We all have different 'storms' and reasons for being here. There is not one answer the same for everyone.
The length of time for our nervous systems to heal depends on a lot of things. To name a few…
- How deep the trauma goes.
- The severity of symptoms.
- The environment in which you live.
- Your dedication.
- Your commitment.
- The changes you make or don’t make.
The term 'heal' refers to the idea of being 100% free from illness. Being ‘healed’ can mean something different from one person to another. What does being ‘healed’ mean to you? Free from chronic illness? Experiencing calm? Complete freedom? Life is a constant journey of healing and learning. We never reach a place where all of our stressors are over. But we can reach a place where we can more easily flow through these stressors.
We have phases in our life where we do need to pay more diligence to healing.
NSR example: Everyone has an initial ‘healing’ phase where it requires a lot more consistency and diligence and that in itself could be anywhere from 6 months to 3 years or more. You can not expect to fully heal and then go back to living the life we had before being chronically ill. That life quite likely wasn’t supportive for your nervous system as it led to nervous system dysregulation. (This is not your fault)
Once doing the work, there should be changes to your life (Coping behaviors, how you view your life and yourself, interact with others, thought patterns, etc.) that remain in place for life. You should carry this tool kit with you more then just the 6 months to 3 years, using it to support your nervous system through the ups and downs of life.