“We cannot heal what we cannot face.” — James Hollis

This chapter doesn’t pull punches.

It asks a hard question:
Where am I still lying to myself?
Where am I telling myself half-truths to avoid discomfort, rejection, or shame?

Lately, I’ve been peeling back a lot of layers.
Facing how deep my loneliness runs.
Facing how much I still long for love, even as I protect myself from it.
Facing the ways I numb or over-function when I feel unseen.

There’s no shame in any of that.
But there is a choice:
To keep pretending I’m fine — or to meet myself fully.

Hollis says healing starts when we get radically honest.
Not just with others.
But with ourselves.

  • What we actually feel.
  • What we actually want.
  • What we’re afraid to admit out loud — even in private.

It’s confronting. But it’s freeing too.

Because every time I tell the truth — even when it hurts — something softens.
The mask slips. The shame loosens.
And something real can finally begin.

Reflection Prompt:
What uncomfortable truth have I been avoiding?
And what might shift if I were brave enough to face it — without judgment?