Page 108 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 21

Jonathan P. Badge�, Ph.D, M.Div.
Title: CEO. Affilia�on: Chris�an Psychology In-
s�tute, Louisville, Kentucky, USA.
Areas of interest/specializa�on: Pastoral theo-
logy / Chris�an Psychology / Complex trauma.

Former contribu�on in our eJournal by Jona-
than you can see her:
h�ps://emcapp.ignis.de/18/#p=34

Jonathan P. Badge�
(USA)

Enduring all Things: Reflec�ons on the Benefits of Long-Term

Chris�an Psychotherapy

Love . . . endures all things. apostle’s exhorta�on,
1 Corinthians 13:7 “Love . . . endures all things” (1 Cor 13:7, NET).
What follows are my reflec�ons on one case il-
As a pastoral counselor and caregiver, I enjoy lustra�ng the benefits of long-term psychothe-
certain luxuries. For one, since I don’t receive rapy.
any income (1) from my clients—I call them
“counselees” to avoid transac�onal langua- Liza’s Story
ge—I am free to set a flexible psychotherapeu- Like most of my counselees, Liza (3) is a survi-
�c agenda. Not only can financial factors mud- vor of interpersonal trauma. Her story of bro-
dy the rela�onal waters of the therapeu�c al- kenness, no less heartbreaking for its familiar
liance, they also pressurize the �meline. Time profile, begins in early childhood. She was
means money for anyone with limited means. groomed and repeatedly raped from a very
Yet, �me is also a crucial aspect of the healing young age by a trusted family member. Over-
process. I’m all for strategic, short-term solu�- looked by distracted parents too busy and
2
ons, when appropriate. Profound brokenness, preoccupied with five younger children, Liza
on the other hand, takes longer to heal; pro- learned to carry her dark secret alone. Disso-
foundly broken people require long-term care. cia�on allowed her to carry on func�oning
It’s a luxury I enjoy to have walked alongside even as a surrogate parent to her siblings de-
the wounded for, in some cases, well over a de- spite the psychological pain she silently car-
cade of their lives and mine. With the ried. Her mind sheltered her from conscious
pressures of finances removed—no bank ac- awareness by burying the memories of what
counts straining to keep up, no insurance com- happened in a deep pit of forge�ulness.
panies impa�ently tapping their corporate foot Eventually, not even Liza could recall what
for us to hurry up, move along, fix the problem, she’d tucked away in dark reaches. It was hid-
whatever that might mean—we have taken the den from everyone. As with so many young
�me we needed. Looking back, I see how we trauma survivors, Liza endured and survived
have been learning together to apply the her trauma—alone.

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