Trauma, Brokenness, and Resilience

When people come in for counseling, it’s often because there was a trauma from the past that keeps showing up in the present. There is a saying that states: “What we resist persists.” Therefore, unprocessed emotions and hurts will manifest in physical symptoms, compulsions, rumination, self-harm, or a recapitulation of experiencing one similarly unhealthy relationship after another.  Oftentimes, this is not intentional but an unconscious enactment of what was familiar (even when toxic).

The fact of the matter is that we live in a broken fallen world where people hurt other people, sometimes intentionally, sometimes unintentionally.  Once this happens to a person, there are two options: suppress the emotions and contend with the distress in a different way such as drinking too much, etc., or address the symptoms of trauma by engaging in a caring, supportive, and therapeutic process with a trained clinician, pastor, or wise friend.  We don’t always have the opportunity to choose what happens to us, but we can choose how we manage the emotions thereafter through a relational healing process. Many people find a sense of empowerment when they choose to address their abuse or trauma and find healing, hope, and resiliency as a result. So, whether with a psychotherapist, a trusted pastor, or wise friend —suffering can be mitigated with the end result being freedom from the ties that bind.