The hero’s journey archetype
Joseph Campbell (Campbell, 2008) outlined common elements between stories from across the world. These common elements form an outline of a journey which arguably every hero walk, called the hero’s journey. Campbell argued that the hero’s journey is an archetype, deeply rooted in the human unconscious, and is not limited to fictional work but is also representative of transformations and psychological development in the lives of living people.
Fictional example for illustration: When Tina first walked into therapy, she didn’t feel like a hero. She felt exhausted, anxious, and untethered. Her relationship had ended abruptly, work felt meaningless, and her confidence had disappeared. It really felt like she was at the end of her rope and that it was hopeless to move forward. She wanted relief, not a journey.
But her therapist suggested something else, that what was happening was the opening scene of a much larger story: “What if you’re not at the end?” her therapist asked. “What if you’re at the beginning of your own hero’s journey?”
Such a question may sound silly and unscientific at first, but there is research that suggests that seeing your life’s challenges through the lens of the hero’s journey can be helpful (Rogers et al, 2023).
1. The Call to Adventure – Recognising the Threshold
In Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey (Campbell, 2008), every journey begins with disruption — something that pushes the hero out of their comfort zone, or their ‘ordinary world’. For Tina, the breakup was the ‘call to adventure.’ For Bilbo Baggins (in Tolkien’s ‘The Hobbit’) it was a visit from a wizard, and for Mulan (Disney’s ‘Mulan’) it was her dad being summoned to fight in a war.
After the hero gets called there’s typically a substage which involves refusal of the call. For Tina, this was feeling hopeless and like it was the end of the journey for her. For Harry Potter (by J.K Rowling) it was the belief that he couldn’t possibly be a wizard, and for Katniss Everdeen (Suzanne Collins’ ‘The Hunger Games’) it was her clinging onto her family while the peacekeepers pulled her away.
But the call cannot be refused forever. Tor Tina, accepting the call and going to therapy meant acknowledging that there was something at hand that would need to be dealt with, even if she didn’t yet know how that would happen yet. Making that first appointment was her first step over the threshold, into the unknown.
Naming this stage in therapy can help people see that pain or upheaval is often the start of transformation, not evidence of failure.
2. Trials and Allies – Facing the Inner and Outer Challenges
After stepping into the unknown, in the “Initiation” phase, heroes meet trials that test their resolve. This is typically the main body of stories and myths where the hero gets challenged
repeatedly, forcing them to grow and evolve. Tina’s trials came in the form of old wounds resurfacing, self-doubt, and the slow work of unlearning patterns that no longer served her.
Typically, the hero meets allies to support them through this process. Mulan meets Mushu, Harry Potter meets Hermione and Ron, and Bilbo is accompanied by a bunch of dwarves.
Tina also found allies:
- · Her therapist, who would act as a guide rather than a rescuer.
- · Her friends and family who came to support her.
- · And she would develop coping tools like journaling and mindful breathing.
- In the hero’s journey, the hero is often presented with an object by an ally or mentor to help them on their journey, such as a tool, magic, or secret knowledge. For Tina, this object was strategies given by the therapist, self-help guides, and advice from friends.
Identifying allies — both people and practices — can help people in therapy remember they don’t have to navigate the journey alone.
3. The Ordeal – The Darkest Point Before the Breakthrough
Every hero faces a moment when giving up feels easier than going on. For example, when Mulan’s secret (that she pretends to be someone she’s not) is exposed and she is rejected from the army. Tina’s came when a work project failed, triggering her old pattern of isolation and self-blame. In therapy, difficulties sometimes need to get worse before they can get better. This is because the journey may lead to topics we have avoided for a long time which can bring with them difficult emotions in need of addressing.
Tina’s therapist reframed it: “This is a difficult part of the process because you’re in the middle of transformation. Heroes often doubt themselves before the turning point.” She may also have given as an example when Katniss’ friend Rue dies, and Katniss is nearly overwhelmed by her grief and almost gives up in despair, but instead choses to push through, honour Rue, and continue the games.
Seeing her struggle as part of the journey allowed Tina to persist — and to begin redefining resilience as moving through pain, not avoiding it.
Helping people normalise setbacks as part of the growth arc can prevent them from abandoning their process prematurely.
4. The Return – Bringing Back the Treasure
Months later, Tina realised she was living differently. She set boundaries, chose supportive relationships, and managed her anxiety with more confidence. In myths and stories, the hero typically returns from the journey with treasure in one form or another which enables her to be a master of both worlds. This treasure can be knowledge, skills, money, objects, or magic.
Tina had crossed back into her “ordinary world” — but she was not the same. The treasures she brought back from her journey were self-awareness, courage, and a belief in her ability to navigate uncertainty.
Marking the “return” stage can be deeply validating for people, helping them see their progress and own their transformation.
Why the Hero’s Journey Matters in Therapy
Myth and story are roadmaps for navigating life that can be traced back throughout human history. So much so that we relate to them on deep subconscious levels. Framing growth in mythic terms can help reshape their identity from passive sufferer to active protagonist. It can help them:
- Find meaning in their struggles.
- Build resilience in the face of setbacks.
- Develop self-compassion by understanding that even heroes stumble.
- Recognise that each ending is also the start of another journey.
When clients in therapy, like Tina, see themselves as heroes on a journey, therapy becomes more than problem-solving — it becomes a road of transformation.
References:
Rogers, B. A., Chicas, H., Kelly, J. M., Kubin, E., Christian, M. S., Kachanoff, F. J., … & Gray, K. (2023). Seeing your life story as a Hero’s Journey increases meaning in life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 125(4), 752.
Campbell, J. (2008). The hero with a thousand faces (Vol. 17). New World Library.
