Body, emotions and mind are inextricably intertwined, the evidence for that is now accepted by nearly everyone. Within the sphere of mental health and illness, there is a particular category of disturbance which is gaining increasing interest, and that is the condition of 'borderline states, or personality'. Unlike conditions like autism and schizophrenia, the 'borderline personality' can cope with life most of the time without needing much treatment. However, the main issues in borderline conditions are around intimacy, closeness and trust. Intimacy is both longed for and feared.
Relationship is sought, yet it is found to be troublesome.
We live in a complex world where intimacy has to be fought for and crafted out of a huge superstructure. And for a practitioner, it may be thought that good boundaries are essential to the work, more so than the vulnerability that intimacy requires. Intimacy means a level of real equality, a sense that we are all, really, in the same boat. The archetype of The Wounded Healer brings that through clearly. In the ancient shamanic tradition it was the healers' own awareness of their own woundedness and their subsequent healing that gave them the authority to take part in the healing of others.