1/ "Your wound is your gift to your community"

I believe a healed wound can a generative gift that helps heal others,

but an unhealed wound that's channeled is a virus that contaminates others.

Here's a thread about how to channel your wound, or psychic trauma, productively…

2/ Many of us experience trauma, loss, or neglect from the people that we love and respect, whether in our families, relationships, or workplaces.

This can create depression and anger, which can be channeled (or sublimated as psychologists say) productively, towards a new path.

3/ Some people who experience a serious illness do this by becoming doctors themselves ("the wounded healer"), or a truly mistreated divorcee becomes a divorce lawyer.

This can be enormously generative IF & ONLY IF the wound is largely healed, so they can act & work objectively.

4/ Some wounds never heal completely, but you can tell when they are largely resolved when you can look back on it with bittersweet poignancy, which gets you in contact with you values

vs. reflecting brings back waves of sadness or anger, which is the tell tale it is unresolved.

5/ However, I am increasingly seeing people who have often been wounded with psychic injury, often due to discrimination or wrongdoing someone has done,

who channel it to be an advocate or campaigner for X "rights", when it really is an attempt to deal their own unresolved pain.

6/ What happens with these folks is that they use negative energy to fuel their new career--often with righteous indignation,

which can be incredibly charismatic for others, but leads to professional burnout & personal instability in relationships. It ultimately never fulfills.

7/ The danger of this is that instead of productive sublimation, the constant stoking of anger actually prevents the wound from healing,

because every day is a constant projected "battle" against others that remind us of who has harmed us vs. forgiving the original wound giver.

8/ The line between what's healed & what's not, & what's productive vs. projected is gray & blurry.

Thus, I generally do NOT recommend pursuing a path born out of a wound (despite it making a good story for a VC pitch).

Most people should just go to therapy, heal, & move on.

9/ However, for a select few, who have done the hard work of healing, have professional guidance to validate that, & are incredibly self-aware, it can be a resonant calling.

Sublimating your wound professionally is akin to 'pursuing your passion': <5% should attempt this.

10/ In the end, the most important thing is your healing,

so prioritize yourself first and foremost before you think about others,

because a good-faith intention may end up becoming maligned.

Pursue work carefully & love yourself carelessly.

For more: http://doc.substack.com