Navigating Deep Emotional Wounds: A Healing Journey

I’ve been thinking.

The deeper the hurt, the longer it takes to heal. While this may seem simple and understood in terms of physical healing, sometimes we fail to internalize it when it comes to emotional healing.

When we’ve been physically hurt, like being seriously wounded from a car accident, or on a worksite, or from some incident that caused a significant injury, we give ourselves time to heal because we know that it takes time.

It’s not something that can be rushed.

But an emotional injury? We are often told to just get over it – forget it happened – move on.

Sometimes, that is impossible.

Did you know that if a wound is contaminated, a doctor will not immediately close the wound? They will wait until the contamination has cleared before closing a wound. Healing then occurs deep beneath the surface.

It also happens that some wounds are too deeply involved to be stitched closed on the surface. These wounds are left open and raw so that the body can naturally form scar tissue over the wound to close up the injury.

And some wounds heal by forming a rigid protective boundary on the top called a scab. This scab protects the raw flesh underneath from further injury until the body can heal itself.

Every wound is different, and the time it takes to heal varies depending upon the severity of the wound. If the area has been repeatedly wounded in the same area, it may take longer to heal because the flesh is more sensitive.

Wow.

There is so much truth about emotional healing in those medical facts.

Every emotional wound is unique and takes time to heal based on the injury and the sensitivity of the area affected. If we have experienced repeated emotional wounds, it may take longer. The body’s instinct is to put a boundary around the wound to protect it from further injury or pain. The boundary you may use for an emotional injury could be to back away from a relationship, isolate yourself from a group, or change your environment for a time period until the hurt subsides.

That’s okay.

Remember – the deeper the wound, the longer it will take to heal.

Be patient and give yourself time to forgive and God time to heal you. The healing process has no specific timeline, so don’t be rushed by those who don’t understand. If you have been hurt in the past, it may take you longer.

Avoid forcing closure to an emotional wound when there are still unresolved feelings beneath the surface. Allow God to address this pain before making decisions about reinitiating relationships with those who have caused the injury. If closure happens too quickly, unresolved feelings can fester, leading to irreparable emotional damage.

Don’t be rushed. Give yourself grace. And give God time to heal.