By: Rev. Dr. Paul Raybon
Folks in Western North Carolina are balancing deep empathy and compassion for the people in the hill country of Texas with a fair amount of anxiety and even PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). It is a tough balance to maintain. Nine months after Hurricane Helene, even before the recent news, a hard rain in the mountains causes a palpable rise in apprehension.
In May I attended a three-day training retreat on Trauma-Informed Pastoral Care led by Dr. Karen McClintock, author of the book by the same title. My prayer each day was “God, what do You want me to hear?” So what did I hear? (The good stuff is from Dr. McClintock; any errors are my own interpretation).
About Trauma
- Trauma is the result of life-disrupting painful experiences beyond our control.
- Trauma is an experience that overwhelms our normal coping mechanisms.
- Trauma is our body’s emergency response to that experience, and it can make lasting changes in how our body responds to future perceived threats.
- Trauma can show up in flashbacks, dreams, hypervigilance, avoidance/withdrawal, sleep loss, anxiety etc.
- Secondary Trauma can result from listening to or witnessing someone else’s trauma.
- We can be re-traumatized by seeing or hearing about traumas, others, or our own.
- Trauma can create detachment from God, from self, and from others. Healing from trauma is about mending that dis-attachment.
- (I have also heard of trauma described as a “knot” in our brain that has to loosen to permit return to “normal” or “new normal” response patterns.)
About Help
- Listen to your body, it will tell you when you have been traumatized.
- Take note of your own traumas so you can be more aware of their effect on you.
- Get help, pastors connect people with a counselor or therapist equipped to help people get unstuck from trauma.
- Reconnect with your faith community and people you trust.
- Practice prayer and meditation as ways to reset your mind and body.
- As a Faith community: Be a safe place where people can reconnect.
- Don’t re-traumatize someone or yourself by asking them to tell their story when it triggers physical reactions in either of you.
About Faith
- God is the “Non-Abandoning One”.
- God is a partner in healing at our invitation.
- Christ is a trauma survivor.
- Only those who care and believe will demand that “God explain this”.
- Jesus reunites those He heals with their loved ones.
Pray for folks whose lives have been forever disrupted by catastrophic experiences, whether they are global or personal. Be aware of your own responses to crises that may be compounded by previous trauma in your life and the life of your family and congregation. Seek to be a safe person and a safe congregation where traumatized persons can begin to rediscover a sense of safety, and capacity to weather the next storm.
These thoughts are from Rev. Dr. Paul Raybon, our partner in ministry in the Western Carolinas, who can help you and your ministry navigate congregational identity, mission, and effectiveness. He is Co-Pastor at Hominy Baptist Church near Asheville, NC and works with churches and leaders as a coach and consultant in communication, visioning, administration, and spiritual formation. Contact him for more information about how he can help you.