Eric Arauz, “How Dante and Virgil Can Guide Recovery From Mental Illness” (2014)

“In the epic poem The Inferno, written by Dante Aligheri in the 14^th century, the author journeys through ‘hell’ and is escorted by the great poet Virgil. Virgil is from the otherworld and can walk with Dante as a fellow traveller and let him experience the catastrophic existential restructuring to foundationally change a life, and, eventually, show him a way back to the world. This relationship model is not a treatment program or an informed guess but rather guidance based on a shared suffering.

“What is different in a Dante/Virgil relationship is that the roles are interchangeable. On some journeys of the self, you may be Dante or you may be Virgil, depending on your experience and the issue. Your suffering has utility.”   —Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Learning Network (February 21, 2014)