Beginning the Journey Toward Understanding, Healing & Restoration
Congratulations. You have been invited into a journey of caring for your heart.
Your heart carries a story. That story began long before today. From your earliest childhood experiences through adolescence, adulthood, relationships, marriage, family, church, work, loss, disappointment, celebration, and change, your heart has been continually shaped by the people and experiences around you.
Some experiences deposited love, safety, belonging, acceptance, encouragement, and joy. Others may have left behind hurt, rejection, abandonment, fear, shame, loneliness, betrayal, anger, disappointment, confusion, or trauma.
Caring for the Heart is an invitation to begin looking beneath the surface.
The purpose of this assessment is not simply to determine what you are feeling today. It is designed to help you thoughtfully walk through the different seasons of your life and identify people, relationships, times, places, events, and experiences that may be connected to emotional pain.
As you move through the words, allow yourself to think chronologically:
Ask yourself: "When do I first remember feeling this?"
Something occurring in your adult life may awaken emotions that have been present much longer. A present conflict may touch an earlier rejection. A disagreement may awaken an old fear.
Do not limit yourself to one person or one relationship. As you consider each word, think broadly about the significant people throughout your life:
One Emotional Pain Word may connect with several people at several different stages of life. Do not feel that you have to choose only one person.
For many people, some of their deepest wounds occurred in environments where they expected to experience love, safety, and the character of Christ. Consider experiences involving pastors, church leadership, ministry organizations, or other spiritual authority.
A wound connected to the church can sometimes become confused with our understanding of God Himself. What a person did to you in God's name is not necessarily a reflection of God's heart toward you.
As you move through your memories, also pay attention to your perceptions of God. Painful circumstances sometimes influence what we begin believing about Him.
"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." — Psalm 147:3
As you read each Emotional Pain Word, slow down. Rather than simply asking "Does this word describe me?", consider asking:
You may remember an entire event — or only a person's face, a room, a sentence, or a season. Do not force a memory. Simply record what naturally comes to mind.
The purpose of returning to painful places is not to live in the past. It is not about creating blame or building a case against anyone.
The purpose is restoration. We want to recognize the places where pain entered the story so those places can be brought into the light and appropriately cared for.
We believe God knows your story completely. Our desire is to create room for His truth where lies have taken root, grace where shame has settled, forgiveness where offenses remain, and freedom where fear has controlled.
"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me… He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted…" — Isaiah 61:1
Take a moment before starting. You may want to pray:
Start with the child you once were. Walk slowly through your story. Don't simply complete the words — listen to your heart as you complete them.
Because identifying the pain is not the destination. It is the beginning of bringing the heart into the light.
Rate each word from 0 to 10 based on the pain it represents to you.
0 = little or no pain · 10 = severe pain.
For any word rated 7 or higher, please name the person associated with that feeling.
Your responses will be sent securely to your counselor.
You do not need to create an account.
Your responses have been received. Your counselor will review them before your session.