SYNCHRONY IN MISMATCH the self-writing in Etty Hillesum as a mystic experience for times of crisis

Abstract

This paper aims to highlight the relationship between mental health and spirituality from the self-writing of Etty Hillesum, a young jewish woman who lived in Amsterdam between 1940 and 1943. From an unstable person with many episodes of anxiety and depression, Etty Hillesum became balm for the wounds of so many men and women who were persecuted during the Nazi rise. In addition to the accurate biographical incursion, this research studies self-writing – writing in diaries – as the catalyst for the spirituality developed by Etty Hillesum, a spirituality that contradicted the human imbalance that surrounded it. Initially assumed as therapy, writing in diaries takes the place of meeting with oneself and with God. From this dual relationship - me and God - pours a new attitude towards reality, marked by the care of the self that overflows in care for the other and for the world. In view of the current humanitarian crises, reflecting on the ways in which Etty Hillesum made her integration process in the midst of chaos seems to be an important contribution to society that seeks more therapeutic and spiritual care every day.