Brad Schipke explains why processing trauma hurts: you have to bring subconscious pain into conscious awareness to release it from your body. The discomfort is real, but on the other side is a lasting peace that can't be taken away.
It hurts to process trauma because healing at its core is bringing the subconscious unprocessed trauma into your working memory, into your conscious mind, working with it, processing and releasing that pain from your body. And that in and of itself is a painful process. But on the other side of that pain, on the other side of that hurt, after the processing comes true, deep, real peace that cannot be taken away by anything. So the pain is so worth it. That's why you might still feel broken even when you're healing, but keep going. It's worth it. And it just keeps getting better.
