Work Arounds

When it comes to the Humanist Approach to Happiness, how does someone who has been emotionally damaged go about becoming happy? Obviously, some experiences are more traumatic then others. But what is important to understand is that trauma can rewire your brain. To me, acknowledging how this rewiring handicaps your thinking is as important as understanding how a torn ligament in your knee handicaps your ability to walk or run. Once you know you have a handicap, physical or mental, you can start working around it. The best advice I ever got was from a therapist who was helping me cope with a stalking. She said: “if you are terrified of cemeteries, don’t walk past one.” Take another route. You will still get to where you were going, just without the emotional trigger. Just because you are handicapped from emotional trauma doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy life. You just need to find a way to work around it.