We become attached to, faithful to, captive to our old unwanted identity or coping strategies from past trauma. We get stuck recreating and re-experiencing the familiar negative emotions, sensations and story that we then reject, avoid and sabotage the things we actually desire and what God wants for us.
The problem isn't the emotion or feeling, its our reaction to it. It's how we buy into the lie that creates the feeling and then let it run our lives.
Could crucifying the flesh from galations 5.24 partially mean to not let our past traumas and hurts be authority in our lives?