--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The healing process is best described as…" description: "\"“The healing process is best described as a spiral. Survivors go through the stages once, sometimes many times; sometimes in one order, sometimes in an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecb/laura-hough-98524_child-abuse_the-healing-process-is-best-described-as_2947355.jpg" --- # The healing process is best described as a spiral… ![“The healing process is best described as a spiral. Survivors go through the stages once, sometimes many times; sometimes in one order, sometimes in another. Each time they hit a stage again, they move up the spiral: they can integrate new information and a broader range of feelings, utilize more…” quote by Laura Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecb/laura-hough-98524_child-abuse_the-healing-process-is-best-described-as_2947355.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecb/laura-hough-98524_child-abuse_the-healing-process-is-best-described-as_2947355.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecb/laura-hough-98524_child-abuse_the-healing-process-is-best-described-as_2947355.jpg) > ““The healing process is best described as a spiral. Survivors go through the stages once, sometimes many times; sometimes in one order, sometimes in another. Each time they hit a stage again, they move up the spiral: they can integrate new information and a broader range of feelings, utilize more resources, take better care of themselves, and make deeper changes.” Allies in Healing by Laura Davis”” Laura Hough ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Healing is a non‑linear, spiral journey where revisiting stages deepens growth and self‑care. **In simple terms:** Healing repeats, each loop adds depth and resources. Key Takeaway Embrace each stage as a chance to grow. Themes healing survivor resilience psychological growth Mood reflective hopeful Type advice insight When to use this quote - counseling sessions - support groups - personal reflection - therapy workshops Key Concepts Spiral model integrative therapy resource building Questions to Reflect On - What stage are you revisiting now? - How can you use new resources to deepen healing? A Different Perspective Progress may be uneven and painful at times. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Child abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-abuse/) [Child-sexual-abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-sexual-abuse/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Healing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/healing/) [Healing process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/healing-process/) [Incest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incest/) [Mental health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-health/) [Recovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recovery/) [Sexual abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sexual-abuse/) [Survivors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survivors/) [Victims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victims/) ## Related quotes > [“Laura Davis, Allies in Healing: When the Person”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-feuereisen/laura-davis-allies-in-healing-when-the-person/) Patti Feuereisen > [“The most important thing in defining child sexual abuse is the experience of the child. It takes very little for a child’s world to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-hough/the-most-important-thing-in-defining-child-sexual-abuse-is-the/) Laura Hough > [“A spiral seems more complicated and longer than a line. To see things from all viewpoints is an advantage”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-lourdes/a-spiral-seems-more-complicated-and-longer-than-a-line-to-see-things/) [Leo Lourdes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-lourdes/) > [I'm a small businessman and I'm well aware of the uncertainties of the economy, exactly what the 'inflationary spiral' means when I'm forced to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/i-m-a-small-businessman-and-i-m-well-aware-of-the-uncertainties-of/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [By admitting a mistake, it is easier to get yourself out of a spiral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toto-wolff/by-admitting-a-mistake-it-is-easier-to-get-yourself-out-of-a-spiral/) [Toto Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toto-wolff/) > [When I did 'Alice by Heart,' on one of the lifts, I farted a little bit and everyone heard it in the theater. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-gordon/when-i-did-alice-by-heart-on-one-of-the-lifts-i-farted-a-little-bit/) [Molly Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-gordon/) > [I think my work is like a spiral: you keep coming back on yourself, but you're at a different place. It's like reading 'Nineteen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-parker/i-think-my-work-is-like-a-spiral-you-keep-coming-back-on-yourself-but/) [Cornelia Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-parker/) > [A circle is the reflection of eternity. It has no beginning and it has no end - and if you put several circles over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/a-circle-is-the-reflection-of-eternity-it-has-no-beginning-and-it-has/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) > [“happens when the Spiral is knocked out of balance. Earthmaker created the universe to have equal portions—Pain and Happiness, Birth and Death, Heat and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-michael-gear/happens-when-the-spiral-is-knocked-out-of-balance-earthmaker-created/) W. Michael Gear > [I carry a small spiral notebook with me at all times and have been doing this for many years. There's a shoe box in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-carry-a-small-spiral-notebook-with-me-at-all-times-and-have-been/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [“But if we remember that to say is to renew, we will have no trouble defining a spiral: it’s a circle that rises without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/but-if-we-remember-that-to-say-is-to-renew-we-will-have-no-trouble/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [Being against other people's policies eventually puts you in a downward spiral. It's fine to be principled and oppose views that you don't agree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/being-against-other-people-s-policies-eventually-puts-you-in-a/) [Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/) > [Rockets often spiral out of control if you put too much propellant in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jurvetson/rockets-often-spiral-out-of-control-if-you-put-too-much-propellant-in/) [Steve Jurvetson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jurvetson/) > [The big problem is just this kind of gigantic piece, of kids reading less and liking it less and so getting worse at it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-scieszka/the-big-problem-is-just-this-kind-of-gigantic-piece-of-kids-reading/) [Jon Scieszka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-scieszka/) > [What I was concerned about when I wrote the 