This Again? Maybe That’s a Good Sign

In therapy, I often hear people say things like, “I thought I was over this,” or “Why is this coming up again?” These moments can feel frustrating, even discouraging, especially when you’ve already done a lot of work on yourself. But the truth is that healing isn’t a straight line. It’s messy, and you might find yourself circling back to familiar pain, but from a new angle, with new tools, and deeper insight.

Revisiting old wounds isn’t a sign that you’re failing. In fact, it often means you’re healing.

We revisit things when we’re ready to look at them through a different lens. Maybe the part of you that once coped by disconnecting is now strong enough to stay present. Maybe you’re able to feel the emotion more fully, without being overwhelmed by it. Or maybe you’re just starting to understand how an experience you minimized in the past actually shaped the way you move through the world.

This is especially true for people who have experienced trauma. The body and mind often protect us from the full weight of what we’ve gone through until we have the resources, both internally and externally, to process it. So when something resurfaces, it can actually be a sign that you’ve grown enough to face it in a new way.

Therapy is not about erasing the past. It’s about creating enough safety to meet those parts of ourselves with compassion and curiosity, rather than fear or shame. When we can do that, we don’t just revisit the past — we begin to relate to it differently. We’re no longer stuck in it; we’re moving through it.

So if you find yourself circling back to something you thought was already “dealt with,” try to notice what’s different now. What new awareness are you bringing? What do you know now that you didn’t then? What feels just a little more possible?

That’s not failure. That’s growth.