A New Life Vision: You Are Not Shame; You Are Strength

Trauma of any kind limits our vision of life. It skews the vision of who we really are. Our body, mind, and even spirit are forced into survival mode. We can only see what is immediately around us. The moments that our power is taken away blind us to the bigger picture. The soul-ripping pain we are left with causes long-term blindness to life beyond the trauma. It can blind us to our own value—to the light and strength within us.

So how can the blindness be cured? The first step is admitting our vision is limited. When our physical eyesight fails us, we seek the help of a professional. We work to find ways to improve our vision. We can do the same for our life-vision.

A Limited Vision

Dealing with the effects of sexual abuse left the vision of the life I wanted shattered. At first, it felt like the only thing in front of me was a prison of painful experiences. The intense fear and shame were overwhelming. I wanted to hide from the reality of the destruction inside me.

Anger and despair took over and blinded me to any evidence of personal value. I went into shutdown mode, refusing to allow myself to feel. Shutting down led to the loss of happiness, fun, and peace, while dark emotions threatened to explode to the surface. The effort to keep everything boxed up sucked the energy out of me till there was nothing left to fight my way forward.

Just as blindness threatened to snuff out the last flicker of hope, it came to me that I had a choice. Hope or defeat? We have the power to choose healing. We have the power to choose to open our eyes to a bigger picture—one that sees beyond the pain of our trauma. I discovered that when I chose to work through the difficult emotions and realities of my abuse, my heart was more open to the strength and goodness that still burned in my core.

Can I Be Open to a New Vision?

Still, I needed help to see life and myself as they really are. I thought of the possibility of a loving Higher Power. Maybe I wasn’t alone. Maybe there was a different life plan than I originally envisioned. Is there was more to me than I thought? It was hard to let go of my limited vision and be open to new directions. I had to put pride aside and trust that reclaiming peace and happiness wasn’t tied to everything being just as I thought it should be. Trusting I wasn’t alone helped me forward. Trusting in a benevolent “Higher Power” opened my eyes to the strength and light inside me.

Our value and strength are not fleeting but resonate from our heart and connect us to the power of a light-filled universe. That connection is what helps us move forward through the trials and ultimately to a life that may be different than what we dreamt of, but bigger and more fulfilling than we could imagine. Believing in a loving Higher Power re-opens our eyes to possibilities. There is more to life than what our temporarily limited vision allows us to see.

Seeing Our Way Forward

Healing can make seemingly impossible demands on our energies and resources. It often takes us through unspeakable pain and struggles. It’s tempting to take shortcuts and hope that the hauntings inside will disappear. Each step of the way, we have a choice to make. Do we trust in our Higher Power and the power of the light inside us? Or do we put on superficial masks of okay-ness and succumb to the power of the trauma we’ve endured?

Dealing with the devastating effects of the abuse I suffered made me feel like I was crazy and hopeless. Sometimes, I worked through the trauma and toward the light, only to be knocked down again by resurfacing pain. It felt like the light was just teasing me—a mirage meant to make me believe in something that wasn’t there. 

But shutting my eyes to the light made the pain heavier and eventually unbearable. If I didn’t trust in the light somewhere ahead, the anguish in my soul would destroy me. Hope was lost in the destruction—almost. Even in the moments of deepest despair, there is a distant, tiny spot of light.

A choice is gently given to us. We can focus on the light and find our way forward or close our eyes to any hope or help.

You Are Not Shame; You Are Strength

Ultimately, it is about accepting that we can’t walk this path alone. And we don’t need to. Accepting that reality helps us work through the pain and have eyes open to the worth inside us and the beauty ahead. A new vision is not a promise of ease or a magic cure, but a promise of better ability to tap into the light in and around us. The truth is that we are stronger than we know. 

There is strength in embracing a new life vision. There is strength in rediscovering who you are. You are loved. You are worthy. And most importantly, You are not Shame, you are Strength.

Finding Joy After Trauma