4 Truths About Getting Over Emotional Trauma

There are 4 Facts That Will Help You Overcome Emotional Pain

After receiving a promising job offer, I uprooted my life and relocated to San Diego, California to cover sports for a network I had long admired from afar. La Jolla seemed like a good place for a single lady like myself to call home, so that’s where I put down roots. What I was about to go through in the next week was something for which no one could have adequately prepared me.

When I went out for a run one afternoon in my neighborhood, I saw a guy standing by his open car door. He seemed to be bending down to get an item from his vehicle, maybe groceries. Before I could react, the guy had turned, grabbed me by the hair, and pushed me hastily toward the automobile. The pain in my chest was sudden and excruciating; I immediately realized it was a taser. At that point, I realized I was really being kidnapped, and the attack got very serious indeed.

Although several ideas were racing through my thoughts, one in particular stood out. I thought back to a tale I’d heard on “Oprah” about a lady who was abducted and forced into a man’s vehicle. She managed to get away from her assailant in the end. The survivor’s words stuck with me: “I knew if I got in that man’s vehicle, I was going to die.” I knew that if I gave in to my assailant, I would meet the same destiny. Fighting was the only option I had left.

I struggled desperately to free myself from the man’s iron hold, and I did so by punching, kicking, and screaming. By some miracle I freed myself from his grip and started sprinting down the main road. I saw a vehicle coming and started flailing my arms about, pleading with the driver to pull over. Somebody, after all, did.

We contacted the police when we got to my building, and they sent investigators right away. The investigators were able to track down the suspect, apprehend him, and determine the motivation for the assault after they had gathered enough evidence. Initially, I believed this was an abduction or stalking, but it turned out to be much more. The sex trafficking ring the cops found was operating in the shadows. When I realized how serious the situation was and what may have happened as a result, I was terrified for my life.

I tried to get well on my own for a while, but eventually I sought out a biblical counselor via my church. When I shut my eyes during one of our sessions, a voice said, “Sarah, don’t be afraid. Jesus’ voice assured me, “I will never abandon you or forsake you.” I had an overwhelming sense of calm and security at that moment. With this realization, I felt like I could start over and leave my tragedy in the past.

As time passed, I was able to draw a number of lessons about recovery and overcoming trauma from my experience. For this reason, I offer you these four realities as words of encouragement:

To Seek Assistance Is Acceptable

There was a lot of emotional damage done to me by the incident. I looked about me, and there was always someone trying to assault me. I started having nightmares and creating fictitious scenarios in my imagination. My first reaction whenever I passed someone engaged in telephone conversation was always that they were conspiring to murder me. After a long day, I always made sure I was secure by locking the door behind me, checking beneath the bed, and opening each and every closet.

So much worry and unease ruled my existence. All of it was too much. Laughter and happiness were nowhere to be found in my world. I didn’t decide to get assistance until I could take it no longer. This was the finest decision I could have made for myself in retrospect. I was able to make progress thanks to sound advice, and more significantly, it led me back to my Savior. The old Sarah inside me slowly started to emerge.

Having the support of a counselor helped me find the inner resources to get beyond my traumatic experience. Because of this, I was able to start the healing process in the company of people who really cared about my future and well-being. In spite of the challenges you’re encountering right now, I hope you’ll look for companions to share the road with you. We need to surround ourselves with individuals who are willing to kindly advise us and offer us strength since we are helpless on our own.

The ability to forgive is crucial to the recovery process.

The only way I was able to overcome my deepest hurts was via genuine, heartfelt forgiveness. It took a long time, but forgiving them brought me a lot of peace. I recognized that I would never heal so long as I harbored resentment and bitterness.

In the Bible, we see an uplifting vision of mercy and forgiveness. When I consider the people who wronged Jesus, I see him hanging on the cross. God was full of kindness and compassion, not judgment and holding guilt against His people. That’s why I’m willing to forgive the person who took my happiness if Jesus was able to restore his.

Forgiveness is essential, but it isn’t always simple. It’s a slow and deliberate process. The most important thing is to pray about it. The way to forgiveness is to stop focusing on yourself and start seeking God’s will. If you want to stop the bitter cycle of resentment and anger, you must be prepared to forgive.

Achieving Recovery Calls both Courage and Willpower

To recover from the assault required the same amount of fortitude as was required to withstand it. The end of the tunnel might seem so far away at times. It’s easy to want to just quit up at this stage and bury any feelings or ideas that compel you to revisit the past. To keep going after you’ve hit this wall, you’ll need all the guts and resolve you can muster. At this juncture, you need the support of those who will push you over your self-doubt. In your travels, they will serve as a beacon of light and a pillar of strength.

As a result of my will to persevere, I have accomplished two great feats: I am now physically stronger than I have ever been, and I have reunited with the Sarah I had lost. You have to be ready to pick yourself up and keep moving ahead no matter what obstacles life throws at you. There will be benefits in the end, so it’s time well spent.

Despite our adversity, there is always a reason to keep going.

I felt so dissatisfied in my reporting career after the event that I decided to pursue a master’s degree in sports psychology. My new calling is to help people develop their own inner fortitude and self-assurance as a mental performance coach.

My spouse and I have joined the struggle to raise awareness about this system of modern slavery, of which many people are ignorant. By sharing my story, I wish to raise awareness about human trafficking and empower those who are at risk of or have fallen victim to this crime.

God can use our darkest methods to bring about our brightest ends, even when we can’t see it happening. In my account, He redeemed a terrible situation. My worries have been lifted, and God has given me a fresh mission in life. Because I decided to get some treatment, I went to therapy and learned to forgive myself and others.