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This is What Recovery from Trauma Looks Like

I no longer have to go to therapy, and it feels liberating.

Becca CO 🌵
Black Bear
6 min readDec 23, 2024

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The sun has set on hours of self help, but it doesn’t mean becoming complacent. Image by Becca CO.

After years — decades — of therapy, I no longer have to attend regularly. At my last session, my therapist decided I was managing well enough that we don’t need to meet unless a crisis occurs.

I’m not sure what to do with this new normal.

I’ve always wondered what it would feel like (and look like) to be in full recovery from cPTSD and trauma. I thought I would run from the mundaneness and crave drama.

It’s common for people who have experienced trauma to gravitate toward high-stress situations or put themselves in positions to be caretakers to high-conflict individuals.

I’m in no such position, and it feels liberating. My day to day looks like monotony. I have a routine and I don’t vary from it often. Even as I introduce a new relationship into my life, I’m finding ways to keep my routine on track.

I’ve let exercise go, and I recognize this is one of the tools I use to maintain my mental health. I have to get back to it.

Other than a monotonous life and a healthy relationship, what does recovery look like?

I do not skip medication doses.

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Black Bear
Black Bear

Published in Black Bear

At Black Bear, we share informative articles and personal stories about struggling with mental health and substance use disorders.

Becca CO 🌵
Becca CO 🌵

Written by Becca CO 🌵

Autistic | Survivor—I write about how life's challenges affect living—NF & poetry are my niches. Editor for Black Bear. https://www.instagram.com/becca_collora/

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