Many of the ways we relate today —to ourselves, to others, to the world— have old roots.
It’s not an excuse. It’s a fact.
We stay silent because we were taught not to speak. We overprotect ourselves because no one protected us. We push ourselves because we once felt we weren’t enough.
Or we became rebellious, hard, inflexible in response to pain that was never named.
The past still lives in the present
In Gestalt Therapy, we don’t stay stuck in childhood or blame the past for everything.
But we do acknowledge that who we are today was shaped yesterday, in a specific context, with its silences, messages, absences and excesses.
And unless we become aware of it, we keep repeating those patterns without knowing why.
What you didn’t receive then, you can give yourself now
One of the greatest acts of self-love is starting to give yourself now what you weren’t given when you most needed it.
Care.
Listening.
Permission to feel.
Tenderness.
Respect.
It’s not about blaming those who failed us. It’s about recognizing the pain and taking responsibility for healing from the present.
Remembering isn’t reliving: it’s repairing
We often avoid looking back, thinking it won’t help.
But when we do it with support, without judgment, remembering can be the first step toward healing.
There’s not just one wound.
There are many.
And they all deserve to be seen, heard and held.
The path back to yourself
Taking responsibility for your history doesn’t mean blaming yourself.
It means taking back your power in your life today.
It means caring for that part of you that was ignored or hurt.
It means starting to live from a place that is freer, more loving and more whole.
If you feel ready to stop treating yourself how others once did, Gestalt Therapy can help you begin to treat yourself as you truly deserve.
