Trauma Healing
The American Bible Society has announced the launch of the Trauma Healing Institute, coming alongside the She's my Sister initiative as part of their Restoration Programs.
John Walter, executive director of Restoration Programs for the American Bible Society, explains:
"This addition provides technical and programmatic assistance to Bible Societies and other partners who are helping the Church respond to people’s deep spiritual and emotional wounds with God’s healing Word. It does so using the program model developed with She’s My Sister in Great Lakes Africa.
Dr. Harriet Hill, one of the four authors of Healing the Wounds of Trauma, has been appointed as program director. The Institute is already responding to requests from other parts of Africa, as well as Latin America, Haiti, and South Asia—in each case taking advantage of the existing expertise of the United Bible Societies in translation, contextualization, digital delivery, publishing and Scripture engagement.
The Institute is equipping and certifying master facilitators in trauma healing, who can then introduce the model to others in their region. This is one of the ways we are going to help the Church serve the estimated one in seven people worldwide for whom trauma is an obstacle to an encounter with God’s Word."
(Source: She's My Sister Update August 2012)
See the Trauma Healing Institute website for more information and for resources from the global Trauma Healing Community of Practice. [more...]
"I think the workshop gave all the kids a way of expressing thoughts and emotions that they had no outlet for before. It helped them know that what they are feeling is normal and that God cares deeply about them."
How can children who have been traumatised by war engage with Scripture meaningfully? How can they believe in a loving father who cares for them? Through stories of children who had experiences similar to their own and Scripture stories, they can learn that - although life involves suffering - God cares for them. Through games, crafts, and conversation, they can give voice to their pain and bring it to Christ for healing. This model has proven to be effective with children in Gulu, Uganda and Liberia. [more...]
"In 2001, a small group of concerned people met in Nairobi to discuss how to help people traumatized by war. By 2009, this discussion had yielded much fruit, both in Africa and around the world. As violence increases in the world, so does the need for ministry to traumatized people through Scripture, mental health principles, and the healing power of the Holy Spirit."
Harriet Hill tells the story of how the 'Healing the Wounds of Trauma' workshops began and developed. She shares personal insights and lessons she has learned in her own life, hearing people testify both that "God is good" and yet "This is not easy."
A key component of the trauma healing workshops is the use of the mother tongue Scriptures: using the heart language to address heart issues. [more...]
"Even though Joseph had the opportunity and the power to get revenge on his brothers, he chose to forgive them. He even provided for their future rather than return evil for evil. Though it may be very difficult to forgive, in the long run it brings healing for those who have harmed us and for ourselves."
Church leaders, youth leaders, teachers and other concerned adults often find it difficult to help children recover after a trauma. The Leader's Manual is a guide for these caring adults and is accompanied by a Child's Book. Through stories, group exercises and games, and a Bible story, children are assisted in working through their trauma.
The Bible stories are from the book of Genesis: Creation, the Fall, and the life of Joseph. [more...]
People need information, whether medical, or psychological—how people normally react to stress and trauma. Secondly, they need to know what God says about it—through Scripture readings and discussions.
Many parts of Africa today are affected by wars, rebel groups and civil unrest. Even without these, there are armed robberies, horrific road accidents, domestic violence, and the increasing shadow of AIDS. However, literature addressing trauma generally comes either from a medical perspective or a biblical one. This article outlines how mental health and trauma healing has been addressed in Scripture Use seminars. A manual has been developed to facilitate such training. [more...]
The teaching materials for the Trauma Healing workshops can be distributed, but to speak to the heart the Scriptures used in workshops should be translated into the languages of the participants.
More than 5.4 million people have been killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since fighting broke out in 1998, according to the International Rescue Committee. This is the largest death toll associated with any conflict since World War II. Survivors in the wake of this ongoing tragedy carry not only the physical scars of war, but also deep-running emotional wounds. [more...]
This book was conceived and developed during a series of workshops for church leaders from countries with conflicts. All four authors work with Wycliffe Bible Translators. Dr. Richard Bagge is a psychiatrist, and Pat Miersma is a professional counselor. Dr. Harriet Hill and Margaret Hill are coordinators with SIL in Africa. [more...]
"Clear, simple and readable - very practical, fully supported with further reading ... exactly the kind of thing that is needed."
Chris Wright, Langham Partnership
A tried and tested resource that encourages meaningful Bible use in multi-lingual contexts through both written and oral media. [more...]