TRAUMADavid Davis

FocusOnTheFamily.com/Church

© 2019 Focus on the Family

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23

TRAUMA

The internet and newscasts seem to announce horrifying reports on a regular basis. These often include natural disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and similar catastrophes that cause widespread destruction. Others, such as terrorist attacks and mass shootings, may be more limited geographically but have repercussions that are just as distressing. In some ways, because of the elements of evil or senseless human violence, they are even more disturbing. The thing that ties all these traumatic incidents together is that they are all felt at the local level – by communities, families, and individuals.

Of course, not all trauma is caused by events that garner national headlines. Motor vehicle accidents, homicides, robberies, sexual assaults, teen suicides, and domestic violence all leave shocked and distraught individuals and communities in their wake.

Some might argue that these events are happening more frequently than in the past. Others suggest that they’re not occurring more often but are just more widely publicized. In either case, exposure to horrifying news, videos, and photos via the internet increases the distress many of us experience regularly. Because suffering and stories and scenes of devastation are so pervasive, helping churches and communities deal with trauma and traumatizing news is one of the most notable services that pastors and those in ministry can provide.

WHAT IS TRAUMA?

To help people cope with trauma, it’s crucial to know what it is and what it isn’t. In a culture that is often given to exaggeration and drama, any bad situation can be described as

“traumatic.” Some kids who’ve never really had to face life challenges might look at failing a test or not making the cheerleading squad as distressing and harmful events. This is not to make light of the fact that these might indeed be stressful or upsetting, but they simply don’t rise to the level of trauma.

Trauma can be defined as any serious injury to the body or mind, often resulting from violence or an accident. Any event that causes great distress can result in trauma. At the same time, an event that may be a little stressful to one person may be highly stressful to another. To a third person, that same event may be traumatic. That doesn’t make trauma “subjective,” but it does mean that people will often react physically and psychologically in different ways to the same incident.

Traumatic situations bring about physical and psychological responses. For instance, if someone is involved in a car crash, it’s normal for the body to experience a “fight-or-flight” reaction. An increase in heartrate, breathing rate, shaking, and muscle tension are just a few ways the body reacts to highly distressing or dangerous situations.

by David Davis

This is sometimes called “post-traumatic stress” (this is not the same as post-traumatic stress disorder) and it’s a normal response to trauma. If an individual experiences certain symptoms that last longer than three days up to a month they may have what is known as acute stress disorder (ASD). If severe symptoms last long enough the person may be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). More information on ASD and PTSD will be provided later.

HELPING YOUR CONGREGATION COPE WITH TRAUMA

Dealing with trauma often parallels the steps taken in response to a medical emergency, including triage and administering “first aid.” And like offering assistance in a medical emergency, it’s important for you to recognize your areas of expertise and to connect people to the right professional or specialist as their needs require.

• Triage: In medical terms this involves assigning a degree of urgency to injured or ill patients to determine the order of treatment. For the purposes of trauma in the local church, the triage you provide as a pastor is not going to have the same life and death implications as, say, triage on the battlefield. What it can do, however, is help individuals recognize the level and type of services they may need. For instance, in a situation where a child is being sexually abused, you will need to notify the police immediately. The police then have mechanisms for involving other necessary agencies, such as Child Protective Services. Your role as a pastor may include offering support and comfort to family members, but your first responsibility is to get the child the help he or she needs right away.

• First Aid: This is the immediate support that individuals, families, or communities need, and involves psychological and spiritual components. Just like in a medical situation, psychological/spiritual first aid is not ongoing treatment or therapy. Its purpose is to “stabilize” individuals so that they can get additional treatment if needed. It is typically symptom-related and solutions-focused. Therapy, if needed, comes later and should be provided by licensed professionals qualified to address the issues at hand.

• Connection to clinicians: Unless you are a licensed therapist who is qualified to assist in the type of therapy required by the individual, you should continue to offer support but direct the affected person to an appropriate licensed professional.

On this last point, it’s beneficial for pastors to know clinicians in their area. In small towns or rural areas there may be few licensed therapists, while if you are located in a metropolitan area there will be more than you could possibly become familiar with. In either case, it’s important to connect not only with a counselor who shares your Christian values but who is licensed and qualified. Focus on the Family’s Christian Counselors Network can put you or members of your congregation in touch with professionals who can offer assistance. This network can be of great help to those in isolated areas, as it includes professionals who provide counseling by phone or online video.

In addition, Focus on the Family has a team of licensed or pastoral counseling specialists who can provide initial consultations and guidance. They can be reached at 1-855-771-HELP (4357) weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Mountain Time). A Family Help Specialist will take some information and a counselor will call back as soon as possible.

WHEN THE CRISIS IS TOO BIG TO HANDLE BY YOURSELF

When a traumatic incident occurs that touches many in a church—for example, a natural disaster, a school shooting, or a teen suicide—a pastor trying to handle all the needs of his congregation by himself can become overwhelmed very quickly. That’s why it is important to have a crisis response plan in place. This may include assembling or having access to a crisis intervention team.

The good news is that there are a lot of resources and options available, and a crisis response plan can be fairly simple. It may involve having a licensed counselor come in after a traumatic event to help evaluate the congregation’s needs, or having a list of local professionals available so that people can get plugged in to counseling.

Small churches with limited staff and resources may be able to make use of crisis response teams that already exist in the community and can be mobilized quickly. Local school districts may have crisis response teams that you can access. Pastors may wish to consider volunteering to serve on these response teams as part of their overall community outreach.

