Forgiveness isn’t what heals trauma.
You’ve probably been told that if you just forgive, you’ll feel lighter. But that’s not how trauma works.
Trauma is stored in the body and nervous system. It’s not forgiveness that rewires your brain. It’s processing what happened. It’s learning to feel safe in your body again.
And the truth is, maybe some people don’t deserve your forgiveness. You don’t have to excuse what happened to heal from it.
Healing is about integration, safety, and reclaiming your life. Not about letting someone off the hook.
Forgiveness might come naturally later. Or it might never. Both are okay.
⭐️ Save this for when you feel pressured to forgive. Share it with someone who needs the reminder.
#trauma #complextrauma #forgiveness #ptsd #emdr
Trauma is like a wound.
If it’s left open, filled with grit, and simply covered over, it doesn’t heal, it festers. You might wrap more and more bandages around it, but underneath it’s still painful, hot, and infected.
Avoidance works the same way. We push the pain down, distract ourselves, keep busy, but the wound is still there. Over time, it gets harder to ignore. And it gets harder to live with.
Real healing begins when the bandages come off. When we gently clean and tend to what’s underneath, however uncomfortable that feels at first.
That’s what trauma therapy is: not covering up, but giving the wound the care it needs to heal.
It’s scary but it’s much easier to live with a scar that doesn’t hurt than an open wound. And EMDR can get you there.
⭐️ Does this analogy resonate with you?
#complextrauma #trauma #avoidance #emdr #ptsd #therapistsofinstagram
The part of you that overfunctions was never about ambition alone, it was survival.
When you weren’t allowed to fall apart, your nervous system adapted. Overfunctioning is a trauma response. It’s linked to avoidance, one of the three core features of PTSD, alongside hypervigilance and re-experiencing.
Avoidance isn’t always obvious. It can look like overworking, taking care of everyone else first, or never stopping to rest. These strategies protect you from overwhelming feelings and memories by keeping you busy, competent, and in control.
The cost? Exhaustion, disconnection, and the sense that no matter how much you do, it’s never enough.
Healing isn’t about getting rid of that part of you, it’s about helping your nervous system learn that it’s safe now. That you don’t have to earn rest or prove your worth. Approaches like EMDR can rewire the brain, so you no longer live only in survival mode.
💙 If this resonates, know there is nothing “wrong” with you. These patterns are your brain’s way of protecting you. And they can change.
#emdr #complextrauma #highfunctioninganxiety #trauma #ptsd
