08/27/2026
If we had to shrink and hide when we were young, in order to stay safe, then showing up, expressing ourselves and being seen and heard later in life can be really hard and scary.
This is where again, safe people and communities are vital to aid this part of our healing, as they give us unconditional support and acceptance which allows us to practise doing these things in safe spaces, free of judgment, silencing, shaming and rejection.
To become accustomed to revealing our real selves, not just our survival-oriented self, requires the right conditions, people and attitudes.
However, we do have a tendency to return to the same kinds of people and groups which mirror the original wounding, so a vital part of this is to become more conscious of who and where we are choosing to engage with. It’s not called repetition compulsion for nothing, as our deepest original wounds to the core of our self, keep us going back again and again until finally, we awaken and crucially, find the strength to walk away from those places and towards much more healthy attachments, organisations and spaces.
Put simply, we have to eventually love and value ourselves enough, so that we choose wisely now and walk towards healing rather than familiarity.
Angela Dunning
The Horse’s Truth
Image ©Julia Shepeleva, licensed via Shutterstock; not available for re-use, saving or downloading.
