When Realization Comes After Taking Action

Sometimes we assume that in order to make a choice, we must first understand everything, organize it, and only then act. This seems logical and reasonable. Existential psychology offers a different perspective: often, clarity emerges only after the decision to act has already formed internally.

There is a paradoxical process that can be described as reverse insight. A person begins to see reality clearly only when they are ready inside to make a change.

Consider someone who has been overworked and undervalued at their job for years. They take on extra responsibilities, work harder than their colleagues, and receive less recognition. Logically, they understand the situation and may even express it, yet it does not fully resonate. The unfairness exists intellectually but does not feel real in their life. Eventually, a firm internal decision to leave develops. Only then does vision become sharp, as if a veil has lifted. Sometimes this clarity appears symbolically in dreams showing the boss being unfair, humiliating, or ordering around, prompting the person to submit a resignation the next morning.

The existential perspective suggests that insight follows the decision rather than precedes it. The psyche allows us to perceive truths only when we are prepared to act on them. The mind protects against information that cannot yet be handled. If a person is not ready to change, obvious truths may go unnoticed, not because of ignorance but because full awareness would be too painful or destabilizing. The crucial factor is internal readiness, what therapy calls engagement or invested willingness. It is not curiosity or endless analysis but a deep involvement in one’s life and the courage to face reality even when it is uncomfortable.

A similar process occurs with memory. Sometimes painful childhood events resurface spontaneously after years of being hidden. This is not random but a signal that the person is ready for growth. The past emerges not to harm but to be processed and integrated.

In therapy, someone may analyze for months without real insight because the decision to change has not arrived. When readiness appears, insight comes quickly and unexpectedly. Awareness is often believed to emerge from analysis, but it frequently originates from an internal choice.

Dreams also reflect this readiness. When a person is detached from life, dreams are dull, repetitive, and almost empty. As they adopt an honest stance toward themselves, dreams become vivid, symbolic, and exploratory.

In practice, this means that the best way to perceive the truth is not to force it intellectually but to ask different questions. Am I ready to change? Am I prepared to face the consequences of knowing? Understanding does not always come first. Sometimes it appears only when space exists inside to take responsibility for the path ahead. This is not impulsiveness but maturity. When the decision ripens, clarity naturally follows.