'Downward Spiral' record was being a self-centred destructive force. The point was tearing down everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/what-i-was-concerned-about-when-i-wrote-the-downward-spiral-record/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) ## More by Laura Hough > [“The most important thing in defining child sexual abuse is the experience of the child. It takes very little for a child’s world to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-hough/the-most-important-thing-in-defining-child-sexual-abuse-is-the/) Laura Hough Explore all 2 Laura Hough quotes ## More Child abuse quotes > [“If we could somehow end child abuse and neglect, the eight hundred pages of DSM (and the need for the easier explanations such as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-briere/if-we-could-somehow-end-child-abuse-and-neglect-the-eight-hundred/) John Briere > [“The sole reason I stand to open it up now is that lots of people who are in pain just like I was, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-dsouza/the-sole-reason-i-stand-to-open-it-up-now-is-that-lots-of-people-who/) [Patricia Dsouza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-dsouza/) > [“Don’t turn your face away. Once you’ve seen, you can no longer act like you don’t know. Open your eyes to the truth. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vashti-quiroz-vega/don-t-turn-your-face-away-once-you-ve-seen-you-can-no-longer-act-like/) Vashti Quiroz-Vega > [“Blaming therapy, social work and other caring professions for the confabulation of testimony of 'satanic ritual abuse' legitimated a programme of political and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/blaming-therapy-social-work-and-other-caring-professions-for-the/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [“I used to teach at an abused children's home. I told the kids, "You all have a manure pile of memories. Nothing you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-o-donnell/i-used-to-teach-at-an-abused-children-s-home-i-told-the-kids-you-all/) [Rebecca O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-o-donnell/) > [“The way in which the child is manipulated pulls them into considering the lies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-dsouza/the-way-in-which-the-child-is-manipulated-pulls-them-into-considering/) [Patricia Dsouza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-dsouza/) > [“It’s hard to feel supported when you can’t tell people everything. People haven’t really got a clue what it’s like. It’s hard to trust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-jamieson/it-s-hard-to-feel-supported-when-you-can-t-tell-people-everything/) [Alice Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-jamieson/) > [Sadomasochiasm - which we know very well doesn't exist in societies that don't have child abuse - is regarded some sort of natural sexual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/sadomasochiasm-which-we-know-very-well-doesn-t-exist-in-societies/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“This book would be a great addition to a classroom library, especially considering its emphases on timeless and critical topics like discrimination and prejudice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-lovejoy/this-book-would-be-a-great-addition-to-a-classroom-library-especially/) [Sharon Lovejoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-lovejoy/) > [“As mandatory reporting laws and community awareness drove an increase its child protection investigations throughout the 1980s, some children began to disclose premeditated, sadistic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/as-mandatory-reporting-laws-and-community-awareness-drove-an-increase/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [“With gratitude, I have become a healing balm to thousands of people, if not more, who have suffered child abuse, sibling abuse, a dysfunctional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-arcuri-ctrc/with-gratitude-i-have-become-a-healing-balm-to-thousands-of-people-if/) [Dana Arcuri CTRC](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-arcuri-ctrc/) > [Don't forget that the most effective form of child abuse is giving a child everything they want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-alcorn/don-t-forget-that-the-most-effective-form-of-child-abuse-is-giving-a/) [Randy Alcorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-alcorn/) > [“the abuser's desire to abuse is not created by the child - it is there before the child appears”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-ainscough/the-abuser-s-desire-to-abuse-is-not-created-by-the-child-it-is-there/) [Carolyn Ainscough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-ainscough/) > [Inculcating the various competing - competing, note - falsehoods of the major faiths into small children is a form of child abuse, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/inculcating-the-various-competing-competing-note-falsehoods-of-the/) [A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/) > [“I'm still not sure if I was a victim or not... and if I was, who was my abuser?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eskay-teel/i-m-still-not-sure-if-i-was-a-victim-or-not-and-if-i-was-who-was-my/) Eskay Teel [Browse all 492 Child abuse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-abuse/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The healing process is best described as a spiral. Survivors go through the stages once, sometimes many times; sometimes in one order, sometimes in another. Each time they hit a stage again, they move up the spiral: they can integrate new information and a broader range of feelings, utilize more resources, take better care of themselves, and make deeper changes.” Allies in Healing by Laura Davis”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Laura Hough" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-hough/the-healing-process-is-best-described-as-a-spiral-survivors-go/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Child abuse" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-hough/the-healing-process-is-best-described-as-a-spiral-survivors-go/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecb/laura-hough-98524_child-abuse_the-healing-process-is-best-described-as_2947355.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecb/laura-hough-98524_child-abuse_the-healing-process-is-best-described-as_2947355.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecb/laura-hough-98524_child-abuse_the-healing-process-is-best-described-as_2947355.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The healing process is best described as a spiral. Survivors go through the stages once, sometimes many…” — Laura Hough", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Laura Hough", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-hough/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The healing process is best described...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-hough/the-healing-process-is-best-described-as-a-spiral-survivors-go/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-hough/the-healing-process-is-best-described-as-a-spiral-survivors-go/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```