Some days you may feel the weight of trauma crushing you down, and wonder if you can ever recover.
Let me give you some hope: Yes, you can.
I help people recover from their trauma, so I know that it's possible for you too.
What is trauma?
Trauma is defined in terms of our own personal experience. What might seem traumatic to one person may not be to another.
While everybody experiences different traumatic experiences, whatever has caused the trauma leaves an imprint within the nervous system. The body holds onto the messages that were created at the time it occurred, often leaving a person frozen in that moment of trauma. Your body's response to an experience actually impacts you more than the situation itself.
The impacts of trauma will begin to show up in your relationships, your bodily response, and emotional expectations. These areas are key building blocks of your personalities. Further, trauma can mess with your spirituality.
Recovering from trauma
Recovering from the devastation of trauma requires developing a healthy secure attachment. This connection can come about in a trusting relationship with a trained trauma-informed therapist. Being trauma-informed means understanding the impact of trauma, whether physical, psychological, emotional, or spiritual.
If faith in God has been lost after experiencing trauma, and there are lingering questions about spirituality, then finding a Christian therapist may make the difference in also finding God in their recovery.
Walking with others
As a therapist who believes in a loving, omnipresent God, I believe he has created humanity for his purposes, and as his ambassadors to embody his character.
When I walk with another in their pain, I bear witness to it. By emulating the presence of Jesus, I help my clients enter into the process of healing. Even more important, and yet so difficult, is to walk at the pace that works for them—their process of healing cannot be forced. Learning happens within the process of healing, which only happens as my client is able to go at the pace they need.
There are different parts to this healing journey. Neuroscience continues to point to the fact that therapy should stimulate the logical part of the brain because it allows people to gain understanding of their emotions. This awareness can bring about self-regulation, and research shows that this can lead to emotional stability.
Further, since trauma is centred in the emotional part of the brain, utilizing prayer and meditation in sessions has also been found to create a sense of calm and greater safety. Research has shown that over time, engaging in prayer can change the brain by reversing toxic thinking and building new neural pathways that positively alter future patterns of thinking.
When an individual shares their story, it empowers them to find the language for the burden they have carried. If trauma wounds remain unhealed, there is an ongoing vulnerability to lies and pain. These lies can become factual and get stuck in the memory of the event. However, when someone gives voice to their story, words of truth from a therapist can cut through deceit and manipulation to bring freedom.
God and trauma
God shows his truth and love in the most incredible way possible, by giving himself. Jesus accepts us as we are and fills up our love deficits with his perfect love. He knows what it’s like to suffer the pain of rejection, abandonment, and trauma. It’s his desire to be invited into our pain so we can see him. When we see him, we know him. When we know him, we know his love.
In time, and with good trauma therapy, we can feel the safety of that love, and trust with God can be restored.
If you are facing a mental health crisis, please contact a mental health emergency hotline. For young adults up to 29, Kids Help Phone is also available for phone calls, Facebook Messenger, or texting conversations.
