“In the depths of every wound we have survived is the strength we need to live. The wisdom our wounds can offer us is a place of refuge. Finding this is not for the faint of heart. But then, neither is life.”
-Rachel Naomi Renmen
The most effective method to start this article was my huge test however I knew the concept well overall. As I was contemplating the idea I have gone over various episodes. Indeed, we think, talk and execute numerous things in our everyday lives. Yet, the inquiry is: would we say we are mindful of ourselves and what’s going on in us and others? We take things for granted and don’t give priority or respect to people with whom we encounter. Through our own mere words, response and relationship we offend others very easily. Thus we can see people with number of psychological wounds.
Now I would say the hour has come to listen to people who are hurt or wounded by family /academic (school, college)/relationship/friendship related, loss and etc. As a counsellor, I have been meeting people of this sort since 2018 in my counselling sessions. Among them most of them are young people. I just facilitate and journeying with them to let out all their emotions during my counselling sessions. There are young people who wanted to have counselling and therapy but don’t reach to the counsellor because of stigma.
The shocking news is that among 1428.6 million Indians, 150 million people need therapy for their mental health disorders and other mind related issues but only 30 million people are seeking therapy and medication. Another 120 million people’s life is not known. According to Nation- al Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 13,000 students took their own lives in India in 2022. There are 22,746 deaths in Maharashtra recorded the highest number of suicide death, followed by Tamil Nadu with 19, 834 and Madhya Pradesh with 15, 386. We may ask, why all these? The answer is that people have not understood their gift of life. The present generation is to be instructed properly be- cause ending life and ruminating what had happened is going beyond the human nature. This is to be addressed well.
Remember, all of us are human being and have unhealed wounds and we are wounded people in this universe. Sometimes we may not know what is happening in us. But it’s a time to understand what is happening and aware about us. The moment we understand we can sure of getting out of trouble that we undergo. But it is not happening with all. That’s why we shall see the result above.
How can we help people to live happy and content life? The process is so easy but we need to understand ourselves before helping others. First we need to be healed to be al best healer. When I started to learn counselling psychotherapy, I was asked to attend “healing the inner child course”. In which I dealt most of my inner wounds to become a wounded healer counsellor and psychotherapist. Why we need to look into our wounds? To be a good and genuine counsellor we must healed to be a healer. Because having wounds we cannot guide counselee or others. Here I would say your “self” seeks for healing to create a balance. The change is taking place as you connect yourself with your own “Self”. It’s all because of your pain and feelings you learned it. Let you be the change in this world and spread happiness.
Rumi says, “The wounds are the places where light enters.” people are not meant to stay wounded forever. As the tides have to take a turn, your life needs to move for- ward. Those who can change; they heal themselves; over- come the burdens, and become the healers for others.
Wounded Healer?
The famous psychologist Carl Jung was the one coined the concept of The Wounded Healer. He took the insights of this Archetypal healing from Greek Mythology. The wounded healer first appears within the Greek myth of Chiron who received an in- curable wound from Heracle’s arrow (Miller et al., 1998). In surviving this wound and later embarking on the healing of others, Chiron exemplifies wounded healers as having the ability to bridge the worlds of illness and wellness in his way to recovery. He founded healers, the power to heal others provides them with the ability to overcome or transcend their own wounding.
In one way or the other most of us in the helping professions are wounded healers. Mother Teresa participated in the life of poor people who faced difficulties in the death bed. She was there with them. and healed most of their wounds. Today the world remembers her service being a wounded healer. Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, a survivor of a Nazi concentration camp, had his struggles and consequently helped others through his creation of logotherapy a therapeutic approach to helping people find. their r life purpose. He wrote about this in his book, Man’s Search for Meaning. Catholic priest and psychologist Henri Nouwen in his book “the wounded healer” says counsellors to make their own emotional wounds a source of healing for those they counseled. The book which also changed my life and millions of people is; “when bad things happen to good people” by Harold Kushner. His questions and life tragedy gave hope to many people to face their suffering. Mr. Radhakrishnan from Bommikuppam, Tirupattur, Tamilnadu, India goes around and solves the problems of village people by raising voice to the government. He has no job or salary but works for the betterment of people and their growth. When I enquired him about his life style he started to express all the painful experiences and the wounds that he has. As Harold Kushner he is also healing people’s wound by listening and helping. For that purpose he has dedicated his life 24×7 as a social activist.
Therefore, not alone professionals are to be the wounded healers rather each one can be a wound- ed healer. Help one another by understanding each person as human being. Let our wounds can. become a source of healing in our relationship with others. I am sure that no one is untouched by wounds. Let me conclude with beautiful lines of Henri Nouwen “Nobody escapes being wounded. We all are wounded people, whether physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually”.
