Healing The Witch Wound: A Review Of “Witches” By Elizabeth Sankey
Elizabeth Sankey’s documentary “Witches” is one of those films that lingers in your mind long after you’ve watched it. Through a blend of archival footage, personal testimonies, and film analysis, “Witches” paints a haunting yet powerful picture of how the fear of women’s power has shaped our collective psyche. It isn’t just a history lesson; it’s a meditation on the emotional and spiritual wounds carried by generations. The documentary weaves together voices from historians, filmmakers, and those with lived experiences, creating a layered, deeply emotional journey. It’s eerie, reflective, and painfully relatable, making it feel less like a distant study of the past and more like a mirror reflecting struggles we still face today.
postpartum depression as spiritual crisis
One of the most striking elements of “Witches” is how it reveals postpartum depression as not only a psychological struggle, but a spiritual crisis, a modern expression of the witch wound. The film doesn’t just examine the symptoms of depression; it asks deeper questions. What happens to a person’s sense of self when they are forced to suppress their instincts, sacrifice their autonomy, and conform to rigid expectations? Through Sankey’s lens, postpartum depression is more than an individual struggle. It’s a reflection of generational pain, societal conditioning, and the loss of ancestral wisdom.
Reclaiming the Witch: A Path to Healing
The Witch has always been a symbol of personal power, resilience, and deep inner knowing. What “Witches” shows so beautifully is how that power has been stolen, suppressed, and demonized, especially for those navigating motherhood and identity.
Healing the witch wound means allowing yourself to exist fully, without guilt or apology. Many of my clients feel they must shrink themselves to be accepted, whether as mothers, healers, or simply as people who don’t fit into society’s mold. Reclaiming your power starts with small steps: trusting your instincts, allowing yourself to feel, and speaking up when something doesn’t feel right. The more we embrace what we’ve been taught to suppress, the more we step into our true selves.
It’s about acknowledging our grief, rage, and exhaustion without shame. It’s about rewriting the stories we’ve been told about who we should be and instead stepping into who we are.
For those on a spiritual path, this might look like reconnecting with intuition, honoring ancestral wisdom, or embracing rituals that nourish rather than deplete. For mothers, it might mean rejecting the unrealistic standards placed upon them and finding community with others who understand the struggle.
This film reminds us that the Witch was never the villain, she was the one who saw through the illusion. She was the healer, the wise woman, the one who refused to be tamed.
Finding Your Power in a World That Fears It
If you’ve ever felt too much, too sensitive, too rebellious, you are not alone. Witchy souls are often told they are “too emotional” or “too intense” when, in reality, they are deeply in tune with the world around them. The world has a way of making those who feel deeply believe they are broken, when in fact, they are gifted with the ability to see, sense, and know beyond the surface.
If you’re feeling the weight of expectations, trying to take back your power, or just figuring out what healing even looks like, I invite you to book an intro call and let’s talk about how therapy can support you to come home to yourself.
