Healing From Trauma

07/27/23

Hello readers,

Today, I'd like to discuss a subject that affects us all: Trauma. How can we recover?

It might be difficult to recall a memory after having survived a traumatic experience. No matter what happened—whether it was a car accident, abuse, bullying, losing a loved one, or something else—many of us would rather not talk about it. But no matter how hard we attempt to forget our traumatic experiences; they might still follow us around. As more thoughts tend to enter our brains as we push the memories further away thinking it will get easier but in reality it just makes it harder to handle.

Why do we have so many problems in life? Is it internal brokenness that we all suffer with, trauma, or generational curses? What impact do your past traumas have on you today? We all have stories like that, I suppose. In my perspective, many of us just lack the skills necessary to cope with difficult situations we encounter. We reproduce the same habits that our parents exhibited as we grow older. We can only base our decisions on what we've seen, right? It's just parent to child transmission of the same behaviors, right? Generation after generation demonstrates that even when things aren't, they're still OK. The predicament makes me think of the cliche, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger," but is it actually true? It should actually be, if it doesn't kill you, simply decide to go on and convince yourself that's okay and it will be better next time. Many parents, in my opinion, ought to have had frank conversations with us. The reality is that what is going on is not okay. It appears that our generation was raised in a "get over it" manner. Later, as we become older, we look for people, places, or things that might soothe us through our worst moments. We are guided down a road of harmful habits until we are actually able to manage and recover from the event, rather than receiving the solace we seek. Time, it is said, are a reality of life, but it is how we react to those times that matters.

"What's a moment that you can leave behind so you can look ahead?" is the question I put to you. When I was outed to my local church as a teenager, it was the moment I decided to leave behind. The same individuals who raised me from the time I was a little child until I was in my teens were also the ones who warned me that I would burn in hell for choosing to love a woman rather than a man. It surprised me since I've always been told that God is love. He loves us all, regardless of what we do, who we choose to love, or the decisions we make every day. But that's a tale for another day, haha.

It's crucial to keep moving ahead and avoid being frozen in certain situations. Instead of being frozen in time, we must embrace change. Since "being normal" cannot be defined, let's be honest. Each of us defines normalcy differently. We need to embrace boldness, make forward-thinking moves, and live our version of normal lives. Even though change might be difficult, we must be open to it. Once we do that, we will be able to live better lives and teach the next generation to adopt healthy behaviors.