Healing the wounded healer: What is the impact of healing personal wounding on the motivation for nurses to heal others?

摘要

This research study explored the impact that healing personal wounding has on the motivation for the nurse, as a wounded healer, to help others in a similar predicament. To date, little information is known about the relationship between personal wounding and the motivation for a nurse to become a healer. This study used a qualitative method to investigate the impact healing personal wounding has on the nurse's ability to be a more compassionate healer. Healing, like wounding, is a subjective experience; therefore, the degree of healing is unique to the nurse's willingness to process his or her personal emotions via the transformative process of spiritual guidance. Interviews of the participants' experiences were conducted and transcribed to identify themes that validated this process of restoration and integration of the nurse's wounded, unconscious self into his or her conscious, functional self and particular calling. The transcripts were analyzed from various perspectives in order to gather the essence of how the transformation occurred and what its impact was on the nurse in his or her personal and professional life.