Stop Surviving, Start Healing (Really)

Why You're Stuck (and How Healing Starts)

Most people don’t wake up and say,

“Wow, I feel deeply wounded today.”

They wake up tired.

Short-tempered.

Numb.

On edge.

They scroll longer than they want to.

They snap at people they love.

They stay busy so they don’t have to think.

They tell themselves, I should be fine.

And that’s usually where it stays.

Not because people don’t want healing—

but because they don’t have the words for what’s actually going on.

That’s why the conversation with Sam Eldredge in this week's episode of The Rev Rx Podcast matters so much.

"You aren't broken—you might just be protecting yourself."

One of the biggest takeaways from this episode is simple, but powerful:

Most of what we call “personality” started as protection.

People-pleasing.

Perfectionism.

Overworking.

Shutting down.

Always being the strong one.

At some point, those things helped you survive.

They helped you fit in.

They helped you avoid pain.

The problem is… what helps you survive can quietly keep you stuck.

Sam asks a question that stops people in their tracks:

“Who did you feel like you had to become in order to survive?”

Sit with that for a moment.

Wounds don’t always come from one big moment

 Not all wounds come from a single traumatic event.

Sometimes they come from:

• never feeling seen

• learning it wasn’t safe to speak up

• being praised only when you performed

• growing up too fast

• feeling alone even when surrounded by people

Over time, those experiences shape how we move through the world.

And many of us don’t realize it’s happening—

we just think, This is how I am.

Why “pray it away” doesn’t cover the whole picture

Faith matters. Prayer matters. God heals.

But one of the most freeing parts of this conversation is naming something many people feel but don’t say out loud:

Spiritual language can sometimes be used to skip the healing process.

Sam talks about something called bypassing:

jumping to the “right answer” without walking through the process.

God created you as a whole person— body, mind, and spirit.

If you've followed me any time at all, you know this is super important.

And so... Focusing only on one part of your entire self doesn’t allow healing of your entire self! It just leaves you fragmented.

Why talking alone isn’t always enough

A lot of people picture therapy as lying on a couch and talking about your past.

But Sam works in what’s called experiential therapy, which simply means this:

Healing often requires experience, not just insight.

That can include:

• revisiting moments that shaped you

• saying things that were never said

• letting your body be part of the healing process

And here’s the key piece we keep coming back to:

You weren’t made to heal alone.

Isolation deepens wounds. Connection helps heal them.

A simple first step if you feel stuck

If you’re heading into a new season and something feels “off,” Sam offers a surprisingly simple starting point:

Revisit the moments in your life that shaped you.

The moments that hurt the worst.

The people, places, and events that you still remember, and that still play on repeat in your head.

And ask yourself these questions:

• What did this moment teach me?

• Is that true?

You might be surprised what finally has words.

You might be surprised to find that the narrative you've told yourself for years or even decades -- all because of a wound from your past-- is not true at all. Then and only then can you start to experience breakthrough!

Final thought

You weren’t made to just survive your days.

And feeling stuck doesn’t mean you’re failing.

It often means something in you is asking to be seen… and healed.

This episode isn’t about fixing yourself.

It’s about understanding yourself—so real change can begin.

🎧 Listen to the full conversation on the RevRx Podcast here.

Stop surviving. Start Healing.