Liberating the Nepantlerx, Decolonizing the Wounded Healer: Engaging in a Dialogue Between Decolonial & Jungian Studies Via Anzaldúa

Abstract

This dissertation study explores the psychic splitting and possible integration between the coloniality entrenched in depth psychology and decolonial, liberatory pursuits that often undervalue the sacred, transpersonal metaphysics, spirit-praxis, of the curanderx. It shines light into the shadow of modernity undergirding Western psychology, with a particular focus on Jungian psychology. This study investigates how the creative works of Gloria E. Anzaldúa could aid in liberating the nepantlerx, or decolonizing the wounded healer, who has been initiated into the transpersonal depths. By enacting a dialogue between Jungian psychology and decolonial studies, it advances a critical depth psychology committed to confronting its colonial shadow. By utilizing a multimethodological, intersectional, and decolonial approach, it braids alchemical hermeneutics, decolonial hermeneutics, testimonio, platicas, and poetics to arrive at a relational, decolonial, and embodied grounded theory. The study offers a framework for scholars and practitioners seeking to decolonize depth psychological practice all while preserving the spirit of the work.