The journey of self-recovery.
“Through suffering emerged the strongest souls who all bear witness to a battle won”.
Our life is a journey on which each of us embarks without choice in the matter. We did not ask to be born, we did not choose our parents, we had to deal with the deck of cards as it was dealt. Depending on what we believe in, we very seldom have all the answers. So, life will throw you some punches and we either learn to swing with the punches or we don’t. When we learn to swing with the punches, we use the resources at our disposal to develop coping skills which help us on the journey of self-discovery. However, sometimes the opposite occurs, and we are unable to cope any longer. The ability to swing with the punches has stopped and we are overwhelmed by it all and ready to throw in the towel – which might then just seem to be the easiest option. That is when we should realize that we are on a very rocky, slippery road and that we need help fast.
What is it about this journey that allows us to accept certain things that cause emotional trauma, and be OK with it? The reality is the ability to understand and experience how emotional trauma affects each of us differently. The process of working through trauma and recovery differs from one person to the next. It is necessary to consciously acknowledge that we have experienced the trauma and face it than to deny the occurrence and pretend that everything is just fine. All we will achieve is that we will inadvertently prolong the process which could lead to our recovery. The damage to the psyche of each person occurs over time while trauma becomes like a plaque build-up within the arteries. It manifests into illness as your body needs to purge the hurt and the anger. The other name for grief is anger, so all the hurt that causes us grief has its roots in anger.
In recognizing the trauma and dealing with it through professional help, we set ourselves free to continue our journey in life. This does not guarantee a life free of memories of the trauma, as the scars will always remain. However, the scars will always remind us that we have dealt with the trauma.
“Some wounds never show, not even in the mirror, until we see them in the expressions on the faces of people we love.” – Cameron Jace
NOTE
If you relate to this article and recognize that you need help, please feel free to reach out.