Trauma-Supporting Spiritual Care

WHY BEING “TRAUMA-INFORMED” IS IMPORTANT FOR SPIRITUAL DIRECTORS & PASTORS

Have you noticed the concept of trauma coming up more frequently in the past few years? You are not alone; it can be confusing. What do people mean when they use the word trauma in this rapidly changing landscape?

I’ve heard folks (including myself!) speak in a way that minimizes their own experiences, explaining them away as insignificant because they did not present as shockingly or at the same perceived level of severity that another’s did.

Thanks to scientists, researchers, and practitioners, we know more than ever about the ways trauma lives in our bodies, relationships, and systems.

We’re learning that trauma isn’t what happened to us, it’s what happened inside of us as a result of a situation that was too much for us to bear.

We all carry the residue of trauma in our nervous systems. When this residue stays in our bodies unwitnessed, it disrupts our felt sense of safety in our present-tense relationships.

I apprenticed with trauma-integrating spiritual director Dr. Shannon Michael Pater last year. Pater authored a three-part article outlining the foundations of trauma-supporting spiritual care. (These in-depth essays are free but you’ll need to register on his site to gain access.)

Read more about what being a trauma-informed spiritual director means to me here.