[kitten55]

Carl Jung essentially said you have to be wounded to have the inclination to be a healer. Do you feel so inclined to heal (others) and, if so, how and when?

Personally, I feel it is all I can do.

I realize 85% of what goes on here is "wounded healing," but just curious about efforts outside of PsychCentra Any special storied?l

[hamster-bamster]

Only on here. Thanks for giving it a name. Much, much appreciated.

[wildflowerchild25]

I am a special ed teacher for high school students. I work in a private school and we take the most aggressive kids in the region. Basically we are the last stop before jail or residential for the kids - if we kick you out, you're SOL. As such I get threatened, cursed at, disrespected, and sometimes lightly assaulted (worst is I had a muffin thrown at me lol).

but I absolutely love it and I can't see myself ever working in a public school with mainstream kids. I love my students because I totally understand where they're coming from. I mean I went to alternative school, I stayed in hospitals, I was in a group home for awhile. I get it, and I get it in a way many of the other teachers can't. I know how to speak to them because I know what used to infuriate me. I know how I wanted to be treated and I treat them accordingly.

I don't know how Far I get in "healing" them but I hope they'll remember me one day as someone who believed in them and treated them with respect.

My t called me a wounded healer. I need to find all the info that he have me to share with you all.

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[kitten55]

Originally Posted by wildflowerchild25

I love my students because I totally understand where they're coming from. I mean I went to alternative school, I stayed in hospitals, I was in a group home for awhile. I get it, and I get it in a way many of the other teachers can't. I know how to speak to them because I know what used to infuriate me. I know how I wanted to be treated and I treat them accordingly.

I don't know how Far I get in "healing" them but I hope they'll remember me one day as someone who believed in them and treated them with respect.

I'll bet you heal more than you know. I knew there was something special about you. I'll bet you agree that the healer is healed by the healing.

[kitten55]

Originally Posted by hamster-bamster

Only on here. Thanks for giving it a name. Much, much appreciated.

Are you familiar with Carl Jung's teachings about wounded healers? Apparently it can get quite complex and fascinating.

[Curiosity77]

I'm a nurse practitioner, and i work in mental health with street youth. I've worked in inner city
psychiatry for 10 years, and i think my personal experiences help me understand others. I'm not afraid to be with other people who are experiencing extreme states, and i tend to be calm and help people calm themselves. I became a nurse because i wanted to be able to treat patients better than the way i was treated as a patient. I think i'm able to do that. Sometimes it's frustrating to work within a broken mental health system, but i hope that i make it a little better for people. I keep my own diagnosis pretty secret, none of my patients know and only a few coworkers know.

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Originally Posted by Curiosity77

I'm not afraid to be with other people who are experiencing extreme states, and i tend to be calm and help people calm themselves.

I'm curious to see if this is a trend among other members on this forum. Personally I feel similarly, which surprises me. People point out how calm and grounded I seem when working with them (I volunteer, work as a writing tutor at my university, and try to help my friends as much as I can -- they call me their "therapist"). It's funny because my own life can be in shambles. Helping others "heals" the self, as some of you have pointed out.

[BipolaRNurse]

I think having bipolar has made me more compassionate, both as a nurse and in general. I used to be pretty judgmental, but since my diagnosis I've come to understand that everyone I meet is fighting some kind of battle that I know nothing about, just as I fight my own battles against this illness. I'm also a strong believer in the idea that helping someone else helps me as well.

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by kitten55

Are you familiar with Carl Jung's teachings about wounded healers? Apparently it can get quite complex and fascinating.

I have to at least begin reading Jung's works.

I facilitated a NAMI peer support group for over 4 yrs.

[Sad&Bipolar]

I was a teacher, finishing my masters in education when an intensive depressive episode took away my job- my career- and almost my life. That was 13 years ago. In 2008, our state passed a bill that funded mental health, and I was given the opportunity to participate in a "consumer training program." I received a Mental Health Worker certificate, and worked as an intern for 6 months. I was misdiagnosed for many years, and have suffered the ups and downs of Bipolar 1. It is actually a gift. Without it, how could I possibly relate to others who are suffering? Yes, we are wounded. It makes us better at healing.

Another gifted person who wrote about The Wounded Healer, is Henri Nouwen.

I work with disabled children. Its the best job in the world. I love giving them a smile when sometimes there is so little in their life to smile about.

[kitten55]

Reading these stories is heart-warming...which for me, at this time, is healing. Earlier this week and last week, when I was at my lowest, and couldn't see any point to my life, two people (someone online and my psychiatrist) reminded me of the concept of the wounded healer. Thank you.

