Miley Cirus’ “The Climb”: Wonderful Anthem for Healing from Child Abuse

I don’t exactly consider myself to be Hannah Montana fan, but I really love Miley Cyrus’ song, The Climb. If you have not heard it yet, check out this video. While you listen to it, read along with the lyrics that I have included below.

I can almost see it
That dream I’m dreaming but
There’s a voice inside my head sayin,
You’ll never reach it,
Every step I’m taking,
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking but I
Gotta keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high

There’s always gonna be another mountain
I’m always gonna to want to make it move
Always gonna to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes I’m gonna have to lose,
Ain’t about how fast I get there,
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the climb

The struggles I’m facing,
The chances I’m taking
Sometimes might knock me down but
No I’m not breaking
I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I’m gonna remember most yeah
Just gotta keep going
And I,
I gotta be strong
Just keep pushing on

From now on, when people ask me about the healing process from child abuse, I am going to point them to this song.

I used to believe that the healing process was about getting from here to there. I wanted to “be finished” as quickly as possible. I wanted to “get it over with.” My focus was completely on what waited on the other side of the mountain. I did not want to think about who I was today – only about how much better my life would be on the other side.

What I have come to learn is that it isn’t about getting to the other side of healing. Healing is a journey, not a destination. The point is not about “getting there” – it is about transforming myself from the victim I was to the survivor I am to the conqueror that I am becoming. I don’t have to wait for some elusive time in my life to be a changed person. I am changing every minute of every day.

My therapist once told me to try to enjoy the process. I looked at him like he had two heads. Now I understand what he was trying to say. It’s not about getting to the other side – It’s “the climb.”

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