You're watching:
WHY IS IT SO HARD TO LET GO OF PAST HURTS
Show Highlights
• Emotional imprinting: Painful experiences create strong emotional memories, especially when they involve betrayal, loss, or shame, making them easier to recall and harder to release than neutral or positive events.
• Unresolved meaning: When we don’t fully understand why something happened or don’t receive closure, the mind keeps revisiting the event in an attempt to make sense of it.
• Self-protection: Holding onto past hurt can feel like a way to avoid being hurt again, shaping our boundaries, trust, and behavior—even when it limits healing.
• Identity and validation: Letting go may feel like erasing our experience or invalidating our pain, especially if the hurt has become part of how we define ourselves or our story.
