How Can Churches Help Trauma Victims Heal?
How Can Churches Help Trauma Victims Heal?
Part Four in a series on Post Traumatic Spiritual Growth
This is part four in a four-part series on Post Traumatic Spiritual Growth. I’ve been posting excerpts from an interview that I did with Marie Woods from Life Above for their recent Mental Health Conference. I was asked to address the topic from a pastoral perspective. Read Part One here.
Part Three was about what Post Traumatic Spiritual Growth looks like. The next question was…
What role can church leaders play in recognizing and addressing trauma and encouraging post traumatic growth within their congregations?
It’s important for church leaders to be able to recognize people who have experienced trauma and so there are a number of things that a church can do to help their members.
First, the leadership can …
Read books on trauma to become familiar with it
A lot of people have appreciated the books, The Body Keeps the Score or the book, Suffering and the Heart of God by Diane Langberg. Those are good places to start.
Second, it’s important to …
Be patient with trauma survivors
There’s no quick fix. Sometimes pastors offer a one-size-fits-all solution to problems. Like, read your Bible, pray more, attend a small group and everything will be better. We have to stop thinking like that.
And I recommend that pastors, or any church leaders, don’t try to counsel beyond their depth. You can re-traumatize people if you aren’t sensitive to their needs.
So, it’s important to be aware of good counselors in your area to whom you can refer your members.
And last, …
Be positive
Always remind people that God is a God of resurrection. There is always hope.
How can the church effectively integrate trauma-informed mental health care and awareness into its teaching and programs?
Like I already said, become informed.
You want to create a safe and welcoming environment so people don’t feel like they have to walk around with their guard up and a fake smile. A church should present itself as a place of hope and healing and not a place where rules and rituals are the main priority.
It’s important to train your leaders to be aware of the signs of trauma and create a space where people feel comfortable sharing their experiences, like offering support groups.
It also means being respectful of people's boundaries and not pushing them to talk about their trauma or get more involved in the life of the church if they aren’t ready.
And it’s important to learn how to use trauma-sensitive and trauma informed language.
What do you consider trauma-informed language?
Trauma-informed language is a way to speak to people that shows you respect their experience, you understand their pain and you want to help them, not fix them or judge them. It’s language that avoids triggering or re-traumatizing people by being insensitive.
Can you give some examples of trauma-informed language?
Sure. I’ll mention three. First, …
Use person-first language
This means referring to people as "people who have experienced trauma" rather than referring to them as "trauma victims" or "survivors." It might seem insignificant but you want to avoid stigmatizing people and reducing them to being merely victims. Their trauma is only one aspect of their identity and it doesn’t define them. Second, you want to …
Be specific about the type of trauma someone has experienced
For example, if someone was raped, don’t refer to it as merely a sexual assault. You don’t want to minimize their experience. Next, …
Be sensitive to triggers
Some words or phrases can be triggering for people who have experienced trauma. If you’re unsure whether a word or phrase is triggering, it’s best to avoid it or ask the person what words they prefer that you use.
By using trauma-informed language, you can help to create a safe and supportive environment for people which can make a big difference in their healing process.
Are there any common misconceptions or myths about trauma and spirituality that you would like to address or debunk?
Yes! There are many. I can name a few.
For example, that trauma only happens to weak people… like they invite it somehow.
Or that trauma is no different than any other mental health issue.
Some people might think that trauma is a punishment from God which is very shaming and might shut down the healing process if people think that they deserve the trauma.
Others might think that only prayer or spiritual healing can help trauma…meaning that people shouldn’t seek out secular counselors or use medication. I think God uses all kinds of helpers to address trauma, both inside and outside the church.
There’s a teaching in some churches that you should never talk about your past… that when you accept Jesus into your life that the past doesn’t have any impact on you, but I think that’s naive. God wants to heal us of our past and so it’s important to process it so healing can begin.
And last, That trauma is something that people should just "get over." When you see people struggling with trauma for years, it’s easy to get impatient with them and tell them it’s time to move on. But trauma is often more complex that we realize. So we have to give people the space they need to heal on their own timeline.
Finally, what are some key takeaways or messages that you hope the audience will remember from your presentation on Post-Traumatic Spiritual Growth?
I hope people will remember that there’s hope no matter what has happened to them. Their trauma isn’t a life-long curse. Don’t just look at what’s been taken from you but how God can restore you.
And friends and family of people who have experienced trauma need to be patient and understanding. Trauma runs deeper than you might expect.
This concludes the interview on Post Traumatic Spiritual Growth. I hope you found it helpful and will share it with others with the links below. I’ve also turned this into a video series on YouTube.
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