Walking the Journey with Cambodian Wounded Healers

"I Am Not What Happened to Me, I Am What I Choose to Become” Walking the Journey with Cambodian Wounded Healers

The term “wounded healer” was originally coined by psychologist Carl Jung (1951), who believed that individuals are compelled to treat clients because of the “wounds” they carry from their own earlier experiences. This paper explored Jung’s wounded healer concept through a trauma-informed lens, situated within a Cambodian context. Findings presented in this paper emerged from a larger body of work on the study of trauma and resilience, which was conducted in Cambodia.

Perspectives captured in the data arose from 40 participant interviews of two distinct groups: 26 trauma survivors (aged 18-30) who had been supported by nongovernment organisations (NGOs) in Cambodia and 14 key informants, made up of social workers and psychologist employed working in the field of child protection. It is through these unique perspectives on recovery from trauma and what may compel an individual to work in the human services sector (often with other trauma survivors) that is presented in this paper. Not all participants working in the NGOs disclosed direct trauma histories during the interview process.

However, in the context of modern-day Cambodia and in the aftermath of the genocide, it would be unusual to find a Cambodian who has not been touched by trauma insome way.

Publication Details

International Conference of Spirituality and Psychology (ICSP)

Conference Proceedings 2022

https://www.spirituality-conference.org/icsp2022005.html