Local or county mental health centers may also have crisis response teams available. Police departments often have a list of crisis responders in the area and can provide that information. The Red Cross is prepared to respond to catastrophic situations. In addition, Focus on the Family’s Christian Counselors Network can also provide information about crisis response teams in your area.

PREPARING YOURSELF

Training and education are two elements of an effective response to traumatizing incidents in your church or community. Two organizations that offer training are Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) and the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA). Preparation through organizations such as these can help you as you help others through difficult times.

PREPARING YOUR CONGREGATION

You can’t predict when a staggering crisis or disaster will hit your community, but it’s almost guaranteed that members of your congregation will experience some form of trauma at some point. While there is no way to prevent accidents or natural disasters or even many crimes, there are ways you can prime your church to help people respond better to certain traumas.

First, it’s worth noting that some people seem naturally more resilient than others. They tend to “bounce back” quicker from certain distressing events than others and are less likely to suffer from long term negative effects of stress. In a difficult situation these people are not as likely to need the same intensity of support that a less resilient person might. While you cannot make your congregation impervious to the stresses of life, you may be able to plant the seeds of resilience by influencing how they look at life and their circumstances.

Jesus promises that we will have trouble in this world (John 16:33). It’s apparent from the context that He was talking primarily about the trials and tribulations believers would face for their faith in Christ. At the same time, in this same verse Jesus said, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace.” The peace Jesus promised is not limited to a small list of circumstances but is available in everything that affects us. While being a follower of Christ doesn’t mean we will never suffer, it does mean that we can rely on Him for peace we could never have otherwise.

On another note, many who live in countries like the United States—especially those who live in stable communities and lead lives of relative material comfort—aren’t exposed to most of the difficulties that some in the world face—problems such as war, famine, and rampant disease. Many of us live with the illusion that we are “safe.”

In fact, we live in a fallen world where horrible things happen on a regular basis, yet we are often surprised when those things happen in our communities. Yes, we should be outraged and prompted to action when evil is perpetrated in our neighborhoods, but we should understand fully that evil is a part of our world. Sometimes bad things happen to good people and we strive to find a reason. Much (if not most) of the time, we’ll never come to a satisfactory answer. Still, God is good, and He cares about us deeply as we struggle through our darkest times.

You can help members of your congregation face the darkness by helping them learn how to use Scripture to access God’s promises. Teach them how to rely on God in the everyday stresses and the crises of life. By talking about these things you can help your flock develop resilience.

Finally, remind your people to acknowledge their sorrow and let them know it’s okay to grieve. We look to Scripture for hope and promise:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)

But we must not forget the verses that lead to this (Lamentations 3:1-20). Jeremiah was a man who suffered. He described himself as filled with bitterness, bereft of peace, afflicted, unable to endure any longer. If members of your congregation have gone through trauma, they need to be able to give voice to their pain. They need to be reminded of the promise of God’s faithfulness, but they also need time and space to grieve. Ultimately, with His grace and your support, they can break through their pain and loss to see that God’s promises stand forever.

WAYS PEOPLE MAY RESPOND TO TRAUMA: ASD AND PTSD

Distressing or life-threatening situations bring about physical and psychological responses that we commonly call a “fight-or-flight” reaction. We breathe more rapidly, our heart beats faster, and we make shake uncontrollably. As mentioned above, this is a sign of something called “post-traumatic stress,” and it’s a normal response to trauma.

People respond differently to stressful situations. Some people may go through trauma but may not experience long-lasting symptoms, or their symptoms may not be severe enough to interfere with normal activities.

Alternatively, a person may experience any of a number of trauma-related symptoms, including:

• Involuntary recurring, intrusive, distressing memories

• Recurring nightmares about the incident

• Flashbacks related to the incident

• Inability to experience positive emotions

• Inability to remember key aspects of the event

• Efforts to avoid distressing memories, thoughts, or feelings associated with the event

• Efforts to avoid people, places, situations, etc., that may bring up memories or feelings associated with the incident

• Difficulty sleeping

• Irritability, aggressive behavior, or angry outbursts, with little or no provocation

• Hypervigilance

• Difficulty concentrating

• Being startled easily

When an individual experiences nine or more of these symptoms for three days to up to a month, and the problems make it difficult to function socially, on the job, or in other important ways, the person may be dealing with what’s known as acute stress disorder, or ASD.

ASD is a common condition when a person is exposed to a traumatic situation, including life-threatening circumstances such as combat, sexual assault, or witnessing a traumatic event.

Sometimes a person who has undergone a traumatic experience may show additional signs, including (but not limited to):

• Intense or prolonged psychological distress after exposure to reminders of the trauma

• Intense physical reactions after exposure to reminders of the trauma

• Persistent negative thoughts about themselves, others, or the world

• Taking (or assigning others) unnecessary or exaggerated blame for the incident

• Persistent negative emotional state

• Decreased interest in normally enjoyed activities

• Feeling detached or isolated

When symptoms last for longer than a month and interfere with important areas of life (including social or occupational), the individual fits the diagnosis of PTSD.

It is important that a person not try to diagnose themselves. Likewise, others should avoid the temptation to try to diagnose a friend or loved one. This is best left to a qualified clinician. While a diagnosis might help guide a professional in treating PTSD, what the individual needs most from others is help and support.