This screenshot powerfully resonates with the deep, raw reality of trauma and recovery work. When we engage in true, meaningful healing, it is not a gentle or comforting experience; instead, it is a confrontation with our darkest, most painful parts. As Dr. Glenn Patrick Doyle beautifully puts it, this is “shadow work” and “grief work,” a journey that forces us to face the things we’ve long tried to bury or ignore. There’s no room for denial when we take this path.
From my own experience, this process feels like walking through an endless, thick, dark forest. It’s not a journey we take lightly, nor one that everyone can understand or even attempt. But when you’re in that forest, it becomes clear that there’s a voice guiding you, and for me, that voice is the wounded child within. The wounded child who has been walking in an adult’s body for years, often unnoticed. That child gets louder and louder as life goes on, and the pain they carry manifests in ways we may not fully recognize at first—triggered emotions, reactions, decisions made in fear or confusion. All the while, the true source of that pain remains buried beneath layers of adulthood, masked by attempts to push through, to carry on, to “move forward” without ever really acknowledging the wound.
But here’s the thing: no matter how far we think we’ve come, no matter how much we try to run, the wounded child remains, waiting. That voice only grows louder until it can no longer be ignored. And if we continue to run from it, others—often innocent people—become collateral damage. Yes, they have their own demons, but when we’re not conscious of ours, we risk harming others in ways we never intended.
So, as we “dance in the graveyard,” as Dr. Doyle so hauntingly says, it’s not about burying the past. It’s about unearthing it, bringing that wounded child back into the present, integrating them into who we are now. It’s about acknowledging the pain that still lingers, the wounds that have never fully healed, and understanding that until we face them, they will continue to impact every aspect of our lives.
There’s no shortcut. There’s no bypass. The work requires us to venture into that dark forest, find that child, and bring them back. Only then can we truly heal. Only then can we stop perpetuating cycles of hurt, not just for ourselves, but for those around us.
And the truth is, not everyone is willing to take this journey. It’s not for everyone, as the screenshot suggests. But for those who choose to walk this path, the reward is immeasurable—self-awareness, healing, and ultimately, freedom from the chains of the past.
The forest is thick. The work is hard. But the child is waiting. It’s time to bring them home.
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