Trauma is an interesting phenomenon in that it can continue to affect us long after the initial traumatic experience. For example, I’ve had more than a few traumatic experiences in doing back flips. When I was five, I did a back flip off of my trampoline, landed on my head and was unconscious for a while. Then, 10 years ago, I accidentally did a back flip while snowboarding and landed on my head again, sustaining a very unfriendly concussion. Now, because of traumas associated with doing any kind of back flip motion, my body freezes up and it’s a locked in, concrete “no go.”
I use this example in hopes of tweaking your thoughts about traumas you may have experienced that continue to affect your life today. Some of us were horribly bullied at school. We have visceral reactions when something feels similar to the bullying experiences of the past. Some of us had relationship crises that created trauma ripples in our lives. Some of us are struggling with navigating the trauma that comes from grief and loss.
Trauma isn’t a new thing for the human existence, but let’s consider that we don’t have to live in trauma ruts from past events that were hugely hurtful. At the same time, I haven’t found it helpful to “just get over it.” I’ve tried this approach and the trauma still seems to seep and creep into my thinking and outlook.
Here are some things to consider that could help you to sabotage the trauma cycle. Let’s look at the Good Samaritan parable in Luke 10 for helpful wisdom:
Number one: recognize the trauma reaction, which is usually fight, flight or freeze. If you find yourself excessively combative in a situation, it’s possible that you’re reacting based on a past trauma. If you’re looking for ways to escape, get a break, medicate or vacate, you might be reacting to a “flight” response based on previous trauma. If you find yourself frozen, stuck, speechless, or trapped, it’s possible that a past trauma is triggering your current behaviors. If we don’t recognize the effects of trauma, then we will struggle to deal with them and the trauma cycle will continue in our lives.
Number two: Invite Holy Spirit into your thoughts, emotions, memories, outlook and pain. I’d like to suggest that Holy Spirit can be our Good Samaritan, finding us broken from traumas and incapable of moving forward in life. In the Good Samaritan parable, the hero has compassion on the victim, comes to him and pours oil and wine into his wounds / traumas. We would be wise to invite Holy Spirit into the wounds and pains that ripple from trauma. Let’s remember that Jesus identifies Holy Spirit as our Comforter, Counselor, Spirit of Truth, Advocate and Helper – our ultimate Good Samaritan.
Number three: Move along. The Good Samaritan didn’t allow his victim to stay in the place of trauma. Instead, he lifted up the broken man, set him on a beast of burden to carry him to an inn where he could get away and recover from the traumas. To this end, it’s important that we don’t stay in the rut that trauma can carve in our minds and perceptions.
We don’t have to live in the continuous cycle of past traumas because Holy Spirit can lift us out of the trauma and Help us experience healing and redemption!