We’re living in the golden age of mental health. Since the pandemic, we’ve become more open and accepting of people’s trauma. Workplaces are creating safe spaces for their employees that put an emphasis on mental wellness – from offering mental health days for when you become overwhelmed to hybrid work methods that are flexible to your needs. Instagram and social media communities teach us how to communicate our boundaries with others, and TikTok therapists show us the importance of talking about our pain.
We should be thriving. But what if we’ve gone too far? Have we started overidentifying with our trauma?
What is woundology?
Woundology might sound like a TikTok hashtag, but it’s actually a term that’s been doing the rounds for a while. In 1988, wellness author Caroline Myss coined it to describe the tendency of people to identify strongly with their emotional wounds, and to use them as a primary source of identity and validation. Woundology suggests some people become so entwined with their traumas that their entire sense of
