Facing the Darkness So Humanity Can Heal
Recently, I watched a segment on CBS's "Sunday Morning" about sex trafficking and abuse. It was horrific. Not surprising, but horrific all the same.
Over the years in my spiritual healing practice, I have worked with many individuals carrying trauma from abuse. Some of it occurred in this lifetime. Some of it traces back through generations. In many cases, the wounds are so deeply buried that the person does not fully understand why they feel broken, anxious, disconnected, or unsafe.
In addition to helping people process their personal experiences, I have also addressed the deeper patterns that allow this kind of darkness to operate. There are distortions in human consciousness, misuse of power, and unhealed psychological fractures that, when left unchecked, create environments where exploitation can continue.
This is not easy work. It is not glamorous. And once you truly see what human beings are capable of doing to one another, you cannot simply look away.
Years ago, Archangel Michael said to me, “You have to get over your hatred of humanity.” That statement startled me at the time. I would never have come here if I did not love humanity. My entire life has been devoted to helping people clear what binds them and return to a state of clarity, sovereignty, and joy.
But there is a difference between loving humanity in principle and witnessing humanity at its worst.
When you see the lack of compassion, the calculated harm, and the abuse of innocence, it can shake you. It can create anger. It can create grief. It can create a desire to distance yourself from the very species you are trying to help.
And yet, turning away does not heal anything.
Avoidance does not end exploitation. Silence does not dismantle distortion. Pretending something is rare or isolated does not stop it from continuing in the background.
These issues must be faced with courage and responsibility. Not with hysteria, and not with hatred that mirrors the very harm we are trying to end, but with clarity and moral maturity.
Parents must teach children self-worth and boundaries from a young age. Communities must be willing to protect the vulnerable rather than protect reputations. Those in positions of influence must confront their own ego, greed, and shadow rather than allowing power to corrupt them.
The problem is complex. It is layered and systemic. It has been reinforced over generations. There is no single fix and no simple solution.
I began learning how to be a healer in 1986. That is decades of listening to stories most people never hear and holding space for pain that is often unspeakable. What I have learned is this: trauma that is not acknowledged does not disappear. It goes underground. It shapes behavior, relationships, leadership, and even entire cultures from behind the scenes.
However, I have also seen something equally powerful. When trauma is faced directly, when truth is spoken, when responsibility is taken, healing is possible. Individuals reclaim their voice. Families break destructive cycles. Systems begin to shift.
We cannot build a healthy world on top of unaddressed harm. We cannot create prosperity while ignoring the suffering that sits beneath the surface. And we cannot expect peace while exploitation remains hidden.
Facing darkness is not about obsession with evil. It is about removing its influence. It is about clearing what distorts humanity so that compassion, integrity, and true strength can emerge.
The work is not light. It is not always comfortable, but it is necessary.
For those who wish to support the effort to keep this kind of work going for the collective, they may donate to it at https://joypedersen.com/global-healing/.
