Healing through your past trauma could be a long process but there are signs of change and growth along the way. It’s not always easy to see the progress because it could look so small and inconspicuous most days, but there are telltale signs that can help you to see even the smallest progress.
There are individual differences, of course. Each of us is healing from different traumas and suffers from different emotional wounds. In this article, I will share with you 10 signs that you are healing that are based on broad generalizations so you can just choose those that fit you personally.
What Is Emotional & Psychological Trauma?
Emotional and psychological trauma is the result of extraordinarily stressful events that shatter your sense of security, making you feel helpless in a dangerous world. It can cause upsetting emotions, memories, and anxiety that won’t go away easily. Also, emotional trauma can leave you feeling numb, disconnected, and unable to trust people.
Traumatic experience often involves a threat to our physical or mental safety. In fact, any situation that leaves you feeling overwhelmed and isolated can potentially result in trauma, even if it doesn’t involve physical abuse.
Thus, it is your subjective emotional experience of the event that determines whether an event is traumatic. The more scared, helpless, unsafe you feel, the more likely you are to be traumatized.
A potentially traumatic event is more prone to leave us with longer-lasting emotional and psychological trauma if:
- we were unprepared for the event
- the event occurred suddenly
- we felt powerless to prevent the event
- the event occurred repeatedly (for example, child abuse)
- if the event involved extreme cruelty
- if the event occurred during the childhood years
Each of us has our own unique experiences. We all are healing from different traumas and suffer from different emotional wounds. But whatever your trauma is, there are general telltale signs that you are healing. Now let’s take a look at them!
10 Signs That You Are Healing
Here they are – 10 signs that you are healing.
#1: You have accepted that you’ve gone through something difficult
The most important thing to do on your healing journey is actually to acknowledge and accept that you’ve experienced a life-changing moment that has impacted you. This is when the healing process starts. Instead of denying this experience or pretending that it wasn’t a big deal, you accept that your life, mind, body, relationships, or the way you see the world has shifted from that point.
#2: You welcome support
You are open to support and help in different ways whether it’s from friends, family members, energy healers, or therapists. You finally allow yourself to release the need to carry your burdens alone.
#3: You don’t feel ashamed of your trauma
You stopped trying to bury your trauma deep inside of you so that you are not left vulnerable. You allow yourself to feel vulnerable though it may feel uncomfortable at first. Over time, it becomes easier and easier to open up. You are not drowning yourself in shame anymore for everything that has happened to you. You are not trying to ignore your trauma. Instead, you are opening up so that your emotional wound can finally heal.
#4: You are learning to manage your emotions
Instead of allowing your emotions to control you, now you’re learning to manage them. With time, you start seeing how you’re becoming able to anticipate stressful situations and come up with strategies to deal with them. You become more proficient at calming yourself down rather than being purely reactive.
#5: You can recognize and cope with your triggers
In the past, different cues in the environment could have predictably, if unconsciously, set you off. Now you’re consciously aware of all the triggers and know how to cope with them.
#6: You feel more in control of yourself
You let go of self-blame and self-criticism. You chose to stop being a victim. This allowed you to take control over your life, your emotions, and reactions. The less you feel like the trauma controls you, the more you feel in control of yourself.
#7: You can set and enforce your boundaries, and respect other’s
Your past trauma used to make you wrongly see boundaries as a sign of rejection, or confuse boundaries with walls that keep people out. Your healing self is able to recognize healthy boundaries, both those of others and your own. Now you see boundaries as a sign of your ability to connect with others in healthier ways.
#8: You feel safe in your relationships
Trauma can leave us feeling unsafe in close relationships or certain triggering situations, so it makes sense that it might be difficult to trust another person and open yourself up after experiencing trauma. When dealing with trauma, it can be painful to feel caught between feeling unsafe in relationships but still desiring relationships with others. If you noticed that you feel safer in your relationships and it becomes easier for you to trust others, this is a clear sign that you are healing.
#9: You forgive and see yourself as whole
You know that your traumas and emotional pain are only a part of your journey on Earth. All your experiences on this planet are designed for learning and growing. And your trauma is one of such experiences. By forgiving yourself and others for all the pain you’ve been going through, you are releasing all that negativity that was making you feel broken. This is how you start seeing yourself whole again!
#10: You feel comfortable expressing your feelings
You’re not hiding your feelings anymore. Now you feel comfortable sharing whatever you feel you need to express. You can freely and openly talk about your trauma, your emotional wounds, and everything that has happened to you in the past that has created that traumatic experience. You also feel comfortable about the ways that have helped you overcome your trauma and the healing techniques that you’ve been using.
The Bottom Line
When bad things happen, it can take a while to get over the pain and feel safe again. And although healing from your past trauma may look like a long and slow process, there are signs of change and growth along the way. Sometimes these signs are almost invisible but it’s important to notice and celebrate them.