Healing Journey Quotes

“I no longer look to my abusers with any expectation– of remorse, or apology or restitution or restoration or relationship. I’m at peace, accepting that they won’t and can’t help me out of the mess they created. But, I’m the best qualified for that job anyway and I’m happy with the job I’m doing.”
― Christina Enevoldsen, The Rescued Soul: The Writing Journey for the Healing of Incest and Family Betrayal

“Healing was a terrifying and painful experience and my life was as full of struggle and heartache as it had always been. Several years after I started therapy, I began to feel happy. I was stunned. I hadn't realized that the point of all this work on myself was to feel good. I thought it was just one more struggle in a long line of struggles. It took a while before I got used to the idea that my life had changed, that I felt happy, that I was actually content. Learning to tolerate feeling good is one of the nicest parts of healing.”
― Ellen Bass, The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse

“If you feel anxiety or depression, you are not in the present. You are either anxiously projecting the future or depressed and stuck in the past. The only thing you have any control over is the present moment; simple breathing exercises can make us calm and present instantly.”
― Tobe Hanson, The Four Seasons Way of Life:: Ancient Wisdom for Healing and Personal Growth

“There is no one way to recover and heal from any trauma. Each survivor chooses their own path or stumbles across it.”
― Laurie Matthew, Behind Enemy Lines

“In spite of the horror, in spite of the
tragedy, in spite of the weeks of sleepless
nights, I'm finally alive. I'm not pretending.
I feel real. I'm not playing charades anymore. I wouldn't go back to the way I was for anything. I'm really like a different person. I'm where I am, and I'm making the most of it. I know I'm courageous now. I found out I had it in me to face this. — Barbara”
― Ellen Bass, The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse

“Deciding to actively heal is terrifying because it means opening up to hope. For many survivors, hope has brought only disappointment.
Although it is terrifying to say yes to yourself, it is also a tremendous relief when you finally stop and face your own demons.
There is something about looking terror in the face, and seeing your own reflection, that is strangely relieving. There is comfort in knowing that you don't have to pretend anymore, that you are going to do everything
within your power to heal. As one survivor
put it, "I know now that every time I accept
my past and respect where I am in the present, I am giving myself a future."
- The Courage to Heal”
― Ellen Bass, The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse

“Commit to the healing path and trust the process.”
― Rosenna Bakari

“As you recover, you will feel more conscious of your surroundings. Freed from the ‘fog’ of your pain, fear, and confusion, you will awaken and see the world revealed as never before. You will begin to observe things, especially yourself. You will be aware of what you do and why you do it. You will begin to observe your own behavior and attitudes.”
― Beverly Engel, The Right to Innocence: Healing the Trauma of Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Therapeutic 7-Step Self-Help Program for Men and Women, Including How to Choose a Therapist and Find a Support Group

“I believe in not trying to control things that are out of my control or none of my business.”
― Tobe Hanson, The Four Seasons Way of Life:: Ancient Wisdom for Healing and Personal Growth

“There came a time in my life when I had to admit to myself that I have some very clear narcissistic tendencies. Ironically, it occurred during the writing of my book The Emotionally Abused Woman. As I listed the symptoms of narcissism, I was amazed to find that I recognized myself in the description of the disorder.

It should have been no surprise to me because I come from a long line of narcissists. My mother and several of her brothers suffered from the disorder, as did her mother. For some reason, though, I imagined that I’d escaped our family curse. I should have known that it’s not that easy to.”
― Beverly Engel, The Jekyll and Hyde Syndrome: What to Do If Someone in Your Life Has a Dual Personality - or If You Do

“You know you're having a bad week when you call 911, the paramedics come to your house, and one of them notices you've rearranged your furniture.”
― Cherie Kephart, A Few Minor Adjustments: A Memoir of Healing

“And as she fell apart, her shattered pieces began to bloom — blossoming until she became herself exactly as she was meant to be...”
― Becca Lee

“I believe there are only three businesses: my business, other people's business, and God's business.”
― Tobe Hanson, The Four Seasons Way of Life:: Ancient Wisdom for Healing and Personal Growth

“I am empowered by self-knowledge, by ownership of my experiences, and by all aspects of myself.”
― Maureen Brady, Daybreak: Meditations for Women Survivors of Sexual Abuse

“Empowerment is something that happens throughout your healing, as courage and success in facing your memories build your self-esteem. Some of the strengths you get from taking on your buried memories does not show up in your life until long after the resolution has been achieved.”
― Renee Fredrickson, Repressed Memories: A Journey to Recovery from Sexual Abuse

“Health, peace of mind, peak performance, and success in any area of life all depend upon doing the right thing at the right time, in harmony with the cycles of the Four Seasons.”
― Tobe Hanson, The Four Seasons Way of Life:: Ancient Wisdom for Healing and Personal Growth

“I believe I will not not die a minute too early or a minute too late, but exactly when I am supposed to.”
― Tobe Hanson, The Four Seasons Way of Life:: Ancient Wisdom for Healing and Personal Growth

“However, we have to acknowledge that living with DID presents huge challenges; it is complex and complicated. But our diagnosis was the key to us accessing services and funding, which has enabled us to return to life within the community and to have a positive future. We can see constructive, productive elements in our life, and our faith plays a strong part in this.”
― carol broad, Living with the Reality of Dissociative Identity Disorder: Campaigning Voices

“I create a home that is a safe and nurturing place for me, where I am free to gather myself.”
― Maureen Brady, Daybreak: Meditations for Women Survivors of Sexual Abuse

“In my experience, stress is the cause of all injury and pain.”
― Tobe Hanson, The Four Seasons Way of Life:: Ancient Wisdom for Healing and Personal Growth