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Understanding Mental Health and Trauma

  1. Lesson One
    Defining Mental Health and Trauma
    10 Activities
    |
    1 Assessment
  2. Lesson Two
    What Can the Bible Teach Us about Mental Health?
    8 Activities
    |
    2 Assessments
  3. Lesson Three
    Strategies for Managing Mental Health
    10 Activities
    |
    1 Assessment
  4. Lesson Four
    Supporting People to Overcome Mental Health Challenges
    8 Activities
    |
    2 Assessments
  5. Lesson Five
    Equipping a Ministry to Address Mental Health
    7 Activities
  6. Course Wrap-Up
    Course Completion
    3 Activities

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Trauma is perhaps the most avoided, ignored, belittled, denied, misunderstood, and untreated cause of human suffering.

– Dr. Peter Levine, Psychotherapist and trauma expert (Burdick 2023)

These alarming statistics related to the US confirm the sentiments of the previous quote. Consider the following (Davediuk Gingrich and Gingrich 2017) :

  • Trauma is the number one cause of death for people 1– 46 years old, and the number three cause of death in the US overall. Each year, more than 192,000 people lose their lives to trauma.
  • Each year, trauma accounts for 41 million emergency room visits and 2.3 million hospital admissions. 
  • The economic burden of trauma is more than $671 billion annually. 

What then is trauma and what causes it?

Defining trauma

Trauma can be defined as follows (Davediuk Gingrich and Gingrich 2017):

The word trauma . . . in addition to describing the tragic external events of life, designates the internal, personal responses and shared responses to such experiences . . . Trauma is a painful disruption in personal, familial, or cultural/ethnic/national identity and involves a loss of assurance that the world is a safe place.

This definition highlights that trauma has both external and internal manifestations. In other words, an external traumatic event or cause can occur (e.g. a violent assault) and then internal effects result (e.g. feelings of intense fear, anxiety, anger). Notably, the words “shared responses to such experiences” show that trauma also affects more than just individuals directly involved in the traumatic event. Families and communities are always affected by the individuals who witness or experience traumatic events (e.g. increasingly anxious individuals withdraw from marriages, families and workplaces).

However, a traumatic event does not have to manifest physically first in order to cause trauma Any upsetting event, disappointment, physical or relational loss, negative circumstance, or even the perception of any of these things may cause a person to begin to function outside the norms of healthy emotional and psychological responses. 

How trauma can manifest

The following scenario (based on the article, “The Lasting Trauma of China’s Wenchuan Earthquake Survivors” by Yuan Ye) (Burdick 2023) shows how trauma can manifest, and highlights some of the consequences of trauma which we will examine later in this lesson.

Scenario

Navigate through this interactive presentation, by selecting the arrows.

A spiritual perspective on trauma

The previous scenario illustrates the devastating impact trauma can have on individuals, families and society should it be unaddressed. It highlights our human need for God’s healing from pain and suffering experienced in all forms during our lifetimes. Seeing trauma from a redemptive perspective may be helpful.

The definition of trauma explained earlier in this lesson is further extended by its authors as follows (Davediuk Gingrich and Gingrich 2017):

At the same time, it is the experience of resilience, a vision of the indomitable human spirit that exists within the experience and survives trauma. Theologically, it is the affirmation of our creation in the image of a loving God and also the pervasive reality of sin. The trauma lens requires a new appreciation for the biblical themes of suffering, sin, redemption, resurrection, liberation, and hope. If Christianity is going to be relevant, it must address the issue of trauma and provide understanding and resources for living in the midst of a trauma-torn world.

This extended definition emphasizes the dire need for Christians to process, address and manage trauma (and help others to do the same) using biblical principles, based on the love and power of Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection. We will examine these principles throughout this course.

Assessments