Page 110 - Biblical Counseling II

Facing trauma requires trusting God with the future.
As we grieve our stories, God begins to reveal why we are afraid, and what it is we’re really afraid of. We can
forgive abusers and receive God’s forgiveness for the ways that we responded sinfully to our traumas. We
can renew our minds, and according to Philippians 4:4-10, think on what is true and good, even good that
may have come from our trauma as we reflect on God’s faithfulness.

We can make choices to walk by faith into the things we fear. Psychology calls this exposure therapy. A
common anxiety treatment, it involves essentially facing your fear, talking yourself through it, and seeing
that you came out okay on the other side. As children of God, we don’t have to go into our fears
alone. Remember what Isaiah said,

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the
waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire,
you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of
Israel, your Savior.” (Is. 43:1-3)

Trauma and Anxiety are complicated. No one indeed knows the pain you have been through. However, with
God’s help, [those who have experienced it] can make progress if willing to face pain, grieve the loss, and
trust God with the future. It takes time, and a patient counselor can help you make progress” (Lambert,
2019).

Extra Resources: Since this is not an entire course on trauma, here are some resources you can read that will
help educate you more on children and trauma. This first link is to an article about how parents can help a
child after they’ve experienced trauma. It provides helpful knowledge for you as you train to become pastors
and helpers of those in your community:

https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/child-trauma.pdf

This is a link to a video talk about children and trauma. The speaker is Nadine Burke Harris, a doctor who has
worked with many children who have experienced trauma. Her presentation is titled, “How Childhood
Trauma Affects Health Across a Lifetime.”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=95ovIJ3dsNk

This is a link to an article explaining what Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is:
www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder

Let’s Practice…

1. Define trauma

2-6. Name the five systems impacted by trauma.

7-11. Explain five things that might happen to children who have experience trauma.

108