The archetype of the wounded healer

Abstract

The article elucidates the metaphor of the “wounded healer” and its implications for contemporary medical and psychotherapeutic health care. The myth of the wounded healer conveys paradigmatic experiences and insights which are highly important for today’s healing professions. It seems as if the image of the wounded healer is the complementary as well as necessary counterpart to the aspects which dominate current education in the medical and psychotherapeutic professions. The article interprets the main aspects of the symbol “wounded healer” in respect to therapeutic qualities and describes the considerations of C.G. Jung and his followers concerning the conditions needed for a healing therapist-patient relationship.