09/08/2026
Unfortunately, “go around it forever” was not one of the treatment options. 😂
Avoidance actually makes a lot of sense.
When something has been painful, overwhelming, or frightening, your brain and nervous system may learn:
We don’t go there.
Don’t think about it.
Don’t talk about it.
Stay busy.
Push it down.
Keep moving.
And sometimes those strategies helped you get through a season when you didn’t have the capacity, safety, or support to process what happened.
But what protects us in one season can sometimes keep us stuck in another.
Healing may eventually invite us to turn toward the things we’ve spent a long time trying to avoid.
But “going through it” does NOT mean bulldozing through your story.
It doesn’t mean telling everything in your first therapy session.
It doesn’t mean becoming completely overwhelmed.
And it doesn’t mean distress is proof that therapy is working.
Good trauma therapy involves preparation, pacing, safety, consent, and support. With approaches like EMDR and Brainspotting, your therapist works with you to determine when—and how—to approach difficult material.
Sometimes the way forward really is through.
But you don’t have to go through it alone. 🤍
And for us, Psalm 23 offers such a beautiful reminder:
“Even though I walk through the darkest valley…”
Not over it.
Not under it.
Through it.
And never alone.
Healing is holy work.