[chris1964]

Hi,
I saw the title of this thread and it interested me a lot.
Maybe it helps us to have empathy for those who are also wounded or damaged.
Looking back on my life I have been, for the most part, more tolerant and willing to to listen or help others who were wounded in some way. A colleagues once said I was a waste basket for others peoples emotional garbage.

I found people who have been through what I am going through to be more understanding than those who look at me from a standpoint that t hey cant understand.
The few people who have emailed and communicated with me from this site have given me some helpful advice and shown compassion.

One of my downfalls has been doing to much. Mostly I just listen to people vent or rant or blow off steam. Offer validation. I think that is one thing we all seek… validation.

[kitten55]

Chris,
You sound like my son. He just gave me a 'dissertation' on the three drivers of human behavior: 1) chemical reaction 2) procreation 3) validation...and that acts of charity, compassion, or 'healing' are by products of validation.

And here I was feeling good about this thread. Come to find out, I was looking for validation.

[shortandcute]

Well, I've always had a soft spot for people with special needs. Even with my "wild and crazy days," when I was partying and stuff, I always tried to befriend and help out people who were disabled--whether physically, mentally, or emotionally. My mom once told me that she remembered how compassionate I was in high school. She still has a lot of her stuff in my garage and one time, out of being nosey, I was looking through some of the stuff she'd written over the years, I found a "list" she had written out describing all of her kids. Next to my name, she wrote that I was "compassionate and had a fierce sense of humor."

[kitten55]

Originally Posted by shortandcute

My mom once told me that she remembered how compassionate I was in high school... she wrote that I was "compassionate and had a fierce sense of humor."

My mother said I had "Weltschmerz," or the kind of feeling experienced by someone who understands that physical reality can never satisfy the demands of the mind. (Wikipedia)

Originally Posted by kitten55

My mother said I had "Weltschmerz," or the kind of feeling experienced by someone who understands that physical reality can never satisfy the demands of the mind. (Wikipedia)

That's a really interesting concept. Can you elaborate further in context? I'm curious.

[kitten55]

Originally Posted by psychehedone

That's a really interesting concept. Can you elaborate further in context? I'm curious.

My mother's translation was "world sadness." I was sad all the time as a child. I wrote a poem at the time about how beautiful days were more than I could take. I was more at home when it was gloomy or raining. I was easily crushed or heartbroken when someone I knew was disappointed or hurt. I had a disabled great aunt (she had had scarlet fever as a child) who would buy me things out of a catalog. She didn't understand that the pictures in the catalog were misleading. She'd get really excited. When the item arrived, she would be so disappointed and confused she would cry, bitterly. I would be TORN UP..for weeks. Well, still am.

I always shared in other people's pain. I would cry when my siblings were crying. Heck, I cried all the time. My father once liberated a crooked little pine tree from some wisteria. That was wonderful. But then he cut the pine tree down. I was devastated!!! I had to take to my bed.

Back to Wikipedia, "It is also used to denote the feeling of anxiety caused by the ills of the world.

The modern meaning of Weltschmerz in the German language is the psychological pain caused by sadness that can occur when realizing that someone's own weaknesses are caused by the inappropriateness and cruelty of the world and (physical and social) circumstances. Weltschmerz in this meaning can cause depression, resignation and escapism, and can become a mental problem (compare Hikikomori)."

I watched the early, uncensored coverage of 9/11. I watched as a man stood dumbstruck as bodies fell and hit the ground around him. I lost a lot of stability then and haven't been truly stable since.

I know this is a lot more information than you wanted to know. It just kinda came out. sorry.

[BipolaRNurse]

I didn't know there was a term for that. "World sadness". Been that way my whole life---I over-identify with survivors of tragedies like 9/11 and mass shootings, etc. even though I've never met them. Thank you for sharing this.....so glad I'm not alone.

[luckyme808]

I'm a nurse. I work with cancer patients, renal (dialysis) patients, and with hospice (imminently dying) patients. I love it. I don't know that being mentally ill has any correlation to that, though.

[SickOfSadness]

I find myself always trying to help people. I sometimes share my life experiences to try to help other people, so they know that I understand (at least a little). Does this count??

I hope that I help heal others. I think i must first learn to heal myself though...

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[Standup2me]

With healing others do you feel that you also experience their pain?

Originally Posted by Standup2me

With healing others do you feel that you also experience their pain?

To an unbelievable extent. That's why i have had to pull away PC a good bit.

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