Giving Your Pain a Name

While working, I find that listening to audiobooks really helps me concentrate on whatever task I’m doing. The latest book I found is Self-Healing Isn’t Pretty: The Raw, Real, Unfiltered Journey to Getting Better (Even When It Feels Like You’re Falling Apart) by Mira Rowen.

This book helps put a voice to feelings you can’t explain. It guides you in navigating the depth of the hole you may feel yourself in and gives that pain a name. The calming nature of the book makes you feel like you can begin making the changes you need in your life. Pain no longer gets to take center stage. The book lifts the veil and says, “You are important, and it’s time to look in the mirror and really look at the truth.”

If you’ve ever smiled and said “I’m okay” when the truth is that you want to break down and scream… if you’ve ever felt angry at the world and then ashamed because you don’t understand why… this book speaks to that experience.

In a peer-reviewed article that speaks to healing, I followed the healing journeys of five women from the Māori tribe. They needed to heal from trauma that had taken their voices. Their healing became possible because they worked through the pain rather than avoiding it. The article shows that even though it may seem easier to suppress pain, pushing it away can eventually lead to health issues. Walking through the pain is where healing truly begins. As Aho (2014) writes, “This small study shows that when people have the courage to stand up and speak out, lives begin to change and healing is possible” (p.206).

Sometimes listening to (or reading) a book in solitude is exactly what the heart needs. Sometimes it’s talking to someone who knows how to help you safely explore the pain you are feeling. If you feel like it’s time to heal, we have experienced counselors here at Olive Branch Counseling Associates, Inc. who would love to support you on your journey. We are located at 6819 West 167th St., Tinley Park, Illinois.
 You can call us at (708) 633‑8000. I truly hope you do.

Jennifer Hauser,  Undergrad Intern, 2026

Rowen, M. (2025). Self-healing isn’t pretty: The raw, real, unfiltered journey to getting better (Even when it feels like you’re falling apart). Independently Published.

Aho, K. L.-T. (2014). The Healing is in the Pain: Revisiting and Re-Narrating Trauma Histories as a Starting Point for Healing: Revisiting and Re-Narrating Trauma Histories as a Starting Point for Healing. Psychology and Developing Societies, 26(2), 181-212. https://doi.org/10.1177/0971333614549139 (Original work published 2014)