Page 197 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 5

Trauma Recovery Training at a Seminary? Introducing Global Trauma Recovery Institute

cess is not possible. This aspect of the article is God can be influenced and negatively affected
therefore very valuable, as today’s standardised by traumatisation. In contrast to Langberg, I
trauma therapies sug-gest that the victims are repeatedly experience that traumatisation does
healed after a certain number of sessions. In my not however lead only to loss of faith in God.
view, this is a false conclusion. Everything has On the contrary, Traumatic experiences can just
its time (»Weeping has its time, and laughing as easily result in a turning to God. Those af-
has its time; likewise, mourning has its time, fected find in faith comfort and new meaning
and dancing has its time.« Ecclesiastes 3, 1-11). in life. Shaw, Joseph and Linley (2005) describe
And this applies equally to work with trauma- this in their review of “Religion, Spirituality and
tised persons. posttraumatic growth”.

The second phase of the trauma therapy can Langberg rounds off her article very well by
be summarised under the heading “Re-new- pointing to Jesus Christ as the connecting link
ing Connections”. This refers to the future and between often horrifying reality and God’s love.
to how relationships can succeed and how the He himself has lived through all the fear, hope-
victims can find new meaning, for example in lessness and helplessness and all the other fee-
work. Here Langberg em-phasises that the trau- lings associated. Faith in Jesus goes beyond what
matised recover more quickly when they have is visible. We can decide, time and again, to look
sense and useful-ness in their lives. For then, to Jesus. We have the privilege of believing in a
namely, a connection with life takes place. living God, and this gives us hope, comfort and
In conclusion, Langberg describes how faith in confidence.

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