Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Trauma Is Trending. Healing? Not So Much.

Close-up of a young woman with perfect makeup crying, illuminated by the blue light of a smartphone screen in a dark room.
Welcome to the Internet’s Healing Circus

Let’s cut the crap.

You’re not healing. You’re posting.
And the internet? It’s not your therapist. It’s your stage.

Gone are the days when therapy meant whispering to a shrink behind a mahogany desk. In 2025, it’s a carousel post with minimalist fonts titled “My 7 Inner Child Wounds and How I Aesthetically Cope.”

We’ve turned vulnerability into visibility. Healing into hashtags.
Emotions are now content buckets. You don’t feel anymore—you broadcast.

Instagram, TikTok, Threads—pick your poison. Trauma isn’t a process. It’s a performance. And spoiler alert: we’re all performing like our WiFi bills depend on it.

๐Ÿ“Œ If this hits a nerve, read: Emotional Minimalism – Declutter Your Online Self


The Overshare Olympics: Everyone’s a Finalist

Somewhere between “soft girl healing” and “alpha trauma rebound grindset,” we entered the Overshare Olympics—and baby, there are no bronze medals here.

You get clout for:

  • Crying on camera (bonus if there’s a ring light involved)

  • Writing 10-slide carousels about your breakup like it’s a UN report

  • Making trauma-core edits with Lana Del Rey playing in the background

Pain now performs better than puppies.

It’s not that we’re broken—it’s that our pain is finally marketable.

And when your inner chaos garners likes, why would you ever fix it?

๐Ÿง  Related read: Digital Loneliness in 2025


LinkedIn Trauma Dumping: Hustle + Hurt = Hype

Remember when LinkedIn was about jobs and Excel hacks? Now it’s one long trauma dump.

“My startup failed. I had depression. My dog died. But here’s what it taught me about leadership.”

We’ve confused trauma with tenacity, and every low point is now a brand-building opportunity.

Even hiring posts come with a tragic backstory:

“I was rejected 14 times. Slept on a friend’s sofa. Lived on Maggi. Now I’m a 7-figure freelancer.”

It’s not motivation—it’s manipulation with good lighting.

๐ŸŽฏ See this play out in: AI Layoffs and Ghost Jobs of 2025


The Healing Industrial Complex™ Is Thriving

Healing used to be sacred. Now it's a shopping category.

Browse Instagram ads and you’ll find:

  • “Trauma Coaching” from someone who discovered mental health during Mercury Retrograde

  • “Inner Child Healing Candles” (hand-poured, overpriced, underwhelming)

  • “Womb Journaling Retreats” in Manali—where no one writes but everyone reels

Meanwhile, real therapists in India are booked for months and earn less than a weekend Reiki class.

Welcome to the Healing Industrial Complex™, where your anxiety is a product, and your self-worth depends on shipping timelines.

๐Ÿ“Œ Speaking of hustle pressure: Middle-Class Productivity Guilt


Your Trauma Isn’t a Personality, Bro

Let’s be honest: trauma is the new MBTI.

Instead of saying “I’m learning to cope,” we now say:

“I’m a dismissive-avoidant INFJ raised in a chaotic home navigating shadow work.”

Translation: I read 3 Instagram posts and now diagnose myself like I’m Freud.

Trauma has become a social identity.
We introduce ourselves by our scars, not our stories. The messier the backstory, the more "relatable" we become.

But when trauma becomes your brand, healing becomes betrayal.

๐ŸŒ€ Also see: Post-Truth Era of 2025


Capitalism Is Your Trauma’s Favorite Therapist

Big surprise: the system profiting off your burnout… also sells you the cure.

Apps, journals, mood-tracking subscriptions, vibe crystals, trauma coaches with no qualifications… it’s a buffet of false hope.

India’s digital wellness market crossed ₹2000 Cr in 2024, but according to WHO:

  • Only 0.75 psychiatrists per 100,000 people

  • 60%+ Indians with mental health issues never receive professional help

Why? Because mental health isn’t sexy unless it’s monetized.

You’re not being healed. You’re being harvested.

๐Ÿ’ธ Explore more real-world scamfluence: Therapy Trap – Monetizing Vulnerability


India: Offline Shame Meets Online Fame

We still whisper “therapy” like it’s black magic.

But on the internet? It’s all:

“Hi, I’m a recovering empath with abandonment wounds and a soft corner for Himalayan salt lamps.”

Indian culture still gaslights you into thinking:

  • Crying is weakness

  • Depression is just hunger

  • Anxiety is “too much screen time”

But scroll Instagram and it's all crystal grids, aura healing, and dopamine detox rituals filmed with cinematic drones.

We don’t want to heal. We want to look aesthetically unwell.

Read more: Digital Detox – Escaping or Coping?


Reels, Rants, and the Doomscroll High

Let’s talk algorithm addiction.

Every crying selfie, every sad piano reel, every overshare thread… gives you a hit.

