Self-forgiveness is an important part of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) rehabilitation that is often overlooked. While we frequently hear about the need of forgiving others who have wronged us, we rarely hear about learning to forgive ourselves. Self-forgiveness, on the other hand, is critical to our well-being, especially for those suffering from PTSD.
When you endure a traumatic event, particularly a near-death or perceived near-death experience, you may experience a range of complex emotions, including shame and guilt. Learning to let go of shame and guilt is a crucial part of trauma recovery.
Why is it so difficult for people with PTSD to forgive themselves?
Despite the fact that you know it wasn’t your fault, you can’t help but wonder if there was anything you could have done to prevent it. Maybe it would have stopped if you had notified a friend or a teacher sooner. Maybe it would have stopped if you had stood up for yourself and fought back. After surviving something so heinous, it’s natural to have these feelings.
Trauma healing can be a complex process once someone has developed PTSD. You make a lot of blunders before seeking genuine PTSD treatment. Your mental suffering gets so intense at the time that it seems to consume those around you, and it led to you hurting individuals who didn’t deserve it. It has been a difficult task for me to forgive yourself for the mistakes you made during that period.
Why Is Self-Forgiveness Important in PTSD Recovery?
In PTSD healing, self-forgiveness entails letting go of any anger or resentment you may have toward yourself for mistakes you’ve done. It entails letting go of things you can’t alter in the past and opting not to cling to things you can’t change. Learning self-forgiveness can help persons with PTSD achieve recovery because PTSD forces them to linger on old memories.
Though it may be tough to let go, clinging on to shame and guilt will only make your PTSD recovery more difficult. Making mistakes is an inevitable aspect of life, and it’s also an inevitable element of trauma recovery. Nobody is perfect, including you. Accepting that fact about oneself can be a difficult pill to chew, but it’s an important tool for personal development.
If you’re having trouble forgiving yourself, start by talking to a therapist or a close friend about what’s bothering you. Opening up about past mistakes can be frightening and humiliating, but taking the first step is the most difficult. In your PTSD recovery, you can find the love and self-forgiveness you deserve over time.