I'm not sure "transformative" or "dramatic" are adequate words to describe the amount or scale of change that occurs through trauma healing. It's life changing. Identity altering. Soul saving. Heart expanding. EVERYTHING changes.
How you think, act, feel, and LIVE! It's best to ask: what doesn't change? I can't think of anything. Can you?
Even at the micro level: I breathe differently. I no longer have pain daily; that I'd tolerated for twenty years! I...er...digest food better! I move differently, I sleep better, interact better. The incessant inner critic is nearly gone. I love and laugh better now. Oh my, best of all these two! (And yes that means finally beginning to learn to love myself!)
So, yeah. EVERYTHING changes. The big and the small. But, we done been through the shit to get here. The muck, mire, pain, sweat, blood, and tears to get the hell here. So, we know. It's all big. Big BIG. The tiniest change. The smallest shift. Every second won back from a life too often on auto-pilot. Every reaction that's a response now. Every moment of peace or ease. For me, the first of my life. All of it is big.
But, none of it is fast. Or easy. It's takes time, effort, and resources. The work is real. There are no shortcuts. And little happens overnight, although insights abound. The change mostly comes in bits and drags. Practice. Lots of practice. Learning. Feeling anew. The feeling part most of all!
My "leaps forward" have come after a massive cathartic emotional release. Those were big shifts fast. But, mostly it's the consistency. The small--yet big--changes. Whew, I meant this to be a short post! But, there you go. I get excited! It's what I do. Anyway, I hope it sang a song that someone needed to hear tonight. Thanks to all who've helped me get here. I'm here for you. We are here for each other. If you're healing, I hope you'll keep going. If you haven't started yet, we'll all still be here for you.