in faith: Many Christians learn to ignore the body; Rachel invites us to see it as sacred and central to prayer.
• Faith meets science: The conversation celebrates how research on spirituality and neuroscience echoes ancient Christian wisdom about embodied prayer.

• Shola’s story of food, family, and faith growing up in the Pentecostal church.
  
  
• The Rest–Digest–Reset project and how it is reshaping health through community co-design.
  
  
• The unique health challenges facing Black, African, and Caribbean communities — and what mainstream health systems often overlook.
  
  
• Why “cultural relevance” matters so much in healthcare.
  
  
• The deeper barriers to health, from chronic stress and hypertension to the “weathering effect.”
  
  
• How church leaders can be powerful agents of change — while also needing care themselves.
  
  
• The theology that helps us connect faith with health, and how slowing down to “find the pace of God’s love” can itself be an act of healing.
  
  

• Find out more about Shola’s work: Food for Purpose
  
  
• Join the GoHealth Community: www.gohealth.org.uk
  
  

• Spiritual Intelligence in contrast to Artificial and Emotional Intelligence
• What difference Spiritual Intelligence makes to our lives
• Whether or not Spiritual Intelligence is an individual or communal pursuit
• What Spiritual Intelligence looks like in practice
• How Spiritual Intelligence can bring healing and wholeness

• What are character strengths and virtues?
• How can we recognise, strengthen, and heal the weaker parts of our character?
• How can we reframe adversity and suffering through the lens of character development?
• Where does faith fit in — is it a master character strength?
• How does this all connect to holistic health, and our new LiFT and Spiritual Intelligence courses?

• Why pray for healing?
• The difference between being cured and being healed.
• What is happening for people at Lourdes.
• The healing sacraments.
• The place of death in prayers for healing.
• The difference between acceptance and resignation.
• The importance of community in healing experiences.
• Father Luigi's own very personal current experience of praying for healing.

• Countercultural presence
• Absence because of mobile phone use
• Getting comfortable with disruption in church
• Mental health in terms of discipleship and vocation
• Moving from ‘fixing’ to friendship.
• Theology of the Psalms of lament.
• Spirituality of darkness.
• Helpful and harmful anger.
• Solastalgia.
• Belonging as being missed.
• Learning to be kind.
• The Denis Duncan Lecture 2025