Confronting our past can be terrifying. The past may contain painful memories that we haven’t fully sorted through. Out of fear, we talk ourselves into believing that if we leave the past alone, it will eventually go away. If we bury the past so deeply, we won’t have to see, feel or remember any of it. If we never talk about the past, it will find a way to work itself out.
However, the reality is that it doesn’t happen this way.
Past hurts and old wrongs have a way of keeping us stuck and unable to move forward or experience joy. How many times have you tried to block out your past, only to have it resurface at some point later in your life?
There is a reason you haven’t been able to fully move forward. Burying it doesn’t work. The pain and confusion run deep and we repeat old patterns. At some point, it will resurface, reminding us of the very thing we have been trying so very hard to forget and ignore.
Therapy involves getting unstuck. It includes remembering the incidents that happened to you, but reconsidering it from a different, more empathetic perspective. Accepting the truth and finding ways to work through it, allows you to control your life.You don’t get over your past, but you might have a different perspective on it.
You don’t forget it, but the thought no longer interferes with functioning and relationships. You don’t pretend your past wasn’t bad, but you have a sense that you can heal.
We don’t get over our past; we learn how to cope with it.
Carrie
Carrie, this is so, so true. It really is difficult. I truly believe anything worth doing is difficult but will be worth all the hard work in the end. 😊
Sometimes it’s necessary. And worth it =)