What Does ‘Healing Isn’t Linear’ Mean?
Trauma can be one of the most difficult things to overcome in life. It can leave us feeling broken, shattered, and alone. However, despite how difficult the journey can be, it’s important to remember that healing is possible–it’s just not linear. Healing from trauma is not a straight line from brokenness to wholeness. It’s more like a winding road that takes us through ups and downs, twists and turns.
The Impact of Trauma
When a person experiences trauma, their brain can become rewired in ways that make it difficult to process certain emotions and memories. This can lead to various negative effects, including difficulty sleeping, recurring nightmares, emotional numbness, and the inability to trust and form healthy relationships with others. Trauma can also manifest physically, such as chronic pain or a weakened immune system.
Healing Isn’t Linear…Trust the Process
The idea that a person can go from being deeply wounded to fully healed in a predictable, step-by-step manner is unrealistic and unfair. The truth is that healing isn’t linear. It’s a complex and often unpredictable process that can take many forms.
Everyone’s experience with trauma is unique to them, so there is no one-size-fits-all approach to recovery. Additionally, as time passes, individuals may need different tools and coping strategies to help them deal with the effects of their trauma than what initially worked for them years ago.
Someone healing from a traumatic experience may frequently feel like they’re taking one step forward and two steps back. One day, you may feel like you’re progressing, taking steps toward healing. You may feel hopeful like you’re finally recovering from the pain and hurt holding you back. But the next day, you may feel like you’ve taken two steps back. You may feel overwhelmed by depression, anxiety, or other emotions and thoughts you thought you had left behind. You might wonder what’s next – more therapy? Medications? Hospitalization?
This roller coaster ride of emotions and symptoms is normal when dealing with trauma, but it can be difficult to navigate because healing isn’t a one-time event. It’s not something that you can check off your to-do list and move on from.
Trauma is an experience that leaves a deep and lasting impact on a person’s psyche. It’s not just the symptoms that interfere with your daily life but the impact of trauma on the whole picture – your relationships, work, and just about everything. Trauma effects can linger for years, often causing long-term emotional and psychological distress.
For this reason, healing is a journey that requires self-compassion, understanding, and patience.
You Can Move Forward
The hardest part about healing from trauma isn’t just how long it takes or that there is no universal path. No, the hardest part is accepting that setbacks mean progress and all the frustration and discouragement that follow. The hardest part can be trusting that on a nonlinear path, setbacks create space for growth.
As you navigate this journey, it helps to have the support of others who also stumble and fall but rise again. Because each time we rise together, we become stronger and more resilient than before.
That’s why our new Intensive Outpatient Program at New U Therapy takes a community-based approach centered on connection and accountability. We combine this supportive, healing environment with the most effective and up-to-date treatments for those facing traumatic experiences, depression, and anxiety.
With revolutionary Ketamine, Spravato, and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TFCBT)-based treatment options that have proven results in trauma care, we can individually tailor your healing journey to help you take control of your life again.
With highly trained clinicians on board who have dedicated months of research into our scientifically based methodology – there’s no better place to continue your recovery process!
We invite you to apply today and join us on March 6th for the first session!