In many African cultural contexts, becoming a healer is not a choice but a calling, often dictated by ancestors. This journey begins with a crisis known as “thwasa” among the Xhosa, leading to a long apprenticeship with an Indigenous healer. During this time, the apprentice engages in rituals, shares and interprets dreams, and participates in nightly and early morning dance routines where insights are exchanged. They also learn diagnostic skills (vumisa), where the body reveals knowledge leading to healing, akin to embodied transference.

Similarly, in the psychotherapeutic world, therapists often have personal histories that guide their professional paths, encapsulated in the notion of “vocation” (vocāre, meaning “to call”) and the Jungian archetype of the wounded healer.

This Professional Development Program aims to provide insights from indigenous healing practices and Jungian depth psychology. Participants will gain skills to integrate these practices into their work, enhancing their understanding of the therapeutic relationship, unconscious processes, and the impact of therapist-client dynamics on the therapeutic process. This will ultimately inform their clinical practice.