06/07/2026
🐢Why Trauma Recovery Looks More Like the Tortoise Than the Hare
There is a famous fable called “The Tortoise and the Hare.”
In the story, a fast and confident hare challenges a slow-moving tortoise to a race. The hare is certain he will win. The tortoise never argues. He simply keeps moving forward one step at a time.
Most people know how the story ends.
The tortoise wins. 🎉
Not because he is faster. Not because he is stronger. But because he never stops moving.
Today, psychologists use a similar principle in a treatment approach called hierarchy exposure therapy.
The tortoise and the hare is not a story about racing. It is a story about how lasting change often happens. And for trauma survivors, that lesson matters. Because healing rarely happens in giant leaps. It happens one manageable step at a time.
Imagine someone who is terrified of public speaking.
The hare approach would say:
“Just get on stage in front of 500 people.”
Most nervous systems would panic. The experience becomes overwhelming.
The brain learns: “That was terrifying.” 😱
Hierarchy exposure therapy takes the tortoise approach.
First, you practice speaking alone. Then to a trusted friend. Then to two people. Then a small group. Then a larger audience. Each step is slightly uncomfortable but still manageable.
The brain learns something different:
“I survived that.” 😁
Then: “I survived that too.”
Then: “Maybe I can do a little more.”
This is how nervous systems change. Not through force. Not through shame. Not through proving how brave we are.
Through repetition. Through safety. Through hundreds of small experiences that slowly teach the brain that what once felt dangerous is now survivable.
Many trauma survivors become discouraged because they compare themselves to the hare.
They think healing should happen quickly. They believe they should already be farther along. They wonder why they still struggle with things that seem easy for other people.
But trauma recovery is not a race. It is a retraining process. The goal is not speed. The goal is progress.
One conversation. One boundary. One trip to the grocery store. One difficult phone call. One exposure at a time.
The tortoise did not win because he moved quickly. He won because he kept moving. And that is often exactly how recovery works.
Slowly. Steadily. Safely. One step at a time.
CPTSD GLOBAL
Power. Voice. Choice.
