therapy

hi i have a question. if something is triggering you again and again and again, like it’s the same situation repeatedly and you find yourself reacting badly to it even though you don’t want to, are you supposed to remove the trigger from your life or keep trying to find ways to get over it? 

yes, i realize this is really vague, but maybe it will resonate with someone who has an answer

i wanted to say thank you to everyone who chimed in; i didn’t expect this many responses. 

recently a friend sent me the book “existential kink,” so i tried to approach this situation from that angle. 

essentially, the author reworks some of jung and freud’s theories on our unconscious desires and mushes it together with the idea that the Self is here to experience all aspects of life, both the pleasurable and lovely and the horrific and painful. and that our actions shape the kinds of experiences we have. 

she says that to bring these shadows to life (those ugly patterns that we claim to hate) we must give them space first. we should be open to the idea that we get some twisted satisfaction out of situations of our own suffering. only by giving them light and accepting those parts of ourselves, can we take life more lightly and begin to let go of toxic shame. 

continued …

artist 🗡️✨ https://www.tinyrainboot.com/