The Stories We Carry: How to Gently Heal Past Wounds

That old hurt—you know the memories, the one from childhood, abusive parents, a past relationship—it doesn't just live in your mind. It lives in the way you flinch at a certain tone of voice, or the story you tell yourself about not being good enough.

Healing past wounds isn't about erasing the past. It's about changing your relationship to it. It's about going back as the compassionate adult you are now and tending to the younger you who is still carrying that pain. Reminding them that they are loved and that they will overcome it all.

Think of it like this: an old wound is a splinter you never removed. It's closed over, but it still aches when you press on it. Healing is the gentle process of reopening the skin just enough to remove the splinter, so true mending can begin. In some instances, it may be even the stitches breaking apart but know that the end goal is to acknowledge, nurture and heal.

This can look like therapy, journaling where you let your inner child speak, or simply placing a hand on your heart when a memory surfaces and saying, "I see you. I'm here now. You are safe." It's slow, it's tender, and it's the most important archaeology you will ever do.