The Witch Wound and the Healing Power of Depth Psychotherapy for Women
The burning of witches is not just history—it is a collective wound carried in the bodies and souls of women. From the Salem witch trials to fairy tales of evil hags and crones, women have long been cast as dangerous when they step outside of the roles prescribed to them.
In my work offering therapy for women, I see how these stories still shape our lives. The silencing, the betrayal, the fear of being “too much”—these are not just personal struggles. They are echoes of a much older story.
The Salem Witch Trials and the Fear of Women’s Power
In 1692, the Puritan town of Salem, Massachusetts, erupted in a frenzy of accusations. More than 200 people—most of them women—were accused of witchcraft. Nineteen were hanged, one was crushed to death, and many more languished in prison.
Who were these women? Often, they were healers, midwives, widows, or simply those who did not conform. Their independence, wisdom, or difference posed a threat to the patriarchal order. In a culture ruled by fear, their very existence became intolerable.
But perhaps most devastating was the betrayal between women. Mothers, daughters, and neighbors turned against each other. Survival meant aligning with power, even if it meant sacrificing solidarity.
The Witch as Archetype: Crone, Hag, and the Shadow of the Feminine
In fairy tales, the witch often appears as the hag at the edge of the woods—the frightening old woman with knowledge of herbs, secrets, and the power to curse or bless. She is both feared and needed.
The crone archetype embodies wisdom gained through age and suffering. Yet in patriarchal culture, older women were painted as grotesque or dangerous. Their sexuality, intuition, and authority were demonized. To become a crone was to risk invisibility—or persecution.
From a depth psychotherapy perspective, these figures represent the shadow of the feminine: the wild, wise, intuitive, and untamable aspects of women’s nature. For centuries, these qualities were cast out as “evil.” Many women still carry the wound of this rejection—fearing aging, silencing intuition, or distrusting other women.
Midlife and the Return of the Crone
In my practice, I often work with women in midlife who feel the call of the crone stirring within them. This is the time when the roles of caretaker, pleaser, or perfectionist no longer fit. Women begin to long for something deeper: freedom, authenticity, wholeness.
But alongside this longing comes fear. If I show my truth, will I be abandoned? If I speak my wisdom, will I be mocked? If I stop playing by the rules, will I be cast out? These questions are not just personal—they are the unconscious residue of centuries of witch hunts and betrayals.
Midlife therapy for women becomes a place to meet the crone not as a figure of terror, but as a guide. The crone teaches us that aging is not diminishment, but initiation. That our anger, grief, and longing carry wisdom. That what was once feared can now be embraced.
Betrayal, Patriarchy, and the Wounds Between Women
The witch trials revealed how patriarchy thrives by dividing women against each other. This betrayal is one of the deepest wounds women carry. Even today, many women fear judgment, gossip, or competition from other women.
In therapy, I often hear the grief of friendships lost, the loneliness of feeling unsafe in female relationships, or the shame of comparing oneself to others. Healing begins with recognizing that these patterns are not personal failings—they are inherited survival strategies from centuries of oppression.
Therapy for Women as Reclamation
To heal the “witch wound” is to reclaim what was once silenced. It is to see the hag not as a monster, but as a wise woman. It is to recognize the crone as a sacred archetype, holding the torch of wisdom and wholeness.
Through depth psychotherapy, women can:
Reconnect with intuition and inner knowing.
Transform fear of aging into reverence for wisdom.
Grieve the betrayals of the past and build new forms of sisterhood.
Integrate the shadow—the anger, the grief, the power—that has long been suppressed.
Reclaiming the Fire
The fire that once burned women can also illuminate. When we tell these stories, we bring shadow into light. When we face the crone and hag within, we no longer exile ourselves. When women gather in truth and solidarity, we undo the legacy of Salem.
Every woman who steps into therapy is, in some way, reclaiming the fire. She is saying: I will not silence myself. I will not betray myself. I will not fear my own power.
The witch, the hag, the crone—they are not warnings of danger. They are invitations to depth, wisdom, and freedom.
If you are a woman in midlife longing to reclaim your voice, power, and wholeness, therapy can be a place to heal these ancient wounds and step into your true self.