For in much wisdom is much grief, and He who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

Eccl. 1:18

Gloria had been coming to see me for weeks.  She was very depressed and suicidal. As the weekly meetings continued it seemed that she was getting worse. She had gotten in touch with many repressed memories in her unconscious, and she was experiencing grief as a result. She was discovering a painful, if liberating, reality: The truth will set you free-but first it will make you miserable!

I assured Gloria that the truth really does hurt, but that the only way to resolve her innermost root problems was to expose the truth and deal with it maturely and realistically. Over time she began to feel better. She began to sleep peacefully through the night. She began to laugh again, share good thoughts and good dreams.  She began to feel good about herself. She had definite plans for continuing to deal with her conflicts in her day to day living experiences. Over a period of a year, Gloria went from a  depressed and suicidal woman to a woman who was sharing her story of triumph with others.

Thought:  When I look at the truth inside myself, I will expect it to hurt, but I will not let that discourage me from progressing past and through the pain.