Consider Trauma Pure Joy

How the Bible offers a hopeful alternative to trauma therapy

In a previous post, I discussed three modern women who experienced tremendous pain and suffering. I explained how they were motivated by God to forgive the perpetrators of monstrous trauma.

In this post, I want to share why trauma might not always be bad for you.

“That kid is going to need a lifetime of heavy-duty trauma therapy,” —Family Court Lawyer

I often heard the statement above when I was a child and family therapist. Many of my clients suffered abuse and had cases with the court system. Judges, lawyers, and the Department of Child Safety workers would convene meetings to discuss the progress of some of my clients. In those meetings, the professionals assumed trauma would ruin a child’s life.

One of the toughest things about my job was trying to convince the team that my client would be better off going to his little league games than meeting with me—especially, if the child was adamant about not wanting to talk about his trauma.

The research—and most expert’s opinions—were on my client’s side. It is often more important to build on a child’s strengths than to plumb the depths of their traumas. But, the specter of “what-ifs” haunted the professionals and often caused them to order more, more, more, treatment. No one wanted to be blamed for not offering enough help.

Joseph and Egypt

Maybe the story of Joseph—Jacob’s son—would have helped me convince the judges and lawyers to leave my little clients alone and let them choose how to spend their afternoons.

Joseph’s story is one of tragedy and betrayal. His brothers conspired to kill him. But at the last moment, they decided to sell him into slavery instead. He was traumatically separated from his family for decades. While in slavery, he was falsely imprisoned.

Despite all the trauma, Joseph rises to a position of power within Egypt. Joseph implements a plan to save excess grain during 7 years of plentiful harvests that can later be used during a 7-year famine. His plan saves the Egyptians and the surrounding communities from starvation.

At the end of Joseph’s story, he comes face-to-face with his wicked brothers. Joseph is now a powerful ruler. A single word from him could destroy his brothers. Yet, he says this to the very ones who betrayed him:

²⁰ You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. [Genesis 50:20]

Joseph’s reaction is a profound reversal of our culture’s view of trauma. Our culture sees trauma as an adversity from which we must heal.

But Joseph sees his trauma as a blessing—an example of God’s kindness to him, his family, and even the Egyptians. For Joseph, trauma doesn’t need to be healed. Trauma can heal.

St. Paul, also.

St Paul is another example of someone with a positive view toward suffering and trauma. He believes pain, suffering, and persecution can be the seeds from which blessings emerge. He recounts a few of his traumas here:

²⁴ Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, ²⁶ I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. ²⁷ I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.

Miraculously, St. Paul isn’t providing this list of tragedies to make the case that he will need a lifetime of daily therapy. He says this

⁹ But [God] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul delights in his traumas because Christ’s power is being brought into focus.

As St. Paul reflects on his suffering and persecution, he leans into the idea that suffering can bring about good outcomes.

³ Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Veneration of the chains

Pictured below, are what are purported to be St. Paul’s prison chains. What modern trauma therapists would call a “trauma trigger" is an object of reverence and contemplation to Catholics.

Am I worshiping relics, now?

Don’t worry. I am not making a pilgrimage to kneel before St. Paul’s chains any time soon.

My point is simply this: In the context of Christianity, trauma doesn’t have to be viewed as a liability.

Even secular psychologists have found that trauma sometimes acts as a catalyst for growth. They refer to this as “Post-Traumatic Growth” or PTG. Researchers have interviewed survivors of traumatic experiences and have identified 5 typical pathways to PTG.

I created this graphic as a brief introduction to PTG. The red headlines are the names given to each pathway to growth. The quotes under the red headline are representative statements made by trauma survivors. And the paragraphs under each quote describe the pathway in more detail.

Post Addiction Growth

I hear echoes of post-traumatic growth from people in addiction recovery, as well. Like trauma, addiction is a negative experience. But rather than view addiction as irredeemably negative, many addicts have told me they are grateful for their addiction. They feel they have emerged on the other side of addiction with greater wisdom, self-knowledge, and direction in life. Others have made similar statements to me about incarceration. They have told me they thank God for prison and the effect it has had on their lives.

It would be simplistic to say that every challenging situation leads to growth. And it would be just as simplistic to say that every Christian glories in their suffering like Paul and Joseph did. The point I am trying to make is that Christianity is open to the possibility that trauma could become a blessing. Story after story suggests that God’s plans are good—even when the humans in the stories couldn’t see God’s goodness.

The greatest expressions of God’s goodness are found on the cross and the empty tomb. These things proclaim that God brings about blessings from tragedies.

I'd like to know if my readers can share examples of how hardships, difficulties, and persecutions have ultimately been a blessing in their lives.

Here is a Hymn that speaks beautifully about God’s abiding presence in our lives and our traumas.