Christian beliefs can positively impact healing from emotional and psychological trauma through several mechanisms. Beliefs shape one's mindset and ability to cope. Core Christian doctrines like God's love, plan, and forgiveness provide comfort and perspective during difficult times. Engaging in spiritual practices like prayer, reading scripture, church community, and worship have been shown to reduce stress and trauma symptoms while strengthening the brain. Embracing the healing process and finding purpose through one's faith can help individuals transcend trauma over time. Studies support that religious coping through Christianity is associated with better mental and physical well-being after crises or distressing events.

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The Positive Effects of Christian Beliefs after Emotional and Psychological
Trauma
Reisha Bernard
Lone Star College Cypress/Center
Spring Semester 2014

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Over decades and centuries, even dating back previous eras ago, people have
encountered emotional and psychological trauma in their life. How people deal with
these encounters in their life can dramatically change a person’s perception on life and
also change the preservation of the mental and physical health of a person.
Furthermore, spiritual belief systems can alter one’s way of overcoming and managing
trauma.
Beliefs can vary from one believing that there is nothing beyond this life, therefore, there
is no purpose to one’s life, to God having a purpose and plan, having the grounded
values of Christian beliefs to forgive those who have wronged them and understanding
and trust that God has a plan no matter the trauma encountered. It is the understanding
and trust in the promise of Christian values that can change one’s perception on how to
deal with trauma.
To assess this notion, we must understand some facts about the psychological process
of how we view situations, view the history of how trauma has progressed through time,
what psychological and emotional trauma is, the various categories it can pertain to and
the facts of true Christian value and beliefs positively impacting the thought process
during a traumatic experience. In this research document, I want to touch on these facts
and give statistical and proven examples of how Christian beliefs can positively impact
healing after trauma.
Psychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a
severely distressing event (Dr. Martin H. Williams, Williams Psychological Services)

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there are a few common aspects. There is frequently a violation of the person's familiar ideas
about the world and of their human rights, putting the person in a state of extreme confusion and
insecurity. This is also seen A traumatic event consist of a single experience, or a
repeating event or events that completely overwhelm the individual's ability to cope or
integrate the ideas and emotions involved with that experience. “The sense of being
overwhelmed can be delayed by weeks, years or even decades, as the person
struggles to cope with the immediate circumstances. Psychological trauma can lead to
serious long-term negative consequences that are often overlooked even by mental
health professionals: "If clinicians fail to look through a trauma lens and to conceptualize
client problems as related possibly to current or past trauma, they may fail to see that
trauma victims, young and old, organize much of their lives around repetitive patterns of
reliving and warding off traumatic memories, reminders, and affects." (Dr. Martin H.
Williams, Williams Psychological Services) The idea of not considering the spiritual
connection between the body and spirit may be a huge mistake in the psychological
healing of a person that has been through trauma.
Trauma can be caused by many types of events, but when people violate or mislead a
person psychologically in some un- for- seen way.
Psychological trauma may accompany physical trauma or exist independently of it.
“Typical causes and dangers of psychological trauma are harassment, sexual abuse,
employment discrimination, police brutality, bullying, domestic violence, indoctrination,
being the victim of an alcoholic parent, the threat of either, or the witnessing of either,
particularly in childhood, life-threatening medical conditions, medication-induced
trauma. Catastrophic events such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, war or other

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mass violence can also cause psychological trauma. Long-term exposure to situations
such as extreme poverty or milder forms of abuse, such as verbal abuse, can be
traumatic (though verbal abuse can also potentially be traumatic as a single event)” (Dr.
Martin H. Williams, Williams Psychological Services)
In considering the many attributes of Psychological and emotional trauma, it is the very
spiritual belief of a person on a psychological level that can play a dramatic role in
overcoming the stress and physical affliction of their trauma.
What is a belief? According to Wikipedia’s definition, it is “the psychological state
in which an individual holds a proposition or premise to be true.” Why are beliefs
important to contributing to the outcome of how one deals with trauma? It’s simple,
thoughts generate the outcome of emotion and action, whether negative or positive. For
example: If a person goes through life with a low self-esteem they will most likely have
low expectations of themselves and lower the standards and moral values to
accommodate for negative feelings. On the contrary, a person with high self-esteem will
strive to do their best and achieve the highest according to their expectations. This
same notion correlates with our spiritual beliefs as well. Christianity has some core
doctrines that set the foundation for one’s thought process, such as, God is love, God is
all knowing and seeing, God never changes, Promises from God and, ECT. When an
individual trust in the promises of God and truly believes in the positive that transpires
from it, they learn how to overcome emotional hurt and physical pain. According to
Donald Meichenbaum, M.D., “Over 90% of Americans alone believe in God or a higher
power, 80% are interested in growing spiritually, 80% only pray when faced with a crisis
and only 30% pray daily”. Part of Christian beliefs and values stress how a daily

