A person that does healing or energy work such as reiki or psychic work have heard the saying of the wounded healer. This is an expression that talks about how those that work in counseling, therapy or other healing jobs might be doing these jobs to help others because it helps them. A wounded healer can be someone that helps others to get help.
This phrase was coined by Carl Jung and talks about the different relationship that there is between a client and their healer. This is when a therapist or counselor would be able to help their patient but as they go through the healing of others, they also are healed. This can be identified by many different counselors.
How can someone heal someone when they are already broken?
When They Are Broken
As we go through our life, we experience some kind of trauma, pain, or suffering. This is part of life. Who would be better to help others with their pain than someone that has went through the same situation? There can be a desire to heal others while they themselves are healing as well.
Some people know even from childhood that they are being called into some kind of healing work. They will be compassionate with people, animals and those that are hurting, and they show this through their attitude and through their sensitivity. These people do not know that they have needs because they are always focusing their attention to others that need the help.
There are some people that are great at giving their life for others, but other people have needs that others do not see. The idea of helping other people can give them a deep feeling to want to help others and this can happen because of the healing that they need themselves.
How the Healing Works
When someone is not able to give the love to others that they need, it doesn’t mean that they are not helping or helpful for others, it can just mean that they have deep seeded pain that is not healed.
If you are someone that has grace and are able to show love and compassion to others, chances are that you are going to be drawn to things such as drama and situations where there is not healing. This is what a wounded healer does, attracts to those that are in need.
No matter what kind of job that you have, your life may be hurtful or full of trauma. If you are experiencing these things, the skills that you have been given to help others might be strong.
Knowing a Wounded Healer
There are some ways that you can identify a wounded healer. The grace that is waiting for you is there so that you can help others while you get over your own pain. Don’t always put your own healing on the side to help others though. Here are some things that you can do to know if you are dealing with a wounded healer:
- They know when someone is in pain, and they are able to focus their attention on that person.
- They have past experiences that are similar to someone else, and they strive to heal them and won’t stop until they do.
- They take on the pain of someone else.
- They take on the same feelings and opinions of those that are hurting or those that are seeking healing.
- They become different once they start working to help others.
- They find that they always fall into a pattern of grief or paint.
- They absorb the feelings and emotions of those that they are helping.
- They tell people that life is going to be okay even when they are in pain themselves.
If you are someone that is a wounded healer and you feel that your situation is not getting any better, you need to take time to heal yourself before you work on others. When the healing becomes about someone else, it can be painful for you to be able to release your own pain and find the healing that you need.