Has this happened to you? You run into someone, and they ask about something that you shared with them that was painful. They start talking about it, and there you go, hurting again? You weren’t thinking about it, and the next thing you know, it hurts like it just happened. There are occasions — holidays and family gatherings — where the effects of a past painful experience will reemerge and trigger emotional pain all over again. Sometimes, just being in the unwanted presence of someone who caused you pain in the past, perhaps a family member or an ex, is enough to trigger that painful emotional memory and residual emotional pain. People often say, "Talk about it, you'll feel better," but that is definitely not always the case. If that isn’t bad enough, sometimes just talking about a painful experience, reliving it in your mind, can feel like you’re hurt all over again and actually re-injured.

There are times when we ruminate or dwell on the past — about hurtful things people have........

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