A book on becoming an effective minister, The Wounded Healer lies halfway between psychology, psychiatry and
spirituality.
If you are an avid fan of Arthur Schopenhauer, then this book may not be that revolutionary to you. Nouwen combines creative case studies of ministry with stories from diverse cultures and religious traditions in preparing a new model for ministry. But also, the most interesting part is that he makes good use of a seminarian as the counselor example, which makes the book more relevant to my theological studies. Weaving keen cultural analysis with his psychological and religious insights, Nouwen has come up with a balanced and creative theology of service that begins with the realization of fundamental
woundedness in human nature. Say a prostitute, no it''s not mentioned here. Emphasizing that which is in humanity common to both minister and believer, this woundedness can serve as a source of strength and healing when counseling others. Nouwen proceeds to develop his approach to ministry with an analysis of sufferings -- a suffering world, a suffering generation, a suffering person, and a suffering minister. It is his contention that ministers are called to recognize the sufferings of their time in their own hearts and make that recognition the starting point of their service. For Nouwen, ministers must be willing to go beyond their professional role and leave themselves open as fellow human beings with the same wounds and suffering -- in the image of Christ. In other words, we heal from our own wounds. Filled with examples from everyday experience, "The Wounded Healer" is a thoughtful and insightful guide that will be welcomed by anyone engaged in the service of others.
The core concepts are sufferings, pains, et al. Contrary to the usual way of guiding patients, Nouwen''s approach is to make use of the minister''s sufferings as materials in bringing the counselees closer to God.
Sounds pessimistic? On the contrary, I say, "No pain, no heaven".