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relationship with God, involving talking with Him (prayer) is crucial to growing your
spiritual faith. Why is this important? When one is faced with negative thoughts about
emotions and situation in life, if there is no direct reflection of the positive beliefs, a
person is bound to sink lower into negativity.
In reference to The 700 Club, there are countless testimonies from various individuals
disclosing how their belief in the promises of God and praying helped them overcome,
emotional distressing and physically dangerous situations. Coming from personal
observation, as a child I experienced the passing of my father at the age of 5, although
very young this had an impact on my life. My family not only lost a loved one, but there
was financial strain, emotional coping and constant what if scenarios. My mother went
through a major depression, which then led to the diagnosis of Schizophrenia. For years
I did not understand the extent of my mother’s illness until I reached teenage years.
Furthermore, by then I was grounded in my spiritual beliefs. I chose to believe that even
Statistics on Spiritual Belief and Practice
Belief in God Growing Spiritually Pray when faced with crisis Pray Daily

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though my father passed, God was my heavenly father and He was always there for
me. I also believed that everything happens for a reason, especially things beyond our
control and God has a plan. Even though my mom raised me to have this belief, the
difference in coping came with how much faith we truly had in what God has promised.
My mother had under-gone treatment for years and it wasn’t until my latter years in high
school, up until my first year of college that I had come to know that she was no longer
taking the medication that was required for her to take. I had come to know that after my
mother passed, she was praying very often and demonstrated a direct relationship with
God. I believe she began to overcome her trauma by accepting the very beliefs she
instilled in me as a child. As a result, her mind began to heal from the negative
impulses. Although genetics can play a part in on-setting illnesses such as
schizophrenia, having the right environment and belief system in place can dramatically
change the outcome of a person’s life.
Schizophrenia is just one of several diagnosis that can occur due to neglect of
emotional well-being, physical health and how one socializes with others. There are
physical and psychological effects that are identifiable in one that has suffered some
form of trauma. Physical effects include fatigue, hallucinations, difficulty concentrating,
aggressive behavior, insomnia, nightmares, suicidal thoughts and abuse of drugs.
Physical effects include, low self-esteem, increased feelings of depression, emotional
detachment, panic attacks, feeling sad, hopelessness and any despair. These are just a
few of the many symptoms that can be observed. If an individual does not have a
positive foundation laid in the building blocks of their life, even with therapy, it is more

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likely that they will fall back on negative habits and regress into depression because
there is a void in their psychological capacity to overcome these obstacles.
Cognitive psychological studies support that when brain imaging technologies such as
position emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography
(SPECT) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) are applied to explore the
physiological changes associated with a spiritual practice such as prayer or meditation:
researchers derive simultaneous measures of biological changes in the brain. This
includes cerebral blood flow, metabolism and electrical and electro- chemical
(neurotransmitter) activity. After various evaluations, research shows that religious and
spiritual activity has a physiological impact on the body. (Dimitrios Kapogiannis and
Jordan Grafman, Religion and The Brain, retrieved from
https://www.dana.org/cerebrum/.
Here are a few diagrams below, displaying how the brain is effected by one of the rituals
of Christianity.

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This brain to the left shows an individual
was healed from a tumor after
participating in daily prayer.
Furthermore, in analyzing data obtained from researchers and results from a scientific
perspective there is a correlation between spiritual practices and healing of trauma
physical, mentally and emotionally. Several reviews have been conducted that
demonstrate that individuals who use religious and spiritual coping efforts demonstrate
greater physical and emotional well-being (Ano & Vasconcellas, 2005; Miller & Kelly,
2005; Pargament, 2007).
Christianity is just one of the belief systems that we as a human race rely on for a
structured way to cope with our way of life; learning structure, social values, self- control
over negative emotions and produce a healthy sense of empathy for others .However,
there are differences in the foundation of the Christian belief about our after- life,
responsibilities, purpose and respect to God. When one is committed to the rituals of
spiritual growth in Christianity, there are positive behaviors that began to formulate in
the individual who has endured a traumatic experience.

