Archetypal vs Embodied Approaches to Healing

Archetypal vs Embodied Approaches to Healing

This study examines three distinct yet convergent critiques of contemporary biomedical practice: Alfred Ziegler's archetypal medicine grounded in Jungian analytical psychology, Dennis Patrick Slattery's phenomenological documentation of archetypal healing processes, and our embodied theological approach integrating Jewish mystical concepts with clinical neurology. Through comparative analysis informed by medical anthropology, phenomenology, and critical medical humanities, this investigation evaluates the theoretical contributions, methodological implications, and practical limitations of these approaches. The analysis reveals significant convergences in their critique of Cartesian dualism and emphasis on meaning-making, while highlighting divergences in their relationship to conventional medical practice and epistemological foundations.