Trauma

Daily, there are shocking occurrences happening all around us. We read about them on the news, or as stories that friends, neighbors, or other loved ones share in person or on social media. At times, we ourselves might be witnesses of such events. If these events are frightening, or if there is a real threat of harm involved in them, they could result in trauma leading to PTSD, at which point PTSD help would be in order. Trauma is a person’s emotional response to shocking or frightening events. That response might initially be numbness or a sense of being overwhelmed. Over time, a person can work through the emotions and thoughts associated with the event, finding healing and a sense of peace. However, if the symptoms of trauma linger and perhaps intensify over time, it may be post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Causes of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD is the mental health condition that results when a person sees, experiences, or hears about a traumatic event. A traumatic event can be anything from going through a serious and life-threatening illness, a difficult childbirth experience, being threatened with a weapon, a car accident, or the death of a loved one. Likewise, it can include a natural disaster, kidnapping, sexual assault, being in a combat zone, or being a victim of terrorist activity. It is not known for certain what causes PTSD, because two people may experience a similar or the same traumatic event, and one person may develop PTSD, while the other does not. A person may be at greater risk of developing PTSD as a result of the severity of the traumatic experience. Other factors that may play a role in causing PTSD include your genetics and the prevalence of mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety in your [...]

Humans are curious creatures. We are breathing miracles that embody the creative brilliance of the King of the Universe. He isn’t an aloof God, externalized from our infirmities and issues, but rather the one Lord and Father of all, who isn’t far from any of us (Acts 17:27) even in our trauma and shame. That Truth comes alive in and for those who accept the olive branch of The Father’s Offering, in Jesus. As God’s Son and our Savior, Jesus poured His entire life to reconcile us with the Father, receive us into the family, making us righteous–all by faith in Christ. God’s abundant affection toward us characterizes the miracle of salvation, but our own diminished self-worth causes us to wrestle with giving and receiving a Love this relentless, raw, and real. Our relationship with God, ourselves, and others would ideally be characterized by all the Father initiates and imparts, but the same complications that entered Eden, afflict us, too. When we search outside of God and His expansive provision, we stumble and injure ourselves in search of identity and validation. We scout for attention, affirmation, and affection in the wrong places, though we were already created in and for love by our God who is Love. In response to the Father, we love and learn how to receive and rest in it for ourselves, return it to Him, and release it to others. The pathology of trauma and shame A soul that injures itself operates similarly to an auto-immune deficiency. Many times, when we have been infected by trauma, our hearts and minds behave with the same pattern where dis-ease deconstructs the body from the inside out. When infirmity causes the body to become confused, it wars against itself. It mistakes the agents that promote health and help, [...]