How does one come to terms with the effects of a past experience?

      Reflecting and accepting. Everyone wants what is best for themselves. Unresolved past experiences can sometimes produce lasting psychological and physiological effects and at times, can make one go crazy. One cannot get over the past until one learns to accept it and forgiving those who may have done wrong. In a short story called “The Watch” by Elie Wiesel, it was the time of the Holocaust. A boy and his family had to bury their belongings so that one day, they could come back still have them. For the young boy, it was his watch. 20+ years have gone by, the boy loses his loved ones and all he could think about is his watch. So he goes back to that grave yard with the buried belongings, unburies the watch just to bury it again. He didn’t want to look at the watch that would remind him of his past; he wanted to move on and that’s exactly what he did. That is how he came to terms with his past experiences; “I place the watch back into its box, close the cover and my first gift once more takes refuge deep inside the hole.”

Start by thinking or actually writing down the horrible, past experiences/events that may be causing the pain. An important first step is to stop trying to pretend one was not affected by past events. Learn what trauma does to the human brain. The human brain already has enough to think and worry about; putting more stress in the head can make one do things one might regret doing later. Sadly for the boy, he had nobody but that’s not the end of it. Friends exist. People who love exist. Talk to someone like a therapist, psychologist, counselor, ect… These people are special for a reason and know that trust is still there even though it might not seem like it is. The boy’s number one goal at the time was to find that watch because he believed that it would stop his suffering. Getting distracted from or putting aside the thoughts help weaken the bond between the brain and the past experiences.

My picture shows a person driving away but is looking at in side view mirror. If one were to stare in the side view mirror for a long period of time, it could eventually cause an accident and life long problems. That being said, the person should keep looking forward and not spend the energy and time looking back. One should never stumble over something behind them.