The Spiral of Healing—Returning Without Regret
You’ve come so far. You’ve done the work. You’ve read the books, sat through therapy, journaled your pain into pages, and dared to believe that healing was possible. And yet—there it is again. The ache. The memory. The inner critic whispering, “I thought you were over this.”
If that’s where you find yourself today, let me offer a new lens: healing is not linear. It is a spiral.
That moment where you revisit the pain is not failure—it’s progress.
That emotional trigger is not a setback—it’s an invitation.
You are not starting over. You are starting deeper.
Why We Return
The spiral image helps us understand why old wounds resurface. We return not to relive them, but to revisit them with more tools, more truth, and more tenderness than we had before.
It’s like climbing a mountain that circles as it rises. You may look out and see the same scenery, pain, doubt, anger—but you are viewing it from a higher altitude. You bring a perspective that you didn’t have on the lower path.
As Jackie shares in her book From Trauma to Purpose, “Healing isn’t just about erasing trauma—it’s about reclaiming your power every time it tries to speak louder than your truth.”
The Myth of a Straight Line
We’ve been conditioned to see healing as a checklist:
Admit what happened
Go to therapy
Find peace
But the truth is messier. You might feel empowered one day and emotionally raw the next. That doesn’t mean you’ve regressed. It means your nervous system is working through layers. Each return is another chance to rewrite the narrative.
When trauma happens, it buries pieces of ourselves for safety. Healing brings those pieces back into the light. Sometimes, that process hurts. Sometimes it’s slow. And sometimes it looks like breaking all over again—but this time, in the presence of self-compassion.
Tools for the Spiral Journey
When you feel the spiral of healing pulling you back into familiar pain, try these grounding tools:
- Name the Layer: Ask yourself, “What am I seeing now that I couldn’t before?”Often, healing reveals subtler aspects of trauma that we’re now strong enough to face.
- Anchor in the Present: Use breathwork, affirmations, or meditation to remind your body that you are safe. Jackie’s 60-Day Journal includes daily prompts like “I am not broken; I am healing.” Sometimes, the body just needs to hear that again.
- Celebrate the Return: What if you could say, “I’m proud of myself for noticing this old pattern and choosing differently today?” That’s not a weakness. That’s evolution.
Returning with Power
Imagine your healing as a spiral staircase—not circling aimlessly, but ascending with every step. The same memory may appear, but now you respond with grace. The same fear may rise, but now you meet it with faith. That’s not starting over. That’s becoming whole.
Don’t let the return fool you. You are moving forward.