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This is How I Stopped Letting My Childhood Traumas Hold Me Hostage
For much of my adult life, I’ve been held hostage by my childhood traumas. They had me gagged, maimed, and hopelessly bound. I hit an explosive boiling point in my late 20s early 30s. I could no longer endure the weight of emotional and existential pain I’d been carrying around.
I’d have random breakdowns and would need to go on long distance runs and subject myself to the most strenuous workout sessions in order to cope. While fitness is a necessary part of any healthy person’s life, I wasn’t okay inside and I knew it.
After doing lots of self-help research over the course of about 8 years, I figured out what my problem was: If I didn’t learn to overcome my childhood traumas and integrate my shadow, I’d never find true happiness or success. For many of us, there is often an unnatural block on the mind that, unless removed, will prevent us from purely perceiving reality.
You may be wondering what I mean by “shadow”. Simply put, the shadow is the unfamiliar, unexplored, repressed dark side of one’s being. It is hidden from our conscious mind due to our fears and insecurities and yet, it holds the key to our transcendence, effectiveness in life, and emotional stability.
To give an example, let’s take an office secretary. We’ll call her Shirley. Shirley…
