and was struggling to move forward with his life. He gently said, ‘If I stay stuck looking at this wall, I have my back turned to the future.’
And at that moment, amazingly, everyone independently and unprompted turned back towards the window, some slowly, some reluctantly, and some more deliberately. This was to be our focus in therapy for the remaining weeks.
We agreed together as a group that the dark wall would always be there but rather than ignore or deny it, they would learn from those dark past experiences to help them move forward.
Working with this group changed how I worked as a therapist. Early in my therapist’s career I truly became aware of the detrimental impact of holding on to the past. What I noticed most was that my clients were either trapped going over events from their past or felt they had to follow unsustainable rules they’d created as a means of self-protection during or following unpleasant past events. When they started to let go of what no longer served a purpose, symptoms of depression lifted like a fog and happiness emerged from a place of great darkness. The entire group began to recover as, step by step, they started to let the past be.
It was incredibly humbling and a privilege to be part of this process of healing. Each week the atmosphere in the room lightened, laughter increased and at the final session everyone in the group brought an item that would remind them of the process. I was struck most by one woman, Jean, who brought a blank white page. She held it up and said, ‘I’ve brought this today because I have a chance to write a new, more hopeful story.’
There was a sudden cheer from the group, a few tears and a tangible sense of optimism in the room. A completely different atmosphere from twelve weeks earlier. I should mention that I ditched the cardigan and scented candle.
There’s a good reason that the first chapter of this book focuses on the past. Everyone reading this will have ‘stuff’ from the past that is getting in the way of life today. It could be violence in the family, bullying as a child, poverty, hardship, abuse, rejection, disappointments, failures, or things that didn’t work out. The list is endless, as is the impact! It’s not only the events that create issues though; it is also the rules and beliefs we learn from our past that sometimes keep us stuck. For some this can be like living in a straitjacket, with little psychological flexibility. I’ll talk more about this later.
By the same token, almost every client I work with arrives at therapy feeling trapped in the past. Often, they have no idea how to get free. Many years back, I myself arrived in therapy for the first time, aged twenty-two. I thought I needed some help with worry and told the therapist I was otherwise ‘pretty sorted’. Boy, was I in for a surprise! I started to explore how my past was impacting on me and realized why I was almost paralyzed with fear. Therapy was the most liberating experience of my life. Ironically my therapist was a nun and a truly amazing woman. I worried at the time she might be judgemental or be the wrong fit for me. That fear subsided when she said, ‘You’ve had a pretty sh*t time, and deserve more. Let’s put away the stuff you don’t need. I think it’s time for you to shine.’ I have never forgotten that.
Back to the past: I’m not advocating that you attempt to simply erase from your mind any difficult stuff from your past and pretend it hasn’t happened. That doesn’t help. Indeed, my experience is that it can make things worse. Yet I believe you can begin to come to terms with your past and learn to manage it. You can become victorious rather than victimized. You can flourish rather than flounder. All of this is a choice. Your past can be a teacher, a motivator, an influencer, and part of your successes. But you need to allow it to do that.
It’s important for me to be honest with you from the outset. There are no magic wand solutions to moving forward from your past. It’s not a case of repeating a mantra and your issues are all gone. I wish it were that simple. I believe that unless you deal with your past, your future happiness is compromised. With that in mind, I have developed a four-step approach that will help you navigate your way through this.
Using this process, I will be teaching you how to let go of what’s holding you back. The four steps are:
1. Understanding why you become stuck
2. How you can move forward
3. How this will contribute to a happier life
4. Commitment to making the necessary changes.
Let’s be honest, you won’t want to read another sentence of this book unless there is something for you to take away. I promise there is much for you to take away that will change how you live your life. This book does not just provide understanding. It will provide guidance and insight on how to detach from the stuff that is getting in the way of your life and your happiness. The past is a good place to start.
WHY YOU BECOME STUCK
I want to start with some questions, and the reason for this is that they may link closely with your past. It’s important to understand that. Take a little time to ponder these statements and ask yourself if any of them resonate with you:
• I often have thoughts that are self-critical, self-judgemental or self-deprecating. I’m hard on myself
• I avoid taking risks
• I worry a lot
• I find it hard to like myself
• I soothe my emotions with drink, drugs, shopping, gambling or sex
• I ruminate on the past a lot
• I feel flat and lack motivation
• I feel stuck
• I avoid people, places or new situations
• I get angry quickly
• I worry I’m repeating negative patterns I’ve witnessed
• I compare my life to those of others
• I seek validation and reassurance from others
• I feel dissatisfied with my life
• I get overwhelmed sometimes.
If one or all of these statements ring a bell with you, then welcome to your humanity. All of the above are likely closely linked with experiences or learnings from your past so this chapter will have something to say to you.
Most people are struggling with something, but they tend not to share it on Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat. I encourage you when reading this book to be mindful that you are in good company, with many readers (and the writer) tuned in to your struggle. As the old saying goes, ‘We are all in the same boat.’ I’m simply offering some oars, life jackets, and a few flares to get you on your way.
The problem with the past is that it lays the foundations for some challenging behaviours or unhelpful patterns that you might have developed in your current life. Most of the negative thoughts and emotions we experience – anxiety, depression, anger, addiction or hopelessness – can be linked to past experiences. The past is often what keeps current negative patterns alive. The two areas of the past that I witness people struggle with most are:
1. Unhelpful rules or beliefs that they have learnt or inherited
2. Negative or traumatic experiences.
I will tackle these separately as they both require individual attention.
RULES AND BELIEFS
Rules about how you live your life can be helpful but, unfortunately, many are not, especially if they are inflexible or create distress in your life. I’ll share a personal example. In my own life as an Irish Catholic I was taught to always be a good person (with the threat of going to hell if I wasn’t). That was the rule I was taught to abide by. The upside of this is I try to lead a decent