It is not helpful to try to make ourselves stop remembering; that’s how a lot of survivors get caught up in various bad habits. That’s running from memories, hiding from them instead of facing them. With time and work, we can learn to deal with intense feelings—a little at a time, there’s no rush!—and learn to be comfortable with who we are.

It’s nice to work through this process with a therapist but we can’t always do that. Please don’t feel that you are helpless and without resources if you don’t have a therapist. There are steps that you can take on your own, and the first step can be talking to God honestly in prayer, asking for help and guidance.

Sometimes it’s hard to believe that God cares about us. (You can talk honestly with the Lord about that too.) I assure you that God does care, very much, and wants each of us to be comfortable in our own skin. Reading the Bible, especially the work of Jesus in the New Testament, can gradually help us have more ability to manage our memories and emotions.

Please always feel free to email me with your questions, and even your disagreement! Mary.Brown@SilenceBrokenNow.org.

Photo by Rod Long on Unsplash.com