“‘For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds,’ says the Lord.”
--Jeremiah 30:17a, NKJV
“Without a strong foundation, you’ll have trouble building anything of value.”
--Erika Oppenheimer
When trying to move forward in any area in life, many times we can become stuck or unable to move past some barrier. As an LPC, I counsel people who feel or know that something is holding them back. It is often described as a stifling, immobilizing, and/or a constraint; an ominous feeling of oppression that does not go away. Other times it is specifically identified as an illness (self-experienced chronic illness or watching someone else suffer), an event (a pandemic or abuse), a person (an abuser or attacker), an experience (an assault or repeated events), intergenerational (transmitted across generations, and often occurs to groups of people), or a mindset. The clinical term for it is trauma. There are many thoughts about what trauma is, how it influences every aspect of our lives, and how to heal from it. No matter, who, what, where, when, or how, trauma, identifiable or not, can and needs to be resolved to overcome the barrier or break free of the constraint. It is at the core of every issue that affects how an individual decides – it is foundational to how lives are lived.
Trauma is best defined as anything that negatively impacts how we view ourselves, others, and even the world around us. Simple enough. Or is it? What is often misunderstood is how and what it negatively impacts. While trauma involves the brain, it also drastically interferes with connection – the connection between our brain and body, as well as, as our connection to others and ourselves. Symptoms of trauma can be present in various ways. It can make us feel physically ill (stomach aches, headaches); emotionally detached (fearing close relationships) or dissociate (emotionally or mentally checking out from an intense situation or memory of a traumatic event); unable to make decisions due to faulty perceptions (inability or unwillingness to trust or believe that anything good can happen) to name a few. Yet, despite the aftermaths, trauma can be overcome – a new stronger foundation can be formed.
Healing from trauma does not mean that the trauma is forgotten. It can mean that you are less likely to succumb to its effects. It is a common thought that trauma will destroy your life forever. Some live as or are labeled a victim. This is often referred to as “learned helpless.” Living as a victim can cause harm to a person’s or group’s ability to grow and learn amid challenges. Healing will change the mindset or groupthink from victim to victor; emboldening desire and ability to thrive. This makes way for growth and a prosperous future on one's terms.
Healing, however, is a systematic process that requires hunger and a courageous willingness to go deep. As a professional, I would never suggest you try this alone. It is a concern that in doing so, without the appropriate coping skills and processing techniques in place, one could be retraumatized. I would be remiss not to also say that it involves the Holy Spirit of God. To best serve you and help you begin living the life you know you want to live, there is a process that has been developed to take you from where you are to where you want to be. I personally start this process by praying that God will divinely use me to do His work in His way to see, hear, and deliver all those who are hurting, and need help and hope.
Our mission at Total Win Strategies, LLC is to offer pragmatic solutions to overcome obstacles that have held you back. By implementing our 4 Disciplines for Actualization, we help you heal, explore, realize, and execute your God-given purpose with tools tailored and structured specifically for you and to your destination of LIVING LIMITLESSLY on purpose with passion to leave a legacy.
The Healing Wholly Discipline involves you meeting with a licensed professional to help you identify and release the effects of trauma so you can heal wholly in order to live limitlessly by progressing through five key steps: Prayer, Rest, Receiving (Revelation), Recovery, and Restoration.
References for this article:
Holy Bible, NKJV
Psychology Today Archived Articles
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