Time alone does not heal all wounds

This saying, although somewhat accurate, can be misleading.  Time alone will not heal your wounds.  If anything, it only buries your emotions.  Only to resurface after being triggered at the most unexpected and inconvenient times.  If you have wounds, make note of this.

What does help heal wounds, you ask?  The equation “time + therapy = healing” may be the solution needed.  Honestly, it just depends on what happened to create your wound.  Was it a bicycle accident?  Were you deployed?  Was it a sexual assault?  Were you fired from your job?  Was it a childhood trauma?  Did you lose a loved one?  Or most recently, did your entire life plan shatter because of the COVID-19 pandemic?  Time alone will not heal these wounds.  These experiences have changed the firing and wiring of neurons in your brain, whether you realize it or not.  You will have physiological responses that you wish you could control but cannot.  Trauma is not something you can just put away in a closet and pretend it is not there.  The more time that is passed without getting help, the longer you are treating a constantly reopened wound.  

Going to therapy just to go is not the right response to this.  Knowing which type of therapy is most appropriate to assist with this healing is paramount.  Talk therapy, also known at Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) alone may not do the trick.  You will need to participate in therapeutic modalities that provide a bilateral stimulation of your brain.  It goes back to the rewiring comment above.  Modalities and approaches such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Brainspotting, Experiential Therapy, Somatic Experiencing, Equine Therapy, Mindfulness, Expressive Arts Therapy, and Sand Tray Therapy, are just a few commonly accessed options to begin healing.  It is also important to note that often, participating in a residential level of care to get access to several of these therapy options simultaneously which can, again, help with the healing.

Healing does take time.  Without getting connected to proper care, your mental health could suffer. Time alone will not heal from any pain one experiences, no matter how big or small you view the traumatic event.  Hiring a professional to help you get connected to those appropriate resources to heal will be the best investment you could make.

For questions or comments contact Joanna.