Growth Doesn’t Loop. It Deepens. 🌿
"We do not heal once. We heal in layers. We return to old pain with new wisdom." — Unknown
The first time I thought I “healed,” I expected a clean finish.
Like a badge.
Like a graduation.
Like a chapter closed for good.
“Healing isn't linear. It’s a spiral that deepens with every pass.”
But a few months later, I found myself triggered by the same old thing.
The same wound.
The same fear.
The same ache I swore I’d already processed.
At first, I spiraled in shame.
“Did I fake my growth?”
“Have I made no progress at all?”
“Why am I back here again?”
But I wasn’t back at the beginning.
I was revisiting the wound from a deeper place.
More self-aware.
More resourced.
More honest.
Because healing doesn’t work like a ladder. It’s not vertical. It’s not a checklist. It’s not a race to the top.
It’s a spiral.
And every time you revisit an old hurt with new eyes, you don’t regress.
You refine.
You strip another layer of armor.
You recognize the pattern sooner.
You respond with a little more grace.
And eventually, what used to shatter you becomes something you can hold without breaking.
🌀 Ready to Stop Shaming the Spiral?
The 30-Day Shadow Integration Journal is designed for exactly this stage of healing. Where you’re not starting over, but going deeper.
It’s not about perfection. It’s about presence, through every return.
Start where you are. Even if that means here… again.
Inner Work
Ask yourself:
“What wound have I revisited lately that made me question my progress?”
Write down:
“What do I know now that I didn’t the last time I was here?”
That question reframes the loop.
It reminds you that just because you feel it again doesn’t mean you failed.
It means you’re ready for the next layer.
Let’s talk about it.
What wound have you circled back to recently?
Did it feel discouraging at first, then surprising, or even illuminating?
Have you noticed any ways you’ve grown, even if the pain resurfaced?
If you’re open, share it.
Your spiral might mirror someone else’s, and show them it’s okay not to be “done.”
All in all.
You're not broken for coming back to your pain.
You’re brave for facing it again.
You’re wise for knowing that truth takes time.
Depth takes time.
Wholeness takes time.
So next time you return to an old hurt… don’t ask, “Why am I back here?”
Ask, “What am I ready to see now that I couldn’t before?”
That’s not failure.
That’s the spiral working.
These small notes arrive quietly,
like morning light through a cracked window.
No noise. Just truth.
💌 Subscribe here to keep receiving them.
Thanks for reading today’s Healing Text.
If you’re here, you’re part of something honest, something that makes space for healing without the performance. And I don’t take that lightly.
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With gratitude,
— Ryan Puusaari ☕💛
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