Being vulnerable makes a lot of people feel uncomfortable. After all, vulnerability involves the risk of being judged or rejected. When in recovery from trauma, however, being vulnerable can play a key part in the healing process. You have to not only talk about the things that happened to you, but you have to talk about the feelings you now experience.
Learning to be vulnerable and to open up to others will advance your healing process. If you feel uncomfortable being vulnerable, remember that sharing emotions and feelings is a skill that you can develop as you gain more insight into your recovery process.
You can practice opening up to others by talking to a therapist. As you begin to gain rapport with your therapist, remember that you are in a safe space to discuss your emotions. You will not be judged or rejected for your thoughts and feelings. Consider this to be a place to build your skills of opening up and being vulnerable. As you open up, you will feel more comfortable with the process.
You can also attend group sessions or meetings. Often, these meetings do not require you to speak unless you are comfortable doing so. You can sit quietly in the meeting and listen to others share their experiences. Once you realize that you are not alone in your traumatic experiences and your feelings, you may start to feel more comfortable opening up to the group.
As you feel more comfortable opening up to others with similar experiences, you will then have practice in being vulnerable. You can then begin to share with others in your life, who care for you and want to understand what you are going through. Just give yourself time to engage in the process of recovery and you will find yourself feeling more comfortable and trusting in opening up to others!
Sometimes, we need to “get things off our chest” but feel alone or that others would not understand our pain. We may even feel that they will judge us or reject us if they know our innermost thoughts and feelings. Opening up to others can leave us feeling like we are exposing wounds and feeling vulnerable. The Guest House offers a safe and supportive environment for you to share your experiences. Many of our guests have gone through similar traumas and can relate to your emotions. Call us today at (855) 483-7800 for more information!