From Shut Down to Seen:
Marie’s Journey from “Just Deal With It” to Real Emotional Freedom
This emotional healing case study shares how Marie, a sensitive Muslim woman, went from shutting down her feelings and “just dealing with it” to understanding her emotions, feeling safe to express them, and seeing her creative mind as a blessing — not a flaw.
- Opened up emotionally after years of shutting down and hiding
- Stopped seeing herself as “crazy” or “too much”
- Began to feel lighter, understood, and genuinely hopeful about healing
Client Snapshot
Who She Is
- Thoughtful, sensitive Muslim woman used to keeping everything inside
- Emotionally closed off from herself and her family
- Carried heavy feelings for years, convinced she just had to
“get on with it” - Came to me not expecting much — she didn’t see how talking could change anything
Results at a Glance
- Went from “my feelings don’t matter” → to “what I feel is valid and makes sense”
- Opened up more with herself and in safe relationships
- Stopped pathologising her own mind and creativity
- Experienced real emotional healing as old, buried feelings were finally released.
Before we started to work together
When Marie first came to me, she was very closed off — not just with others, but also with herself. She had learned to survive by shutting down her feelings, keeping everything inside, and telling herself there was no point in talking about her struggles.
Her default mindset was: “It is what it is. I just have to deal with it.” Deep down, she believed her emotions were a burden, not something worth paying attention to. Every time something hurt, she turned it inward: maybe she was too sensitive, too dramatic, too much.
She also felt deeply alone. Even with the people closest to her, she didn’t feel truly seen. The idea of opening up felt dangerous — what if she was judged, misunderstood, or dismissed again?
She had no idea that this level of emotional healing was even possible for someone like her.
“I thought my feelings didn’t matter and
I just had to live with them.”
What Made Her Reach Out
Marie didn’t come to me because everything suddenly exploded. She came because the quiet heaviness of carrying everything alone had become too much.
- She was tired of pretending she was okay while feeling hollow inside.
- She sensed that “just deal with it” was slowly destroying her from within.
- She wanted a place where she could finally say the unsayable without being judged.
- She was curious if working with a trauma-informed, faith-rooted coach could help her feel lighter without having to relive everything alone in her head.
She reached out for trauma-informed, faith-rooted support through my 1:1 transformational coaching for Muslim women.
How Our Work Unfolded
From the beginning, our work together focused on one thing: creating a trauma-informed, somatic and faith-rooted space where Marie could be fully herself — with all her sarcasm, dark humour, heavy thoughts and numbness — and still be completely welcome.
- Safety and real permission to be honest
- We started by building a space where everything was allowed to be said. Sarcastic comments, dark jokes, intrusive thoughts, the “ugly” feelings — nothing was too much. Nothing was “crazy”. This broke the pattern of hiding and self-censorship she’d lived with for years.
- Naming and validating her inner world
- As she slowly opened up, we explored what she was feeling and why it made sense given what she’d been through. Instead of labelling herself as broken, she learned to see her reactions as normal responses to real experiences.
- Letting buried emotions surface safely
- Old, pushed-down emotions started to come up — sadness, anger, fear, shame. Together, we created enough safety for her to feel them in manageable pieces, instead of being overwhelmed or shutting them back down.
- Reframing her mind as an ally, not an enemy
- Marie had often felt paranoid, “too much in her head”, or ashamed of the depth and darkness of some of her thoughts. We worked on seeing her active and creative mind as a gift — something that could protect her, create new perspectives, and help her build a life that actually fit her.
- Integrating relief into daily life
- As the sessions continued, she began to notice feeling lighter and more open in her everyday interactions. She could show a bit more of her real self without panicking, and start imagining a future that wasn’t just about surviving.
Where She Is Now
Marie will tell you herself: not all her scars are gone — and that’s okay.
For her, emotional healing doesn’t mean erasing the past — it means no longer being trapped inside it.
She now understands that what she felt was valid and completely normal. Her emotions are no longer an enemy to push away, but signals to listen to. The belief that she just had to “live with it” has shifted into a sense that change is possible, step by step.
She feels lighter, more emotionally present, and much less alone. She can put words to what’s going on inside and reach out for support in ways that used to feel impossible.
- From “I just have to deal with it” → to “what I feel matters and deserves space”
- From hiding her mind and emotions → to seeing her inner world as valid and meaningful
- From constant shutdown → to feeling lighter, more open, and quietly hopeful
“For the first time, I don’t feel like I’m wrong for feeling what I feel.”
★★★★★
When I first came to you, I was very closed off from myself and my family. I didn’t see the point in talking about my problems — I thought I just had to live with them.
As we worked together, I realised that “just deal with it” wasn’t a healthy mindset, and that what I was feeling mattered and was completely normal. You allowed me to open up in a way I didn’t even feel comfortable doing with my closest family. I never felt judged for my sarcastic comments, dark jokes, evil thoughts or feelings.
You helped me see that having an active, creative mind isn’t a crime, it’s a blessing. Not all my scars are healed yet, but now I know healing is possible, and I don’t have to carry everything alone.
Marie
Name and identifying details have been changed to protect confidentiality.
Shared with permission.
Is this kind of work for you?
This is for you if…
- You’re used to keeping everything inside and telling yourself to “just get on with it”, but you’re secretly longing for real emotional healing.
- You feel emotionally shut down, numb, or like your feelings don’t matter.
- You want a safe, non-judgemental space to say the things you can’t tell family or friends.
- You’re ready to understand yourself more deeply and feel lighter, even if you don’t know where to start.
This is not for you if…
- You want a quick fix without opening up at all.
- You’re looking for someone to give you all the answers without self-reflection.
- You’re not willing to be gently honest with yourself over time.
If you see yourself in Marie’s story…
You don’t have to keep carrying everything alone or pretending it doesn’t hurt. If you’re ready for a safe, grounded space where all of you is welcome — including the heavy and messy parts — we can explore whether this work is the right fit for you.
Our work together is gentle, deep and faith-rooted. You don’t have to have the right words — you just have to show up as you are.
Not sure yet? You can also explore more client stories before you decide.
Sessions are 1:1, trauma-informed and rooted in Islamic values.
