What are the 7 steps of healing?

Healing is a process that helps one to make peace with the past and look forward to better days ahead. No matter if it's physical or mental trauma, healing is something that needs to be done in order to make sure you are on the right track.

It's often a long and challenging process and requires hard work, grit and determination. Being able to identify the stages of healing and understanding what they involve is key to its success. Let's take a closer look at the seven steps of healing, and how they can help you on your journey.

The 6 Steps of Healing

Psychologist Sharon Moore has outlined the six steps of healing which include: acknowledging the trauma, coming to terms with the trauma, gaining insight into the trauma, taking action to heal from the trauma, working through the trauma, and finally, letting go.

The first step for successful healing is to acknowledge that you have experienced trauma. This could be anything from a traumatic event like a suicide attempt, or a major life change such as the diagnosis of a serious illness. Acknowledging the trauma once and for all is essential to being able to move forward.

The second step is to come to terms with the trauamtic event and really take the time to process what happened. This involves accepting what happened, understanding the source and analyzing why it happened.

The third step is to gain insight into the trauma and use this to assess what could have been done differently that could have changed the situation. This helps to provide clarity and perspective, allowing you to make better decisions in the future.

The fourth step is to take action to heal from the trauma. This could involve anything from professional help and counselling, to spending time with supportive friends. This step involves making choices about what has happened and taking control of the situation.

The fifth step is to work through the trauma. This involves openly expressing emotions and really working through what has happened and how it has impacted your life. It also involves learning to let go of the trauma and understanding that it's now part of the past.

The final step is to let go of the trauma and to focus on the now, understanding that the past can't be changed. This involves accepting what happened and understanding that you can't go back. It involves focusing on building a better, brighter future and letting go of the trauma.

The 7 Steps to Healing

Doctor's Of Courage outline a different set of seven steps to healing and they include: identify and eliminate environmental toxicity, identify blockages to self-healing, open drainage pathways, remove dysbiosis, remove toxins, restore enzyme systems and tonify qi.

The first step is to identify and eliminate environmental toxicity and this could involve anything from removing mould from your home, to avoiding certain foods or additives that may contribute to an unhealthy lifestyle.

The second step is to identify blockages to self-healing. This involves understanding what lifestyle and beliefs may be blocking progress to a healthy recovery, and taking action to remove them.

The third step is to open drainage pathways. This involves improving blood and oxygen flow to the body and making sure all parts of the body are working efficiently.

The fourth step is to remove dysbiosis, which is a condition of microbial imbalance within the body.

The fifth step is to remove toxins and this involves finding ways to reduce the toxic load in the body such as eating organic food and avoiding exposure to toxins.

The sixth step is to restore the enzyme systems, which are important for digestion, metabolism and overall health.

The seventh step is to tonify qi, which is a form of energy that is believed to be essential for physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

Overcoming Heartbreak: 7 Steps of Healing

When it comes to healing from heartbreak, Good Therapy suggests following a different set of seven steps. These include: accepting the heartbreak, understanding its source, grieving, understanding your fragility, rebuilding trust, reflecting on the heartbreak and taking action towards moving on.

The first step is to accept the heartbreak, which means acknowledging what has happened and allowing ourselves to experience the feelings associated with the heartbreak.

The second step is to understand the source of the heartbreak; what caused it and why we experienced it in the first place. Understanding the source of the heartbreak is essential for being able to move past it in a healthy way.

The third step is to grieve the heartbreak and to really take the time to process the emotions connected to it. This includes expressing those emotions to someone who is safe and understanding.

The fourth step is to understand our fragility, and to recognise that we are all human and sometimes things don't go to plan. It's important to be mindful of our frailties and to learn from them rather than beating ourselves up about our mistakes.

The fifth step is to rebuild trust, both in ourselves and in others. It's good to practice self-care and look at the relationships we have in our lives and how they can be supportive and healthy.

The sixth step is to reflect on the heartbreak and learn from it. This involves understanding what happened, how it impacted us, and how it could have been different.

The seventh and final step is to take action towards moving on. This could involve writing down affirmations, creating a list of optimistic thoughts, or doing anything that helps move away from the heartbreak towards a better feeling.

Wound Healing: 7 Steps

Finally, there is wound healing, which is often a lengthy process. The seven steps of wound healing, according to Hopkins Medicine, include: forming a blood clot (1st 24 hours), scavenging debris, macrophage activity, formulation of granulation tissue, wound contraction and finally, wound closure.

The first step is to form a blood clot, and this occurs within minutes or even seconds after the skin is broken. The blood cells then clump together and clot, protecting the wound from further damage.

The second step is to scavenge debris, which is detected by cells in the wound and helps to encourage faster healing.

The third step is to allow macrophage activity and the production of growth factors that promote the creation of new, healthy tissue and cells.

The fourth step is to form granulation tissue which helps to cover the area of the wound, and the fifth step is wound contraction which aids in closing the wound.

The sixth step is to close the wound and stimulate collagen production to promote wound healing.

Finally, the seventh step is to re-epithelialise, which is the process of the wound closing, and new skin and tissue forming to complete the healing process.

Conclusion

Healing is a process that varies from person to person, but understanding the stages of healing can help to provide clarity on how to approach the journey. The six steps of healing developed by Sharon Moore involve acknowledging the trauma, coming to terms with it, gaining insight, taking action, working through the trauma and finally, letting go.

Alternatively, Doctors Of Courage outline a set of seven steps to healing that includes identifying and eliminating environmental toxicity, identifying blockages to self-healing, opening drainage pathways, removing dysbiosis, removing toxins, restoring enzyme systems and tonifying qi.

For those healing from a broken heart, Good Therapy suggests following a different set of seven steps which involve accepting the heartbreak, understanding its source, grieving, understanding fragility, rebuilding trust, reflecting on the heartbreak and taking action towards moving on.

Finally, wound healing has its own set of seven steps which involve forming a blood clot, scavenging debris, macrophage activity, forming granulation tissue, wound contraction and finally, re-epithelialisation.

No matter which type of healing you are looking to undertake, understanding the steps involved can help to ensure you are on the right track.