5 Reasons Forgiving Are Not Necessarily Healing Inner Injuries

Illustration of the reason for forgiveness is not necessarily a cure for inner wounds (Freepic)

YOGYAKARTA Traumatized or psychological trauma occurs when a person goes through a very painful, shocking experience, or makes them feel insecure. Such as violence, harassment, accidents, or great loss. Trauma can have a deep impact on the soul, which is to leave inner wounds. Quoting HelpGuide, Friday, November 28, inner wounds are an emotional imprint of pain, anxiety, fear, inner discomfort, or the inability to feel safe and confident.

If trauma is not processed properly, this former emotion can continue to affect the way we think, feel, and live life. Therefore, forgiveness is too fast sometimes not a solution can even delay the true healing process. This is an explanation of why inner wounds do not heal just by forgiveness.

When trauma leaves a wound, feelings such as anger, sadness, or disappointment often feel very heavy. Therefore, there is a desire to quickly 'forget' so that the pain doesn't continue to be felt. Forgiving is sometimes seen as a shortcut so that it can return to being as before trauma. But emotions, especially those that arise after trauma, are not just common feelings. This feeling brings an important message from within us. So if we rush to forgive without giving space to feel, understand, and process those emotions, we can miss the important opportunity to heal inner wounds deeply. As a result, wounds can remain hidden, even if you are forgibly'.

Feelings of pain, anger, or fear after trauma often act as a signal from the body and mind. That there is something insecure and you need to protect yourself. Launching the Mental Health Foundation, if you forgive before listening to this signal, or forgive before giving space to heal yourself, then you can lose the opportunity to set a healthy limit and maintain your emotional safety. That way, trauma can remain imprinted, even without realizing it.

According to the definition of trauma, inner wounds often arise when a person experiences events that hurt physically or emotionally, and trauma is related to damage to security and psychological well-being. If there is no acknowledgment or responsibility from the perpetrator, but you have forgiven, then the wound is only closed in words, not resolved emotionally. As a result, feelings of hurt and insecurity can persist, and inner healing is hampered.

Forgiving without any consequences makes the perpetrator seem 'free', he does not learn from mistakes, does not consider the effects of his behavior. This opens up the potential that mistakes or the same illness can be repeated. For those who experience inner wounds, this means the risk of new emotional wounds is still open. That way, premature forgiveness can make a person vulnerable to repeated trauma.

If you forgive before your inner wound begins to heal, or before feeling emotionally secure, you may open up too quickly, even before it's ready. When that happens, forgiveness doesn't give you relief. It can actually make you too open or trust other people too much without protection. Old trauma can reappear, or new trauma can arise, because your sense of security and self-protection has not yet been established firmly.

Forgiving can indeed be part of the healing process but it is not a guarantee that inner wounds will just disappear. Especially if trauma comes from severe experiences, irresponsible actors, or you haven't made room to process emotions properly. Sometimes, a wiser step is to give yourself time to listen to feelings, set boundaries, and heal inner wounds slowly. It's okay if you're not ready to forgive now, respecting your own healing process is much more important. Because curing inner wounds means rebuilding a sense of security, protection, and respect for yourself.