A difficult past can be extremely debilitating. If the mind is obsessed with regret, that can prevent us from achieving all the exciting and meaningful things that we have the potential to achieve.
There is of course no logic to getting caught up with the past. Since we cannot change it, every thought spent lamenting the past is a waste of energy. But, if we’re stuck in the past, that has nothing to do with logic and everything to do with habit.
The habit that hinders us is attachment and the one that liberates us is mindfulness. How can we change our unfortunate habits into good ones? The answer is that we have to train the mind not to fall prey to the old habit by continuously invoking present moment awareness.
Keeping a daily practice is good for maintenance if we have already had some training, but regular retreats are required if we’re going to make significant progress in leaving the past behind. That would be a very beneficial result because then, without the past cluttering our mind, we can finally relax and be happy.