Like most things in life, there is a lie in suggesting there is a single global truth at play in complex intrapersonal or interpersonal dynamics. There are always more aspects to your truth than that. That can be a difficult thing for you to understand and accept, let alone someone else entirely.
For instance, a victim of abuse, a traumatised subject, must receive unequivocal empathy - they must be believed, and it is incredibly important for their future hope and prosperity to do this. But it mustn't be left there. Not all the healing is contained in empathy, even if it is a powerful start. The victim, and now let's call them the survivor (of the trauma), must have more than your belief and tacit encouragement. They must also be gently challenged on their journey of recovery - which suggests, and believes for, restoration - and sometimes this feels tough.
There is a danger for every survivor of trauma. They can begin and continue to be sucked into the vortex of victimhood. We need to watch our language. Not cussing. But how are we lingering in disempowering statements about ourselves that sound like we're still the victim. We need to work to a goal beyond that.
When we keep saying, "[They or the situation] did this to me!" or "[They or the situation] won't change!" or "How dare [they or the situation]!" especially if we're still angry, we cannot fully recover. Don't get me wrong. The anger and incredulity is justified. But vindication comes when we move past feeling like a victim and tap into our agency (which means action or intervention that produces a particular [empowering] effect). Personal power is needed to fully recover, and we need to find a way to tap into it, to access it.
