The article proposes a reading of a Russian folk tale and an interpretation of its archetypal multifaceted plot as a reflection of the dynamics of illness and healing. This can be useful for a person who is going through his own journey of healing from an illness. The older sister is the ego, and the little brother is like the body. The body is like a child - innocent, naive. When parents leave, the positive maternal and paternal qualities within are in short supply, there is no protection, no security, only parental orders remain. And separation processes are not safe. The older sister “started playing, went on a spree and forgot what her parents told her to do” (watch out for her brother). A fantasy arises about some extreme hobbies that are hazardous to health and harmful to the body, such as base jumping or addiction, for example, drugs. And the body is captured by disease: the younger brother was stolen by geese and swans. These birds are heavenly fairy-tale characters, flying servants of Baba Yaga, afterlife, otherworldly, dangerous spirits. And so the elder sister sets out on her path of search (the path of individuation, separation from parental orders), wanting to restore the broken connection with her brother, the body. As if a person (perhaps a young girl) is looking for healing. The younger brother appears to be kidnapped by swan geese. I fantasize that this fairy tale reflects some kind of deadly disease or acute condition on the verge of life and death. The girl, in search of her brother, rejects the help of the fabulous natural forces of the forest - the stove, the apple tree, the milk river on the banks of the jelly. She is not ready to enter into exchange relations with them (“eat my pie, I’ll tell you”, etc.). These are all symbolic elements of the Great Mother archetype. The girl does not accept such resources: “probably sour,” the girl says to the apple tree, “my father doesn’t even eat wheat” - to the stove, “my father doesn’t even eat cream” - to the river. That is, the girl seems to be inhibited by her own negative paternal and maternal complexes. The girl does not see a resource for herself in these forest (shadow for her) characters. It is as if the patient is rejecting the treatment offered by different doctors. The girl is squeezed by her Persona, does not have a good connection with natural forces, unconscious resources. Her Shadow is not integrated. It’s as if the patient refuses to follow doctor’s recommendations. She herself slows down the integration of her bodily part, which she abandoned and did not keep track of. It is as if a sick person is slowing down the search for healing. At the same time, she is driven by the fear of parental grief for her lost son and anger at her eldest daughter, who did not live up to expectations. But this is not the only reason why the girl does not stop on her path. It’s as if her family connection with her brother supports her, helps her overcome negative maternal and paternal complexes, and helps her follow the path of separation-individuation. And so she, exhausted from wandering through the forest, finds herself in the hut of Baba Yaga (the dark side of the Great Mother), who plans to absorb both her younger brother and older sister. That is, death and non-existence threaten the body and the ego, which again united in this hut. The brother plays with “golden apples” - the golden material of the apples also hints at the proximity of death and the afterlife. And it’s as if Baba Yaga personifies a fatal disease. In turn, the mouse runs out and is ready to tell the girl “good things” for the porridge. The mouse is an intermediary between the world of the living and the world of the dead, healthy and terminally ill. The mouse as a resource guide. And here the mouse offers a way for the girl, ready to divert the forces of the deadly disease. But nevertheless, the decision is up to the girl, without the activity of the individual nothing can change. And then the sister grabs her brother, and they begin their journey home through the forest. But after contact with the world of the dead, they both changed. They are united in their desire to be saved, to return home. And now the girl is ready to use natural resources, the fabulous gifts of the forest. And only by using every single way to hide.