Inner Work and Artwork | A Journey to Healing and Personal Transformation

Written by Juan Marcos Aguirre Vergara

Backstory

This is a deeply personal story.

This is the story of my healing and transformation. My name is Juan Marcos. I’ve been married for many years to Cecilia, my beloved partner, and am the father of two wonderful daughters, Milena and Antonia. I’ve spent much of my life working as a psychologist, psychotherapist, and change management consultant. But in November 2022, my life took a drastic turn when I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. What followed was nearly two years of traveling through the darkness and blessings of a cancer-healing journey.

In a very short time after my diagnosis, I began chemotherapy. However, alongside this medical journey, I embarked on another: my own inner healing. I am profoundly grateful that, because of my profession, personal work, and spiritual search, I had cultivated a wealth of inner resources and experiences that equipped me to face this challenge. These inner practices, many rooted in Sufi traditions and my Jungian background, became lifelines. In particular, practices like prayer, meditation, Soul work (a form of active imagination), and Dreamwork were crucial tools that shaped my healing path.

Through these experiences, I learned to navigate the spiritual and archetypal realms—encountering the images and presences of the inner world. I found that inner work could open the door to deeper connections with guiding archetypes, inner family members, and spiritual allies, all of whom walked alongside me through each stage of my healing journey.

This journey wasn’t only about inner work; it was also a profoundly creative one. The healing process awakened a powerful wellspring of creative energy within me, urging me to express what I was experiencing in the form of artwork. My creativity became a mirror, reflecting the transformations happening inside me. Through digital art and collages, I brought to life the images that emerged from my healing. Some of these creations depicted the archetypal “hero’s journey,” while others formed a complete Tarot Major Arcana deck—each card symbolising a distinct phase of my transformation.

The act of creating these spontaneous images was not merely artistic; it was deeply therapeutic. They were metaphors for the profound psychological and archetypal processes I was experiencing. With each image, I was learning to embrace both the darkest and most beautiful parts of my journey. It was through this artistic expression that I uncovered my Artist Archetype—a powerful aspect of my inner self that gave me new tools to confront the challenges of illness.

Now, more than a year after my last treatment—a stem cell transplant—I am cancer-free. My energy and vitality are slowly returning, and I am in the process of integrating the many gifts and lessons this journey has offered me. Thanks to my Jungian coaching studies, I’ve been able to synthesise these insights into a cohesive whole—learning to hold the transformation as part of my life story.

My commitment now is to use these learnings to help others who face difficult life challenges. I believe in the profound power of inner work, art, and imagination in both healing and personal transformation. This journey has taught me that our deepest struggles can birth profound creativity and growth, and I am here to share that with those who need it most.

ABOUT JUAN MARCOS

Juan Marcos is a Psychologist and Senior Change Management Consultant with over 25 years of experience, specializing in Human Resources, Organizational Change, and Participatory Leadership Facilitator.

He is a certified expert in Change Management, the Appreciative Inquiry method, and a Certified Trainer in the Points of You’s coaching tools and methodologies.
Now he is finishing his Jungian Coaching and Consultant Training at the Carl Gustav Jung Center
He has taught at the university level and worked as a clinical psychologist for over 20 years. His expertise extends to Jungian and Transpersonal psychology, and Dreams work groups with the Jungian approach. 

Juan has also walked a long spiritual path and studied within the Sufi tradition, developing himself in the different Sufi practices of meditation and soulwork, and as a certified Dances of Universal Peace Leader.