A friend of mine is going through a tough time. Yesterday we talked about the healing process after emotional trauma. She is still right in the middle of a horrible situation; however, I believe she can see the light at the end of the tunnel for which I’m happy and relieved.

Reflecting on our discussion, I have been thinking about the word “healed”. For me, it implies a finished state, in that the person is better. There are no further problems. With a broken leg, this may well be true, but what about mental health? Is healing the mind so neat and tidy?

Healing is a process, like the fulfilment of our dreams. We start it, probably thinking there is a clearly defined destination, but as we peel back the layers or develop our skills, we realise there always exists another higher level.

As regular readers will know, Les Brown is one of my favourite motivational speakers. He often says “Practice does not make perfection, it makes improvement. We can never achieve perfection!”

There is always room for improvement. There is always room to grow and develop, and hopefully, there is always room to heal the emotional traumas of our lives. Happiness and healing come from making progress, not from reaching a preconceived destination.

Together, we climb the mountain, not in giant leaps but one small step at a time.