The Healer Archetype
by Michelle Castle
To heal means to make whole, to alleviate, and to repair. A Healer works on behalf of others and delivers the gift of health.
A Healer can be one who mends broken spirits, minds, bodies, and/or hearts.
The Healer is one who is willing to sit with pain, be with pain, work with, understand and touch pain without being undone by it.
Introduction to the Healer Archetype
The Healer archetype is an old and intriguing one.
Every culture - from earliest tribes of ancient man all through the ages to modern times - includes the archetype of the Healer. It is a part of the human experience to be hurt, wounded or injured in some way. Whether the injuries received by an individual or a community are physical, emotional or spiritual - the work of a Healer is essential.
And thus, the archetype of a Healer - someone that shows an aptitude for helping those who are hurting - is found across both time and geography of all human cultures.
There has always been a bit of mystery around the art of healing. Even with our modern understanding, there are still unexplainable mysteries around the art of medicine and healing.
Shamans are the oldest known healers. Witches were healers especially in the pagan religions where the worship of nature was an easy fit for healing and healers.
Midwifery was another type of healing by helping to bring new life to the earth. It was common for monks and priests to fill the role of healers. Individuals that had knowledge of plants and herbs and practiced the healing arts in the monastery were called Healer Priests.
The Medicine Man of native tribes also understood the art of healing and helped provide the environment for someone to heal themselves. Hippocrates was a healer priest.
The connections are quite old and easy to see throughout history.
The Caregiver
The Caregiver is variant of the Healer.
Instead of healing the wounds or pain of the suffering person the Caregiver finds satisfaction in the act of caring for the person.
Caregivers are collectors of people and their kindness is truly an antidote to pain and loneliness. They have a special gift for seeing the souls of people, for honoring who the person really is and not judging them.
Caregivers have a healing touch and are usually quite physical in their affection. They are warm and affectionate and spend much of their lives in the service of others.
Example: Mother Teresa.
The Nurse
The Nurse is quite like the Caregiver and they share many qualities. The Nurse finds great joy in taking care of the sick and the injured. They can be detached enough to do what is necessary without losing their special empathic abilities.
The Nurse is compassionate, caring and patient.
They are drawn to offering comfort even more so than outright healing because they believe that comfort and care are deeply healing to the soul.
Example: Florence Nightingale.
The Therapist
The Therapist is a bit different from the other type of Healers. The Therapist is much more focused on healing the heart and mind than healing the body.
The Therapist enjoys access to the unseen world of psychology. They reflect the origins of the word psyche (which means “the soul”).
The Therapist knows that the mind is, but a reflection of the soul. Thus, the Therapist is a healer of souls. They are the inner healers and usually have a strong urge to ease emotional and mental suffering.
The Therapist may have an interest in the mentally ill, the eccentric or strange as well as concepts such as dream analysis, soul retrieval and shamanism.
Example: Viktor Frankl
First and foremost, an Enlightened Healers is a self-healer.
An Enlightened Healer is humble, pliable, compassionate and caring. One with deep wisdom and knowledge about the healing of the both the body and the soul.
References (Paraphrased and Edited)
Barlow, Susanna. (2017). Understanding the Healer Archetype.
Care for the Healer
Our Mission: Restore the wellbeing of the world's Healers through compassion, curiosity, and innovation.
Our Vision: A global state of health - facilitated by Healers.
Care for the Healer (CFTH) is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization in the United States.
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