5 Tips to Help With Healing

Why Staying With Your Pain Is the Key to True Emotional Healing That Actually Works

You’ve done the inner work. You’ve tried therapy, journaling, shadow work, energy healing, maybe even breathwork or somatic release. And yet, despite all your efforts, something still aches.

You might be asking yourself: Why isn’t my healing working? Why do I still feel stuck? Why does everything seem worse before it gets better?

The truth is, you’re not broken. But it makes sense if you feel that way. Most emotional and spiritual healing methods overlook a crucial element: the power of presence with pain itself.

You were told to rise before you descended. To affirm your way out of grief. To be strong instead of honest with what’s really happening inside.

If these questions resonate, this is your sign: your healing process has skipped an essential step, the step where you simply stay with what still hurts.

This post offers 5 transformative somatic and emotional healing tips for when nothing else seems to work, especially if healing feels more painful or confusing than ever.

Because true healing isn’t about fixing or escaping, it’s about being present with the pain, even when it’s uncomfortable.

1. Feel It Instead of Fixing It

When healing feels stagnant, it’s often because we’ve been conditioned to avoid discomfort rather than experience it fully.

Stop asking: “How do I make this go away?” and instead start asking: “Can I just stay with this feeling for one more breath?” The goal isn’t to fix or eliminate pain right now; it’s to witness it.

Sit quietly with your sadness, fear, anger, or grief. Let it breathe. Don’t analyze or judge it, simply observe. This is where deep emotional healing begins. By allowing yourself to be present with what still hurts, you create space for your nervous system to relax and for healing to unfold naturally.

2. Breathe Into the Part That Hurts

Breathwork is often touted as a quick fix, but its true power lies in reconnection, returning awareness to the body. Choose one area that feels tight, numb, or activated for example your throat, chest, belly, or back.

Gently place your hand there and breathe slowly into it. Whisper softly: “I’m here now.” This simple act anchors you in the present moment and invites your body to relax around what it has been holding onto. Breathe into the pain. Feel it fully.

This somatic practice helps release stored tension and trauma, creating an opening for genuine healing to occur.

3. Say the Thing You Never Said

Sometimes, healing stalls because the deepest truths are still trapped inside your body.

Try this powerful journaling prompt or speak it aloud:

• “I wasn’t protected.”

• “I miss them.”

• “I gave everything, and it still wasn’t enough.”

These aren’t affirmations, they are releases.

Allow yourself to voice what you’ve been holding back. This process helps your nervous system recognize that it’s safe to let go of what’s been stored in silence. When you speak or write the truth, you create space for emotional release and healing to flow.

4. Stop Performing Your Healing

Healing isn’t about perfection or looking like you have it all together. You don’t need to post poetic captions about your trauma or pretend you’re fine to prove you’re doing the work.

Real healing is messy, nonlinear, and often unseen. It might involve crying in the shower, sitting in silence, or simply feeling lost for a while. Allow yourself to be unfinished. Breathe, be honest, and accept that healing is a process, not a performance. You don’t need to be better or “fixed” you just need to be real with what’s true in this moment.

5. Choose Presence Over Progress

Healing isn’t a race or a checklist. It’s not about how many journal pages you fill or rituals you complete. The most meaningful progress is: Did I stay with myself today, even when it hurt?

This simple question shifts the focus from external achievements to internal presence. This kind of presence rebuilds trust, re-establishes safety, and deepens your relationship with your true self.

Remember: Healing is about reclaiming tenderness and truth, not about reaching a destination.

What To Do When Healing Doesn’t Work

If you’re feeling stuck, if nothing seems to help, if your body still flinches and your heart still aches, you’re not failing. You’re finally being honest with what’s real. And that honesty is the seed of true healing.

In The Descent Journal, we go beyond surface-level healing.

• 30 days of somatic healing prompts designed to help you stay with your pain.

• Emotional shadow work that doesn’t bypass or bypass feelings or override what you’re actually feeling.

• A safe space to grieve, reclaim, and reconnect with your authentic self.

Are you ready to begin again, with your body, your heart, and your truth? Healing begins when you stop running from what still hurts, and instead, learn to stay.

Take the Next Step on Your Healing Journey

If you’re tired of feeling stuck and ready to embrace the full depth of your healing, I invite you to explore The Descent Journal, a guided 30-day journey into somatic and emotional healing that honors your process exactly as it is. Learn to sit with your pain, reclaim your truth, and rebuild trust in yourself.

Download The Descent Journal now and start your journey toward genuine healing today.

Remember: Your healing journey doesn’t have to be perfect. It just needs to be real. Let’s meet your pain with compassion and presence and watch as true transformation unfolds.