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We discussed how prayer or meditation is one of the rituals that has been scientifically
tested and differences has been shown even in the physical development of the brain.
Let’s review how other spiritual rituals in Christianity can benefit an individual that has
encountered trauma in any form.
1. Reading the Scriptures of the Holy Bible- although most individuals never read
the bible from cover to cover, most who are active Christians that want spiritual
growth will read passages that help to encourage, enlighten them and guide
through trying times in their life. An example of a couple of scriptures with
encouragement are: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of
things not seen” Hebrews 11:1 or “For God so loved the world that He gave His
only begotten Son, that who-so-ever believeth in Him will have ever lasting life”
John 3:16. With reading this there is a reassurance of having faith regardless of
the circumstance and because God gave His Son to the world as a sacrifice on
our behalf, we can be insured to forgive those who have wronged us: even in a
traumatic experience.
2. Testimonies- this practice encourages those who are down and depressed, to
hear a celebration of over-coming a difficult situation. It provides emotional
comfort and gives one a sense of expressing to release the stress from a
traumatic situation.
3. Singing Praises to God- singing is a muse and also a therapeutic way of
expressing our emotions and releasing stress. In Christianity, it is a way of giving
thanks to God for what one has and formulating a positive outlook on life. You
can say it’s another form of testifying.

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4. Involvement in the Christian church unit- this consist of activity such as: ministry
out-reach, volunteer work, activities pertaining to the development of the church
unit, involvement in helping the youth which helps an individual develop a sense
of purpose and obtain healthy psychological growth.
All of these rituals provide several positive behaviors such as: normalizing one’s
reactions to overcome spiritual struggles, developing self- control, provides a sense of
social involvement and helps to express relief of trauma and grief from stressful
situations.
Many individuals who experience trauma tend to suppress the memory of the event that
caused them pain. By being involved in each step described previously, helps to
confront the issues at hand and begin the healing process.
Healing is a process that progresses over time. Generally, whether a person has under-
gone a traumatic experience physically, emotionally or psychologically, there is always
an emotional attachment and psychological scar that has to be mended.

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If you notice in the chart above, there are six stages in the holistic healing process. The
very first stage is the root of what causes a person to complete the cycle of the healing
process. Individuals who are facing a traumatic experience have to define the Intent or
meaning for the healing process. This correlates in Christianity because one who
applies a spiritual meaning behind the intent can find a sense of purpose behind the
healing. Transitioning into the next stage, which is recognizing the Seed, can introduce
some painful memories; However, as a Christian, accepting what happens in your life
confirms the trust that an individual has in God that He will never put anything on
anyone they can’t bear and this mind- set will help an individual to continue each phase

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of the healing process. Once this life changing event is confronted, phase three, which
is Illusion will allow an individual to dig deep and recognize the negative thoughts that
have festered and caused an individual to feed the psychological disease preventing
them from healing. This next phase, Release, goes hand-in-hand with Christian values.
It encourages one to let go of the negative attachment plaguing that individual and
forgive, which is highly encouraged in Christian beliefs. In the last two phases, Redefine
and Integrate, is metaphorically an individual that has endured trauma, psychologically
transcending into a new creature. How? They have taken the negative and turned it into
a positive and used that to fulfill their life with a plan and purpose.
In the foundation of Christianity, developing you spirituality is a form of healing. The
word “spiritual”, refers to the divine nature of the energy, which healers agree comes
from one external, intelligent energy source (Sai Astro Reiki Research Foundation).
Some of the scientific benefits of developing one’s spirituality consist of: security and
safety, peace of mind, self- confidence and the capacity to give and receive un-
conditional love.
These benefits can dramatically give a 360 degree turn around on the life of someone
re-living a trauma that they have encountered. One can find security and safety when
trusting in God’s guidance and protection. This trust alone can contribute to the healing
attributes on a psychological level. This can directly give a person peace of mind, which
will relieve any stress that they may be enduring as a direct effect of trauma. The
ultimate reward is being able to give and receive un-conditional love, which in a
Christian culture is called forgiveness. This act will allow for that psychological wall to

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come down and allow love to come in and over-take those feelings of fear contributed
by the trauma that occurred. One of the main emotions that “believers” in Christianity
strive to teach and become a contagion is “LOVE”.

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Online Documents
Santa Barbra (2005) helpguide.org,
http://www.healingresources.info/emotional_trauma_overview
Vedam (Sep. 23, 2011) Belief Systems; Are You on Auto Pilot,
http://loveliveandlaugh.com/belief-systems-autopilot/
Camden, Church of Christ, Scientist,
http://www.penbaypilot.com/article/spiritual_training_finding_security-and-safety
Dr. Martin H. Williams, Williams Psychological Services,
www.ask.com/wiki/psychological_trauma
Donald Meichenbaum, Ph. D. (1994, 2000, 2006), Trauma, Spirituality and Recovery: Toward a
spiritually- Integrated Psychotherapy, www.melissainstitute.org
Dimitrios Kapogiannis & Jordan Grafman (Dec.1, 2009), Religion and the Brain,
http://www.dana.org/cerebrum/default.aspx?id=39426

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