Your Journey to Health: Becoming your own hero/ine

Have you ever wondered why hero stories are so relevant even thousands of years after they were written? Have you ever wondered how some things seem so relatable even though they’re completely fictitious, like The Illiad, The Odyssey, Avatar the Last Airbender, Lord of the Rings, The Mandalorian, … ? Have you ever wondered how each hero’s journey seriously stirs up all the feels? Well it’s because we are ALL on our own journeys. We have our challenges, our triumphs, our allies, and our enemies. We hit road blocks, get lost, and fall short. The heroes from our favorite stories, are just like us! We all struggle with the archetypal battles, Light vs Dark, doing the right thing vs staying in our comfort zone, finding a mentor, and much more. The hero’s journey, as coined by Joseph Campbell, it the archetypal story of good vs evil and we all live this out over and over again in our lives.

So what does this have to do with our health and how we are living our lives? In this article, we’ll take a look at the hero’s journey. Then we’ll apply it to our own journey to health. This will give you a model that I base my coaching on, giving you a better idea of how I approach coaching and how you can use this for understanding your own journey.

Next, the Hero must pass through The Inmost Cave. This is the lowest point in the story. The Hero is sure to be defeated. They are not strong enough. The Ordeal is too great. Nonetheless, the Hero chooses to face their destiny.

The Hero reaches the Ordeal or climax of the story. They must let go of their old ways of thinking and living, in order to defeat their enemy. During the Ordeal, there is a breakthrough. Everything leading up to this moment has changed them. The Hero reaps the rewards of the change and wins their big battle.

Let’s begin by breaking down the Hero’s Journey and then I’ll apply it to our stories. The beginning of each grand adventure starts with the Hero living their normal lives. This is where we learn background information, and get to know the Hero. This is usually the boring part. It’s pre-adventure. Then, our hero gets a some kind of Call to Adventure. Usually through some disastrous event, the Hero is compelled to act. Something happens that finally makes them miserable enough to want to make a change. At first, the Hero is scared. so much so, that they may try to refuse the call. They run away, hide, or try to find any excuse not to begin this grand adventure.

Then a mentor, guide or teacher steps in and the hero can begin their journey. Here is where they meet their many allies, go through many tests, and defeat many enemies. But they struggle because they are still clinging to their old ways of thinking and living.

The Reward can be tangible or intangible. Whatever the Reward is, it must fundamentally change the Hero. The battle is won, the foes vanquished, and peace returned.

However, the story is not over. After the battle they must go back home. The road home is seldom smooth. There will be obstacles to the Return. But the Hero is different than they were at the beginning. They use their newfound skills and abilities to navigate the obstacles and continue homeward.

As the Hero approaches home, they realize they’re unsure of their place in this new world. The return home can be painful because they are no longer viewing the world as they used to. Their old home may no longer fit who they are now. Eventually, they settle back into their new Ordinary World. Until another Adventure calls and they begin the cycle all over again.

This type of journey is written about in so many places from spiritual texts to epic novels. And it works so well because it is a universal journey. Each human goes through several hero’s journeys throughout their life. We each come across a call to adventure, whether that is a new opportunity, a new diagnosis, entering into a new family, loss, or even a pandemic. Often at first we want to refuse the call because it’s scary and we don’t have all of the information. It requires us to make changes and think differently. Eventually, as we realize that we can’t avoid this so called “adventure” we begin searching for a mentor. If were lucky the universe tends to provide us with a mentor right as we’re ready for the change. We go through our trials, meeting new allies and make enemies, especially as we start to change the way we think about the world. Honestly, these enemies will be our own internal shadows most of the time. (There’s a reason the bad guy and the good guy often mirror each other in the story.)

As we learn and grow through our journey, hopefully, we eventually realize that our old ways no longer serve us and we begin working on reframing our thinking and our behavior. We must pass through our inner most cave. We must dive deep, getting at the foundation of our suffering and cutting it out at the root. This will always be the hardest thing you’ve ever done. But no one ever said metamorphosis was easy. A seed starts in the dark, and rips itself apart in order to grow. This is what the hero’s journey is about. The transformation. Once you make it through The Ordeal, you get the chance to expand and grow becoming more and more aligned with who you are meant to be.

But again your journey is not over, you must come home. As with any hero from our stories, you must learn to navigate this world from your new perspective. You’ll think differently and people will not be the same since you left the old ways. Many times you will need to learn to rely on the friends and allies you made along your journey. Keep in mind where you came from and how far you have come. You can always slip back into the old ways, unless you have a strong foundation and support. Once you’ve learned to navigate this new world. You’ll be ready for your next adventure. Always growing, always learning.

Our real journeys are no joke. We refuse the call, we slip up, lose our way and get stuck back into our old patterns. We can get stuck at any part of the cycle and this is where coaching comes in. Once you decide to answer the call, you will need a mentor or a guide. As your coach, I help you learn to become your own guide, show you how to navigate, teach you how to avoid common pit falls, teach you how to get through your inner most cave, and reintegrate into your new world. I have been through many ordeals and have learned from each. As I’ve grown, I have explored more and more of my inner most cave , but that darkness is no longer scary because I’ve equipped myself with tools to bring light to the dark.

Through our work together I will help teach you the tools you need so you can go as deep into your cave as you are ready to go. You’re journey is yours to take at your own pace. And the most important part of healing is creating a healing space where you can go when your journey becomes to much to handle. Together we’ll develop tools specifically suited to your journey and your needs. I won’t let you go in unprepared. I have created a network of allies for you as you go through your journey. The PathFinders network is included in all of the coaching packages for a year after you begin. There you will be able to lean on each other, share awesome insights, ask questions, and have access to webinars on several of the topics we’ll cover in our time together. I have been a part of similar communities and this resource has been invaluable!

This set up is what makes this coaching model so successful. It directly translates thousands of year-old archetypes and healing traditions and applies it directly to real modern life. This is not some new aged experiment. They have stood the test of time. It’s not about diagnoses, how long you’ve been stuck, or where you plan to go. We’ll map out out your journey together, digging deep to uncover the roots of the problem, and then help you navigate your own path to health, using ancient wisdom and modern tools. It’s now your time to reconnect to wild healing. Gear up cause it’s going to be an awesome journey!