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This is the third article in a series on John Main’s book, Awakening
I have often asked, “Where is the church for childhood trauma survivors?” The title of the third chapter of John Main’s book is “The Church–a community of love.” That title has me asking myself that question again. Last year, I wrote an article for this newsletter about the church and trauma survivors.
I asked some hard questions:
“Where is the church in America while some of its members sit in pews and seats every week during worship services struggling with the effects of childhood trauma? Is there much hope for survivors of childhood trauma to find real help in the churches in this country?”
I came up with some equally difficult answers:
“It is my experience as a survivor that most help deals only with the emotional aspects of damage from trauma and not the damage that is done to the brain. But if I’m honest, there is little in the way of help for the emotional damage and the Church offers little to no help for healing childhood trauma.”
I look back on the following paragraph that I wrote last year, and I am saddened because it’s all too true:
“We are an overlooked group of silent sufferers who plaster smiles on our faces every week at church. We attend mid-week Bible studies and help with ministries at the church while enduring intense anxiety and depression. We are told to have more faith. We are told to just “give it to God.” We desperately want out of the hell hole our brains have caused. We need help.”
The church can help trauma survivors
Despite the bleak state of help for trauma survivors in American churches, our local church can help. They just haven’t realized that help is needed. Perhaps that realization will come when we realize what Main knew about the church. “The church is itself a living creature that has come into being through the redemptive activity of Christ,” he proclaimed in his book.
As we who are trauma survivors recover, we carry a message of hope to those who need it. As Step 12 of the 12 Steps says, “Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.” Or as Peter tells us in his first epistle, “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15)
“Now we have the opportunity to promote our own growth by helping others.” The Twelve Steps for Christians
It is up to us to create the spaces and programs people need in our churches to heal. We can start by being examples of what recovery looks like. We can follow the advice of Emotions Anonymous and realize that “the most important way we can carry the message is by example.” As we do so, we help ourselves grow while helping others.
I will leave you with the last paragraph I wrote in my article. It is my deepest hope for the church in America.
“What will it take for the Church as a whole to be an advocate for childhood trauma survivors? I believe it will take enough of us to move from survivors to thrivers. As we overcome the effects of trauma on our brains, we can educate our fellow Christians about childhood trauma in adults. We can provide what survivors need for healing childhood trauma. We live in the age of social media and we can leverage the power of social media to inform. The choice is ours to make whether we help or hurt those who hurt the most among us.”
“The church is above all a community in which a person has a new power to know and a new power to love.” John Main
Resources
Awakening by John Main
May we continue to heal and thrive and reach out in Christ's love to the hurting around us. Love you, dear Gina. <3
As you know I'm not a religious person but I think it's a crime that there's no church for for those who have been abused
✌ and ♥,
Sal