Many people talk about the damage caused by painful experiences of life. We tend to use the term TRAUMA to mean any negative physical or emotional intervention. Several years ago I read a book by Gershan Kaufman who suggested we think of Adversity in levels of damage they cause.
Direct Interventions of Adversity from emotional, sexual, physical events and or Neglect.
Level 1. Shock: A mild and occasional event. It leaves the person with inner coldness.
Healing is possible by prayer, fellowship and renewing the mind.
Level 2,Trauma: A Serious and common event. It leaves the person with inner ice.Healing is possible with ongoing specialized prayer, intense fellowship and coaching for mind renewal.
Level 3. Abuse: A very intense and ongoing event. It leaves the person with inner permafrost. Healing is possible with intentional, intense prayer, counsel and fellowship.
The problem often arises inside the mind and heart of the Victim who, because of rejection and pain, assumes that they are responsible for the attacks. The Victim usually reacts with False Guilt and False Shame. As a result they start to go down the destructive path of Stinking Thinking and retrace each major event with APART Ruminations.
Order the PDF eBook Breaking Free to learn how to pray for inner healing and Power Christian Thinking start the process of healthy thinking.
Rumination consists of Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTS) that bring up and go over the assaults against them again and again. With each reenactment the depth and pain of the original assault is deepened and the bruises get deeper and deeper. The brain is a marvelously creative and powerful computer with graphics unmatched in digital machines. Thus, each Rumination expands the pain and damage from its original depth and the second condition is much, much worse than the first.
If an assault was a Shock it can be deepened to a Trauma or even an Abuse. The memory of the Victim then expands and multiplies the original pain and damage. Some Christians want to simply pray a one time, Spiritual empowered prayer and see the wound healed.
That is our goal as well. However, if the highways of the brain have been deepened and widened by constant Ruminations it will certainly require a long time of recovery with focused Power Christian Thinking to repair the "Holes in the soul".
We have ministered to many men and women who were victims of assaults and neglect as children. As a result they developed certain habits of thinking and behaving designed to cover up their pain. By faith in Christ the inner healing process begins but it will not be resolved unless the person intentionally renews his/her mind and heart as well as the habits.
When we fail to take every thought captive to the mind of Christ our lives fail to soar with the eagles. It is easier to peck with the turkeys. Review the APART Cycle that leads to Anxiety, Depression, Conflict, Fights and divorce. Remember the ABCD's of emotions.
Activating Event
Beliefs about the Events
Consequential Feelings
Decisions and Behaviors
If my Beliefs are wounded, distorted and caught up in Fight or Flight I will very likely find it difficult to have a peaceful relationship. So, the key is renewal of the mind. If I discover that I follow the thinking path of APART my feelings cannot focus on faith in God and peace with others.
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