Deconstructing the positive and negative aspects of an archetype acts as a form of spiritual triage. It provides clarity and relief when you’re faced with a crisis.

When confronted with an urgent question, collaborating with an archetype provides a symbolic framework to process the situation. Instead of reacting impulsively, you can examine how the archetype’s lighter and darker aspects are manifesting within your current experience.

The light side of an archetype indicates the way forward. Exposing the darker side of an archetype highlights the factors you need to be aware of and instructions about what not to do.

Here’s how to apply First Aid for the Soul¹:

Firstly, identify the archetypal energy at play. Every urgent question carries an underlying pattern. Are you struggling with self-worth? The Saboteur might be active. Facing a crisis of faith? The Mystic could be at play. Facing an injustice? The Warrior archetype may be active. Recognising the dominant archetype in a situation helps to throw a light on unseen influences.

Secondly, give the archetype a context to work with by defining your quest or question. We’ll use a client named Maya and her Saboteur archetype as an example.

Maya’s Quest: “Saboteur, I need clarity and insights into my struggle with confidence.”

Thirdly, deconstruct the archetype by breaking down it’s disempowering (or destructive) and empowering (or constructive) polarities. It’s an exercise in mental contrasting.

This is how Maya deconstructed the Saboteur archetype within the context of her quest for “clarity and insights into my struggle with confidence.”

• Disempowering expressions: fear, distortion, avoidance
• Empowered expressions: guidance, courage, empowerment,

Next, Maya extracted the archetype’s message. Every archetype carries a lesson. By defining your quest or question, you’re asking, “What is this archetype trying to teach me?” instead of “Why is this happening to me?” so you’re more inclined to shift from victimhood to empowerment. Using her lists of disempowering and empowering archetypal expressions, together Maya and I wrote two narratives for Saboteur archetype based on the disempowering expressions provided: fear, distortion, avoidance. Then the same was done for the empowering expressions: guidance, courage, empowerment.

Here are both sides of the Saboteur narrative, based on the disempowering and empowering expressions it has provided²:

The Saboteur’s disempowering narrative:

Every time Maya stands at the threshold of change, the voice of the Saboteur whispers, “You’re not ready. You’ll fail.” She hesitates, convincing herself that postponing a dream is the same as preparing for it. Opportunities slip through her fingers, and not because she lacks potential, but because fear distorts her perception. The Saboteur feeds her avoidance by crafting intricate excuses to keep her safe: safe from risk, but also safe from growth. In its grip, Maya remains caught in hesitation, watching life move forward while she stays still.

The Saboteur’s empowering narrative:

However, if Maya decides to listen differently, instead of cowering from the Saboteur’s warnings, she could ask, “What are you trying to protect me from?” then the fear has the potential to reveal its true role, not as an enemy, but as a guide. This allows the Saboteur to shift sides to offer insights rather than limitation: “Yes, the risk is real. But so is your ability to rise.” If Maya embraces these insights, using discernment to prepare rather than withdraw, then with courage, she can step forward, transforming the paralysing voice into a source of empowerment. The Saboteur is no longer a force of sabotage in this instance. It becomes a trusted ally in her personal evolution.

This process acts as a stabiliser. It restores clarity amidst overwhelm. Instead of reacting impulsively, you align with an archetype’s higher wisdom, (it’s empowering narrative) using it to make choices that align with your soul. In this way, every archetype becomes a guide, not an obstacle. By deconstructing an archetype, you can shift from fear to empowerment, paralysis to action, weakness to strength. The disempowered side of an archetype can be protective, but it’s not the whole story.

Let the wisdom of archetypes be a salve for your soul.

Gail Goodwin 2025

Every archetype offers a clear choice point to resolve any situation. It’s a creative way to reset your thinking and decision making so you respond rather than react. You can transform even the most difficult archetypes into allies by applying this process.

Your personal archetypes will give you instant access to immediate relief and unlimited insights when you choose the best archetype for the task, define your quest, deconstruct both sides of the archetype in equal measure, then write your narrative to move forward. Instead of drowning in uncertainty, you engage with the deeper patterns shaping your experience. Applying First Aid for the Soul delivers understanding and empowerment in real time.

1. First Aid for the Soul is the title of chapter in my first book: A dialogue with the soul; using personality archetypes to access inner wisdom, 2010. ↩︎
2. If you’re not into creative writing, then you can use AI chat to do this. Simply ask it to “write a brief negative and positive narrative for the saboteur archetype based on this: disempowering expressions: fear, distortion, avoidance, and empowering expressions: guidance, courage, empowerment. ↩︎