Moving through addiction forces us to look deep within ourselves, to the truth of who we are. It requires that we take time to be alone with our thoughts without the numbing, distracting and self-medicating of addiction. We’re no longer zoned out, escaping and avoiding our pain. We’re forced to face our deepest fears and assess our most painful wounds. When we courageously work through this process, we’re strengthening our connection to ourselves. We’re stepping into our true selves and becoming the person we were destined to be.

Self-reflection can be one of the hardest things for us to do, especially if we’ve grown accustomed to suppressing our feelings, avoiding them or denying them. Many of us were taught to ignore our feelings and to focus on logic and reason. Our emotions are a vital part of who we are. Burying our painful feelings and trying to run from them only hurts us more. It postpones the healing process and prolongs the raw pain of our woundedness. To really heal ourselves, we have to let ourselves feel. Reflecting on ourselves and our lives means coming face to face with our mistakes, our regrets, our deepest shame. We have to connect with ourselves. We have to forgive ourselves.

Our addictions have given us a way to avoid our pain. They’ve been our escape, our way out. All we’ve done is delay our suffering, and the sooner we can confront the deep parts of ourselves that need healing, the sooner we can look forward to a successful recovery. All these things have been trying to get our attention – our fears, the traumatic experiences we have yet to heal from, our sadness – by testing and triggering us, but we’ve grown accustomed to responding by avoiding them with our addictions. Let’s look at these things closely and honestly. Let’s turn towards them rather than away from them. It can be scary and overwhelming. We don’t always know what we will uncover. We’ve repressed our emotions and blocked out memories. The more we practice analyzing our pain, the more we can work through it.

Connect with yourself by showing yourself compassion. Remind yourself that this is a difficult process, and give yourself your support. Be patient during any challenging emotional responses that might come up for you. Forgive yourself for your past mistakes. Work to release your regrets and detach from holding onto them so tightly. See your pain as a necessary part of your evolution. You don’t need to let it burden you or make you feel ashamed anymore. Do the work to reflect on your past so that you can get clarity on who you are in order to move forward.

Our skilled therapists can help you with the very important self-reflection process. Call 888-570-7154 for more information about our treatment programs.