The Pursuit of One's Own Healing*

The pursuit of psychiatrists’ own healing proceeds along both vocational and avocational pathways. The professional work, which involves helping mentally disturbed and demoralized persons and restoring their peace of mind is a creative process. And the psychiatrist is constantly healing himself by his ministration to others.

It has been suggested that psychiatrists choose that specialty in order to solve their own emotional problems.13 Whether or not one agrees with this position, psychiatrists do serve as models for their patients, and therefore, it is imperative that their own emotional houses be in order.4 Some hold the view that intensive psychotherapy or personal analysis should be be required of all individuals who are training to become psychiatrists or psychotherapists.2,5,6 However, others maintain that while “the personal psychotherapeutic experience is, with but few exceptions, essential for the psychotherapeutic practitioner,” it should be highly recommended but not required.7

While the creative aspects of psychiatric work and one's own psychotherapeutic treatment are both invaluable, the other side of the equation, involving avocational pursuits, is just as important in the psychiatrist's own healing process. These avocational pursuits have to do with creativity also, but it is of a different and nonvocational type. This side of life involves procreation (family life), recreation, and artistic creation. Often the equation gets out of balance with an excessive emphasis on the work side, and one loses touch with the playful, carefree, and artistically creative characteristics of one's personality.

The psychiatrist's professional ancestor, the shaman, was able to combine the vocational and avocational pathways to self-healing, which probably explains why he was considered “the great master of ecstasy.”8 There is much to learn about healing journeys by examining those historical roots and noting parallels between ancient shamanism and modern psychiatry.

Shamans