Healing and the Japanese Art of Kintsugi

I remember when I first read about Kintsugi, which is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, silver, or platinum. Upon learning about the practice, I recall fixating on the mental switch that took place for me as I transitioned from “broken beyond repair” to “opportunity to renew and enhance”. The idea of not viewing the plate, vase, or bowl as disposable due to the flaw, but instead the possibility of creating something with the broken pieces resonated with me personally as a human, and professionally as a therapist.

See, scientifically it is known that trauma changes the brain, and this is quite true. However, we know that healing also changes the brain. In the same way that the practice of Kintsugi renews and strengthens the once broken item, healing can also do something similar. The name of the technique itself speaks volumes to the capacity to heal, as it is derived from the words “Kin” (golden) and “tsugi” (joinery), which then translates to “golden repair.”

Knowing that the bowl or vase does not hide from the fact that it had received damage also relates to our lived experiences. We can not change what has happened to us, but we can change how we think about it. It is visible where the cracks once were, yet now they are filled in with gold, illuminating resilience and renewal. The brain is just as malleable. Though it has experienced trauma and holds thoughts that are often intrusive and sometimes unkind, it too can undergo the practice of Kintsugi with proper support, time, and the resources to start anew.

Healing is a possibility, and we are all capable of our own golden repair.

I invite you to read more about Kintsugi here, and consider the ways in which you see healing as part of your journey.