How to Support Someone in Emotional Pain: The Healing Power of Simply Being There

When someone you love is in deep emotional pain, the question isn’t how to fix them, but how to truly be with them. You’re not a medication they can take to make the hurt disappear; you’re a human being—imperfect, feeling, and vulnerable—sitting beside another human who is clearly suffering. Jessica learned this the hard way when her friend called her one night after a devastating breakup and the resurfacing of old childhood wounds. At first, Jessica scrambled for advice, solutions, anything to stop the tears. But she noticed that what helped most was when she slowed down, listened, and let her friend’s story unfold without trying to control it or "make things better." Years earlier, Jessica herself had carried the quiet trauma of growing up in a home where anger filled the rooms and silence followed for days; she remembered how lonely it felt when people tried to “cheer her up” instead of understanding. So she stayed present with her friend, even when the pain in the room was heavy. This is the heart of psychotherapy too: one person sitting with another, not as a savior, but as a steady companion in the dark, offering attention, empathy, and a shared humanity that makes healing possible.