The wounded healer (courtesy Dr. Andy McLean)
Today marks the beginning of Mental Health Awareness Month. Earlier in the week, our Assistant Director of Student Well-Being, Michelle Montgomery, and I met virtually with graduating medical students to discuss transitioning to residency (including the excitement and challenges). Also this week, Drs. Melissa Naslund, Erin Haugen, Savannah Seiter (PGY-3), and I presented to faculty on how to support their own and resident well-being.
In attempting to share wisdom, we often borrow from the past. The Sufi mystic Rumi is known for many pithy sayings, including, “The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” In Sufi thought, the nafs (soul/self/ego) needs to be pierced in order for wholeness to occur. Likewise, the poet Y.B. Yeats, strongly influenced by Sufism, ends his poem, “Crazy Jane Talks with the Bishop” by noting, “For nothing can be sole or whole/That has not been rent.”
There are many myths, legends, and oral traditions that speak of healers who have endured wounds and have the scars to prove it. In certain pan-cultural heritages (Siberian, Indigenous North American, African, Aboriginal), healers are often chosen because of their having become ill. Such traditions refer to this occurrence as Shamanic Sickness. It is not that suffering is necessarily good; it is that such suffering must occur in order to become a healer.
In this same vein, a recent study of students at an American medical school showed that roughly a quarter of those surveyed reported having experienced > 4 adverse childhood experiences (ACES).
The famous psychiatrist Carl Jung once said, “Only the wounded physician heals… and then only to the extent he has healed himself.” I think Jung would agree, however, that there are times when healing requires the assistance of others. As I’ve mentioned before, being an empathic healthcare provider is an occupational hazard. We all experience stresses which can be associated with greater concerns—impacting ourselves, our loved ones, colleagues, and patients. Yet, stigma still gets in the way of accessing care. Hence the importance of the “awareness” campaign.
During Mental Health Awareness Month, be mindful of your own wounds and whether they have scarred over or are still open. Consider how these experiences have benefited you in becoming a better healer (both of yourself and others). And if “self-healing” isn’t having the results you hoped for, reach out for assistance.
Reminder: If you would like to share inspirational quotes, stories, or ideas which might be helpful to others, please feel free to e-mail our colleague Dr. Melissa Naslund at melissa.naslund@UND.edu.
