Here are five personal truths I’ve come to learn about emotional freedom—
1. Feeling My Emotions Isn’t Weakness—It’s Wisdom
For much of my life, I equated strength with stoicism. I thought emotional freedom meant being unbothered, composed, and unaffected—especially in crisis or conflict. But I’ve come to see that emotional numbness is not strength; it’s self-protection rooted in fear. The truth is, emotions are not the enemy—they are God-designed signals pointing us to what’s really going on beneath the surface.
Dr. Grant Mullen writes that we must learn to “feel, name, and release” our emotions in order to break free from their subconscious control. Ignoring or suppressing them doesn’t make them disappear—it just delays their eruption. I’ve started making space for daily emotional check-ins with God, asking, “What am I really feeling right now? What do I need? What are You trying to show me?” This shift has helped me become more present, honest, and grounded in my relationships—not ruled by my feelings, but no longer hiding from them either.
2. Healing Happens in Layers, Not Leaps
Emotional healing isn’t a one-time event—it’s a lifelong journey of uncovering, surrendering, and growing. I used to get discouraged when old wounds resurfaced, thinking I had somehow regressed or failed. But Emotionally Free helped me understand that healing often unfolds in stages—mental, emotional, spiritual, even physical layers that God peels back when we’re ready.
Each layer brings new clarity, but also new pain to process. Triggers I once resented have become sacred indicators: This is a place that still needs healing. I’ve stopped expecting perfection and started embracing the process. Whether it’s through prayer, therapy, journaling, or wise counsel, I’ve learned that returning to a familiar wound doesn’t mean I’m stuck—it means God is inviting me deeper. And with each return, I find more compassion, more freedom, and more strength.
3. Unhealed Pain Will Always Find a Voice
One of the most humbling truths I’ve discovered is that unresolved emotional pain doesn’t just go away—it gets buried, and eventually it leaks. It shows up in overreactions, emotional shutdowns, anxiety, people-pleasing, or harsh self-talk. I began to notice that my biggest emotional flare-ups weren’t really about what was happening in the moment; they were echoes from the past—childhood wounds, betrayals, unmet needs.
Dr. Mullen’s work helped me connect the dots between past trauma and present behavior. Emotional freedom has meant going back—not to dwell, but to understand. Through inner healing prayer, I’ve invited God into those hidden places: Where did this belief begin? What lie did I accept here? What truth do You want me to receive instead? Naming the pain, grieving it, and surrendering it has been messy but powerful. And slowly, the emotional patterns that once felt automatic are losing their grip.
4. I Am Not My Feelings—I Am God’s Beloved
This truth has become a steady anchor: emotions are real, but they’re not ultimate. They are information, not identity. Just because I feel unworthy doesn’t mean I am unworthy. Just because I feel fear doesn’t mean I am in danger. I’ve learned to create space between what I feel and what I choose to believe.
Dr. Mullen emphasizes the importance of renewing the mind, echoing Romans 12:2: “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” I’ve made it a practice to speak God’s truth over my feelings: I feel anxious—but God says I am safe. I feel unseen—but God says I am known and loved. Emotional freedom has meant holding my feelings in one hand and God’s truth in the other—and letting His truth have the final say. It’s not about denying emotion, but about learning which voice I choose to follow.
5. Forgiveness Is a Sacred Path to Emotional Release
Perhaps the most powerful—and hardest—truth I’ve learned is that emotional freedom is impossible without forgiveness. And that forgiveness isn’t just for those who hurt me; it’s for me, too. Through Emotionally Free, I realized that forgiveness isn’t saying what happened was okay—it’s saying I will no longer carry the emotional debt of it.
For years, I believed that holding on to pain kept me safe, but it only kept me bound. I had to learn how to grieve what I never received, release what was never mine to carry, and extend grace to myself for the ways I’ve stayed silent, self-critical, or afraid. Forgiveness has become, for me, a holy act of surrender—a way of handing over what I cannot fix to the One who can redeem anything.
Now, I regularly invite God into my forgiveness practice. I name the pain, I grieve it, and then I release it into His hands. I do this for others—but also for myself. The inner critic, the perfectionist, the frightened little girl inside me—they all need grace too. And I’ve learned that when I forgive, I create room in my heart for peace, joy, and connection to return.
These five truths are more than just reflections—they’re foundations. They’ve reshaped how I view myself, how I show up in relationships, and how I guide others on their healing journeys. Emotional freedom isn’t about escaping the hard parts of life—it’s about facing them with God, knowing I’m never alone, and believing that healing is not only possible, but promised.
I’ve learned to stop running from pain, and instead, invite God into it. I’ve learned that emotional freedom doesn’t come from numbing—but from feeling, releasing, and receiving truth. And I’ve committed to walking this journey with open hands, knowing that the work I do in myself becomes the gift I give to others.