  • Dopamine when the likes pour in

  • Validation in the “sending love ๐Ÿ’—” comments

  • Pity clout when strangers repost your breakdown

And then? Crickets. Silence. Ghosting. Because parasocial empathy doesn’t extend offline.

Case in point:

A Delhi creator went viral for “healing from narcissistic abuse.” Turned out—it was a PR stunt. Brand collabs, book deals, podcast invites... all for a made-up trauma arc.

Because in 2025, authenticity is optional. Engagement is king.

๐Ÿ“ On ghosting, false intimacy and fake closeness: Ghosting, Breadcrumbing & The Digital Mess


The Raw Truth: Healing Is Boring

You know why no one’s posting about real healing?

Because it's dull.

  • It’s going to therapy and saying the same thing 12 times

  • It’s journaling when you don’t feel inspired

  • It’s being consistent—not aesthetic

  • It’s boundaries, naps, awkward silence, and logging off when it’s least convenient

No trending sound. No link in bio. No soft lighting.

That’s why influencers fake it. Real healing doesn’t trend.

๐Ÿ’ค More inconvenient truths: Crying, Sex & Emotional Release


What If We Don’t Want to Heal?

Let’s drop the hot take.

What if healing feels like… erasure?

What if your pain gives you meaning? A story? A place in this chaotic, chronically online universe?

What if we’re scared that without our trauma arc, we’re just ordinary people with bad WiFi and mediocre playlists?

Because healing removes the drama. And in 2025, drama is dopamine.

So, maybe, just maybe…
We’re addicted to being broken because healing is bad for engagement.

๐Ÿงจ See it unravel: Silent Quitting vs. Balance Culture


Final Gut-Punch: Clout Is Not Closure

Healing is not a content plan.

It’s not your latest collab, your sad boomerang, your journal haul.

It’s what happens when no one’s watching.

So ask yourself:

  • If no one clapped for your growth, would you still pursue it?

  • If your healing didn’t go viral, would you still invest in it?

  • If your therapist didn’t have a podcast, would you still trust her?

Because if your pain is real, it deserves more than a Canva template.

๐Ÿ’ฅ Mic drop-worthy bonus read: Brain Isn’t WiFi – Stop Acting Like It


TL;DR for the Chronically Online

  • Oversharing ≠ Healing

  • Pain ≠ Personality

  • Capitalism ≠ Cure

  • Clout ≠ Closure

  • Reels ≠ Recovery

  • Healing ≠ Aesthetic


Viral Caption Ideas for Your Next Breakdown

Because I know you're going to post this anyway:

  • “Cried in HD. Healed in private. Flopped both ways.”

  • “Healing is a full-time job. I’m still on probation.”

  • “Inner child needs therapy. Bank account says ‘LOL.’”

  • “Healing arc loading… buffering… crashed.”


So... Are You Healing or Just Hashtagging It?

Drop a comment. Vent. Overshare (ironically, of course).
But maybe, just maybe, also log out and touch some grass.

Healing doesn’t need an audience.
But if you're reading this far? At least you’re trying.

4 comments:

  1. Brilliantly dissects the troubling trend of 'trauma dumping' and the performative nature of vulnerability on platforms like LinkedIn. I love the part where you talked about how pain is commodified for 'hype' is sharp and insightful, exposing the manipulative underbelly of modern 'motivation.' A truly thought-provoking read that challenges the status quo.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Totally! It’s crazy how real vulnerability has turned into this weird performance where people almost use their pain like a ticket to fame or career perks. The way trauma gets packaged as “motivation” is honestly exhausting and kinda messed up. I’m really glad the article struck a chord with you—this is exactly the kind of conversation we need to have, calling out the fake stuff and reminding folks that true healing happens off-camera, not just for likes.

      Delete
  2. Absolutely. You know, I always find it a bit strange when I come across Instagram posts, WhatsApp statuses, or Facebook updates where someone shares a picture of a family member with a caption like, “Miss you, xyz, where did you go?” I completely understand the grief or longing behind it—and of course, they must be missing their loved one deeply. But at the same time, posting it online doesn’t really do anything. In fact, for people like me, it creates confusion. Am I supposed to respond? Is ignoring it rude? Should I message them? It turns something deeply personal into this weird moment of social pressure.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely, you nailed it. Grief and longing are incredibly personal feelings, and when they get posted online, it suddenly becomes everyone’s business — whether we want it or not. That “Miss you, xyz, where did you go?” post isn’t just about missing someone; it turns into an unspoken social test for the people who see it.

      You’re left wondering: Should I reach out? Does silence mean I don’t care? Is it my place to step in? It’s like grief gets shoved onto a public stage, but no one hands out instructions on how to be part of the audience.

      At the end of the day, the pain doesn’t get lighter just because it’s shared with hundreds of followers. And for those watching, it can feel awkward, confusing, or even guilt-inducing. Real emotional support requires more than a post—it needs genuine connection, which social media often can’t provide.

      It’s one of those moments that shows how digital sharing sometimes complicates, rather than eases, our human experiences.

      Delete

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