Heather Warfield, PhD

Antioch University ,
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My academic research has focused on characteristics of pilgrimages, the inner processes of pilgrims, and how pilgrimages can be avenues for meaning-making. I am particularly interested in pilgrimages that occur after war, displacement, and/or trauma and those that inform identity and collective memory. My latest research is focused on battlefield pilgrimages that occurred after World War I and notably those undertaken during the interwar era by veterans, their families, and others who journeyed to landscapes of war. Moreover, I am curious about the continuity, and evolution, of such pilgrimages, the individual memories recounted by pilgrims, and the collective memory of the war. As a Fulbright Scholar in France, I researched pilgrimages to Belleau and Belleau Wood from 1918 to present. My book on this research is forthcoming in 2025.

My tenure as an academic follows a career as a mental health therapist in which my work was focused on the intersection of narratives and memory studies, an exploration of how personal histories shape identity and mental wellbeing, and the integration of fragmented experiences. This work coalesced into a recognition that pilgrimage can be a useful metaphor for inner discovery. In addition to the metaphorical significance of pilgrimage, I concluded that such journeys could act as autonomous interventions and could lead to healing, transformation, and meaning-making, particularly for military veterans and others impacted by war and trauma.

Heather Warfield

Professor

School of Counseling, Psychology & Therapy

[email protected]

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  • PhD, North Carolina State University, 2013
  • MA, Chapman University, 2006
  • BA, The College of St. Scholastica, 1998

My teaching methods are characterized by the synthesis of developmental scaffolding, historical grounding of content, and the cultivation of critical thinking skills. My goal is to foster a learning environment where students critically engage with both the content and their own perspectives and to develop a nuanced understanding of the human experience.

  • Current research: Post-WWI Pilgrimages to Belleau and Belleau Wood, France (1918-present)
  • Past research has focused on psychological dimensions of pilgrimages, lived experiences of pilgrims, and pilgrimage as a healing and/or transformational endeavor.
  • Warfield. H. A., Michonneau. S., & Viltart, F. (Eds.) (2024). Pilgrimages to the Western Front of World War I: Historical exemplars & contemporary practices. Oxford, UK: Peter Lang Publishers.
  • Warfield, H. A. (June, 2024). Return with the elixir: The psychology of pilgrimages to the ‘Devil Dog’ fountain. Leatherneck Magazine. Marine Corps Association.
  • Warfield, H. A. (June, 2024). Battlefields as sacred sites. ARMY Magazine. Arlington, VA: Association of the U.S. Army.
  • Warfield, H. A. (2023). The Western Front Way: Connecting dots of war to form a path of peace. In D. Olsen, I. McIntosh, & D. Munro. (Eds.), New pilgrimage routes and trails: Society, Peace, and Development (pp.109-127 ). Oxford, UK: Peter Lang Publishers.
  • Warfield, H. A. (Ed.) (2023). Multidisciplinary perspectives on pilgrimage studies: Historical, current, and future directions Oxford, UK: Peter Lang Publishers.
  • Warfield. H. A. (2022). Pilgrimage as developmental experience: A psychological lens. In J. Bloechl and A. Brouillette (Eds.), Pilgrimage as spiritual practice: A handbook for teachers and guides (pp.41-60). Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.
  • Warfield, H. A., & Hetherington, K. (Eds.) (2018). Pilgrimage as transformative process. Leiden: Brill Publishers.
  • Warfield, H. A. (2024, September). The Belleau Wood hunting lodge: From ruin to icon. Presentation at the RUINES Conference, Caen, FRANCE.
  • Warfield, H. A. (2023, October). Belleau Wood: An environment of affordances for pilgrims reenacting the Hero’s Journey. Presentation at the Pilgrimages to the Western Front of the First World War Conference, Château Thierry, FRANCE.
  • Warfield, H. A. (2023, October). The Yankee Division Virtual Pilgrimage: A digital humanities approach to pilgrimage, memory, and WWI. Invited lecture at Saint Anselm College, Manchester, NH, USA.
  • Warfield, H. A., & Di Giovine, M. A. (2023, May). Virtual Pilgrimages and Digital Sacred Spaces. Presentation at From Antistructure to Infrastructure: New Materialities in Pilgrimage Studies Conference. Cambridge, UK.
  • Warfield, H. A. (2022, January). Post-WWI Pilgrimages to Belleau: The interwar era. Invited lecture at the University of Lille, FRANCE.
  • Warfield, H. A. (2021, July). Yankee Division Virtual Pilgrimage. Presentation at the 8th Sacred Journeys Conference. Piran, SLOVENIA.
  • Warfield, H. A. (2021, April). Pilgrimage as developmental experience: A psychological lens. Presentation at the Pilgrimage as Spiritual Practice Conference, Boston College, USA.
  • Warfield, H. A. (2020, June). Development of the Biological, Psychological, Social, Spiritual – Lived Experiences of Pilgrims (BPSS-LEP) Interview Protocol. Presentation at the 7th Sacred Journeys Conference. Piran, SLOVENIA (moved to Zoom as a result of COVID-19).
  • Warfield, H. A. (2019, April). Pilgrimage: A bio-psycho-social-spiritual perspective. Keynote presentation to the Camino Academy, Tilburg University, Tilburg, NETHERLANDS.
  • Warfield. H. A. (2018, July). Pilgrimage as healing from military combat. Presentation at the 5th Sacred Journeys Conference. Berlin, GERMANY.
  • France Fulbright Scholar, 2022-2023
  • Subject Matter Expert for U.S. Military Organizations: I provide subject matter expertise and training for military cadets, academy instructors, reservists, and active-duty personnel. This expertise is related to (a) post-WWl pilgrimages to the Western Front, (b) psychological dimensions of pilgrimages, and (c) pilgrimages as therapeutic endeavors for military personnel and veterans.
  • Executive Director, Yankee Division Virtual Pilgrimage
  • Executive Director, Creator & Host, Meaningful Journeys Podcast
  • Affiliated Researcher, Institut de Recherches Historiques de Septentrion (Institute for Historical Research of Northern France), University of Lille
  • Team Member, Ruines de guerre initiative funded through the French Agence nationale de la recherche (ANR)
  • American Psychological Association (APA), Division 19 (Society for Military Psychology), Division 52 (International Psychology), and Division 36 (Psychology of Religion & Spirituality)
  • American Counseling Association (ACA)
  • Society for Cross-Cultural Research (SCCR)
  • COUN 5750: Special Topics: Pilgrimage, Transformational Travel & Wellbeing
  • COUN 5750: Special Topics: Religion and Spirituality: A Psychological Paradigm with a Focus on Counseling
  • COUN: 6030: Group Counseling