Carl Jung gives the concept of the “wounded healer”… the idea that the drive to become a counselor flows out of an experience of past brokenness. Hardly a shocking revelation. I had a friend in High School who had had lots of work done on his teeth over several years. He wanted to become a dentist (although he ultimately went in a different direction).

Father Henri Nouwen, among others, have gone further suggesting that the sens of being wounded or broken, actually facilitates the counselor as a healer of others.

As a metaphor, one could look at the idea of Kintsugi (golden joinery) or Kintsukuroi (golden repair) from Japanese craftwork, for the view that brokenness may provide a special form of beauty.

Here is a two-part article that explores this idea. It could easily, I believe, be brought over to be looked at from the idea of being a counselor or pastoral care provider.

Kintsukuroi Faith: Beautifully Broken. Part 1

Kintsukuroi Faith: Beautifully Broken. Part 2