What is Emotional Healing?

A change in your circumstances, large or small, can trigger varying degrees of hurt, grief or deep unhappiness. Over the years many individual have inquired to the process of overcoming emotional hurts.   In observing the process to emotional healing makes one become aware of their feelings. You can then expect the healing process to follow, which can be activated by a conscious decision to let go, forgive or surrender to the reality of a loss.

Experiences, such as, betrayal, relocation or death of a loved one, getting divorced or losing a relationship can trigger a sense of loss. Heartache can also be felt as an existential loss due to an ego or identity crisis:

• The birth of a child, where you leave your own childhood behind to enter parenthood.
  • Marriage, where you leave your identity as a single person behind in order to take on the role of a married person.
  • Illness, where you must let go of your identity as a sick person and embrace your life as a healthy person. Or where, for the most part, you have experienced good health, and now you are ill.
  • A wounded childhood, where you exit your identity as a broken or wounded person, letting the circumstances that supported a wounded identity fall away from you, as you enter a new identity as a healthy, more care-free person.

The stages of healing can be felt on many levels of your being: Physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. Since everyone is different and so are their coping mechanisms, these stages may not necessarily occur in the sequence outlined below. Some may skip a stage and then return to it later. Regardless of the order, the entire healing process may last for days, months or even years. An important point to note is that you do not need to go through this on your own. It is prudent that you seek professional help from those qualified in the area of counselling or spiritual mentoring or both and if this is not possible, the wise counsel of a supportive friend or understanding relative is recommended.

There are phases involved in the process of healing. It is a universal journey that comes with an easy to read map once you recognize the chaos in your life for what it really is. Each stage on the path to healing is necessary and normal:

• Avoidance
• Confrontation
• Staying with the emotions
• Clarify and action
• Epiphany and gratitude

Change can often be a daunting process that leaves you feeling out of control. When you are in control, you tend to feel secure and comfortable. Change can destabilize your emotions, triggering feelings of insecurity and a greater loss of control. Change can create chaos, confusion, and even symptoms of depression, but it’s presence in your life means that growth and healing is taking place.