Skip to content

How to Heal a Soul Wound

By: Evan Owens

Insights from The Weekly REBOOT

Healing Isn’t Automatic—It’s Intentional

Whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, wounds don’t just heal with time—they require care, the right conditions, and often, a whole lot of courage. Left untreated, even small wounds can fester. The same is true with soul wounds like betrayal, rejection, guilt, and unresolved loss. Just like a broken bone needs a cast or a cut needs to be cleaned and bandaged, your inner wounds need the right environment to heal.

At REBOOT Recovery, we’ve worked with thousands of people who’ve experienced trauma and hardship. Over time, we’ve come to realize that true healing requires more than just good intentions—it requires a Healing Environment.

If you’re tired of carrying invisible pain, if you’ve tried to just “move on” and found yourself stuck, this blog is for you. Let’s explore four essential steps to healing your soul wounds.

Step 1: Identify the Wound

One of the first things a doctor does when someone walks into an emergency room is ask: “What happened?” They’re trying to understand the nature of the injury. It’s no different with emotional or spiritual wounds—we have to know what we’re dealing with before we can treat it.

But this is harder than it sounds. Many people live years or even decades without ever identifying the true source of their pain. Instead, we get caught up treating symptoms—anger, anxiety, control issues, addiction, avoidance—without ever naming the root wound underneath.

Reflection questions:

  • When did this pain begin?
  • What exactly happened to me?
  • Why did it hurt so deeply?
  • How has it affected the way I see myself, others, and God?

These questions aren’t easy. They require honesty and vulnerability. But if you skip this step, healing will always be surface-level.

In our work at REBOOT, we’ve identified five common categories of soul wounds: Loss, Betrayal, Rejection, Guilt, and Hurt. Each one comes with its own set of challenges:

  • Loss may come through death, divorce, job displacement, or shattered dreams.
  • Betrayal might show up in a broken friendship, a breach of trust, or infidelity.
  • Rejection can come from family, peers, or even religious communities.
  • Guilt is the crushing weight of past mistakes, real or perceived.
  • Hurt is often the result of accumulated micro-wounds—neglect, verbal jabs, emotional abandonment.

Naming your wound doesn’t give it more power; it gives you more clarity. It moves the healing process from vague to specific, which is crucial for moving forward.

Step 2: Overcome Internal Stigma

Once you’ve identified your wound, the next obstacle is often internal—not external.

It’s the voice in your head that says:

  • “You should be over this by now.”
  • “You’re being too emotional.”
  • “Other people have it worse.”
  • “If you were stronger, you wouldn’t need help.”

Sound familiar?

This internal dialogue is often more damaging than the original wound. We live in a culture that praises independence and stigmatizes vulnerability. Even in faith communities, people are often praised for “keeping it together” rather than being honest about their struggles.

But healing isn’t weakness—it’s wisdom.

When someone breaks a leg, no one shames them for using crutches or going to physical therapy. We applaud their effort to recover. Why should emotional and spiritual wounds be treated any differently?

Counseling, medication, peer support, and faith-based community are tools—not crutches. They’re evidence that you’re taking your recovery seriously.

At REBOOT, we’ve seen time and again that people who are willing to push past stigma and ask for help experience real breakthroughs. There’s power in saying, “I can’t do this on my own, and I don’t have to.”

Here’s a truth worth remembering: Jesus never shamed the hurting. He touched the leper, spoke to the outcast, welcomed the sinner. If He doesn’t shame you for your wounds, why should you shame yourself?

Step 3: Recognize Your Ally (and Your Enemy)

You are more than your body. You are a soul—created, known, and loved by God. And when your soul is wounded, it needs a soul-level response.

Healing isn’t just a mental reset. It’s a spiritual awakening.

So let’s name two truths that often go unspoken:

  1. You have an enemy who wants to keep you stuck.
  2. You have an ally who wants to set you free.

Your enemy (the devil) thrives in lies, isolation, and shame. He whispers things like, “You’re too broken to fix,” or “God could never love someone like you.”

But your ally—Jesus—comes with a different voice. One full of truth, grace, and healing.

In Psalm 147:3, it says:

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

In Luke 4, Jesus says that He came “to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.” That includes you.

Healing begins not by doing more but by surrendering more.

It’s not about performing religious tasks—attending church, reading more scripture, praying longer. Those are good things, but they’re not the source of healing.

The moment you say, “God, I can’t fix this on my own. I give this pain to You,” something powerful shifts. You’re no longer carrying the weight alone.

Step 4: Plug Into the Power Source

Ever tried to use a power tool that wasn’t plugged in? Or a toy without batteries? It doesn’t matter how great the design is—without power, it’s useless.

The same is true for our healing efforts.

Willpower can only take you so far. Therapy, community, and education are incredibly helpful—but without a connection to Jesus, they’ll feel incomplete. Like treating symptoms without curing the disease.

Jesus says in John 15:5:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Let’s break this down practically. Here’s how to plug in:

Acknowledge

Recognize your need. Admit that you’ve been trying to heal on your own—and it’s not working.

Believe

Trust that Jesus sees your pain and wants to meet you in it. He isn’t repelled by your brokenness; He’s drawn to it.

Choose

Make a conscious decision to turn from your old ways of coping—numbing, pretending, isolating—and pursue a new path with Him.

Confess

Share your decision. Whether it’s with a friend, mentor, or group, say it out loud. Owning your story breaks the power of shame.

This is how healing becomes sustainable. Not through behavior modification, but through spiritual transformation.

Healing Is Possible

Let’s be real—healing isn’t linear. Some days will feel like progress, and others will feel like a setback. That’s okay. Healing is a process, not a destination.

But here’s what we’ve seen at REBOOT: When people create the right environment, transformation happens.

That environment includes:

  • Naming the wound
  • Releasing internal stigma
  • Trusting in the Healer, not yourself
  • Plugging into the power of Christ

You don’t have to keep pretending you’re okay. You don’t have to carry it alone. The pain that broke you doesn’t have to define you. And your past doesn’t get the final word—God does.

If you’re feeling stuck, tired, or numb, this is your turning point. Healing is possible. Not by striving harder, but by surrendering deeper.

God sees your wounds. He knows what happened. And He still calls you worthy of love and restoration.

Take a breath. You’re not too late, and you’re not too far gone.

To go deeper into this topic, listen to the full episode of The Weekly REBOOT: Click here to listen on Spotify

And if you're ready to take the next step in your healing journey, check out REBOOT’s free courses at rebootrecovery.com. You don’t have to heal alone—we’re here to walk with you.

 

Related Posts