November 9 - Trauma | Let's Talk About It

Trauma is a wound—sometimes sudden, sometimes repeated, and often layered—that reshapes how we think, feel, and relate. I shared how Scripture is full of wounded people and hard stories, and how God is not surprised by any of it. From Genesis onward, the Bible names assaults, disasters, enslavement, and war, yet it also shows a God who draws near and redeems. Lorraine helped us see the breadth of trauma—acute events like a fire, chronic harm in unsafe homes, complex trauma that stacks up across seasons, and secondary trauma carried by helpers, pastors, and friends. We also named generational and religious trauma and clarified that PTSD is not limited to war.

Trauma affects the whole person. It changes the brain—your prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala—and it shows up in the body. The body keeps the score, whether in tight chests, knotted stomachs, sleepless nights, or even conversion disorders that look medical but are driven by deep wounds. Our responses vary: fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. None of these make you weak; they’re the brain’s survival strategies.

What helps? First, recognize what you’ve walked through without minimizing it. Then practice simple, embodied care: move your body, eat well, and refuse isolation. Show up in community. There’s a power in presence we cannot get from a screen. Let people ask you how you are and allow your answer to be honest. Seek wise care, too—counselors who can guide you through evidence-based tools like CBT and EMDR. We talked about inviting Jesus into the very memory that has defined you, letting his truth replace the lie you picked up in the dark.

If you’re walking with someone who is hurting, stay close and be slow to fix. Name what you see gently. Don’t minimize timelines or compare stories. Grief and trauma do not obey our clocks. Sometimes the most Christlike thing you can do is listen well and lovingly suggest getting help.

Finally, when words fail, the Spirit prays for us with groans too deep for words. God works all things—even the things we would never choose—toward good for those who love him. Jesus, our High Priest, has entered trauma deeper than ours and meets us in it. He does not see you as a problem to fix but as a person to love and restore.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Trauma is a wound God meets Trauma isn’t only an event; it’s a deep wound to mind, body, and soul. The Bible names it, and God remains present in it. When we can’t find the words, the Spirit intercedes for us, and the Father hears. This reframes healing as companionship with God, not self-rescue. [34:22]
• 2. Your body keeps the score Trauma reshapes the brain and often speaks through the body—racing hearts, tight stomachs, sleep loss, even conversion symptoms. Knowing this keeps us from shaming ourselves for “overreacting” and invites compassionate curiosity. Attune to your signals; they’re invitations to care and to seek help, not signs of weakness. [11:22]
• 3. Healing grows in honest community Isolation magnifies pain; presence helps integrate it. Choose embodied practices—gathering with believers, letting people see you, and letting them stay after the casseroles are gone. Community doesn’t erase trauma, but it re-teaches safety, steadiness, and hope in real time. [21:50]
• 4. Name it, then seek wise help Recognizing trauma is not defeat; it’s the doorway to healing. Pair daily care (movement, nourishment, rest) with skilled support like CBT and EMDR. Invite Jesus into the memory and let his truth unseat the lie you learned in survival. Healing doesn’t delete the past; it redeems it. [26:46]
• 5. Listen more; resist the urge to fix People need presence before they need solutions. Put down the toolbox, receive their story, and reflect what you hear. Give language to emotions and, when it’s time, gently suggest help. Love that listens becomes a bridge to lasting change. [31:49]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:37] - Old friends and introductions
• [01:18] - Stitch Ministries overview
• [01:58] - Why we judge trauma
• [02:35] - What trauma means biblically
• [05:06] - Types of trauma explained
• [06:59] - Complex trauma and first responders
• [11:22] - How trauma reshapes the brain
• [13:44] - Fight, flight, freeze, and fawn
• [16:21] - ACEs and childhood adversity
• [16:59] - The body keeps the score
• [20:04] - First steps toward healing
• [26:46] - EMDR and Jesus’ healing truth
• [34:22] - Spirit’s help and God’s purpose
• [38:38] - Compassionate disclaimer and prayer

Bible Reading

Romans 8:26-28 — Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Observation Questions

1. What specific function of the Spirit is described in Romans 8:26–27? How might that image change the way someone prays when they feel overwhelmed or silenced by trauma?
2. The speaker notes that Scripture itself includes hard, violent, and painful stories (for example, Genesis and Cain). What biblical examples were named in the sermon to show that God is not surprised by trauma? [02:35]
3. The sermon said “the body keeps the score” and pointed to brain areas affected by trauma (prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, amygdala). What concrete symptoms or body signs did the speaker give that connect trauma to the body? [11:22]
4. The preacher described the Spirit praying with “groans too deep for words.” Read Romans 8:26 again—what phrases in the verse match that description, and what does the verse say the Father does in response? (No timestamp—this is from the Bible reading.)

Interpretation Questions

1. How should the fact that the Spirit intercedes when we “do not know what to pray for” change a church’s expectations about quick solutions or perfect explanations for someone’s suffering? [34:22]
2. If trauma physically changes parts of the brain (hippocampus, amygdala, prefrontal cortex), what does that imply for how patient and long-term the church’s care must be? [11:22]
3. The sermon links therapy tools (EMDR) with inviting Jesus into memories to replace lies. What theological commitments undergird using such clinical tools in Christian care, and what might be a helpful way to explain that to someone wary of “therapy”? [26:46]
4. The speaker insists presence and embodied community matter more than screens or quick fixes. How does Romans 8:28 (“all things work together for good”) interact with the call to show up physically and bear one another’s burdens? [21:50]

Application Questions

1. Take a minute and list one or two physical signs your body gives when you’re stressed or triggered (tight chest, sleeplessness, stomach knots, etc.). This week, what one small care practice will you try when you notice that sign (e.g., a 10‑minute walk, turn off screens, breathe)? [17:35]
2. Who in your circle has been through loss or ongoing pain that you’ve not checked on lately? Identify one person and commit to one concrete step this week: send a text asking how they’re really doing, bring a simple meal, or invite them to coffee and listen. [21:50]
3. Think of someone you’d naturally want to “fix” when they tell you hard things. Next time, how will you intentionally “take off your toolbox” and do one specific listening move (sit in silence 30 seconds before responding; reflect back what you heard; name the emotion)? Practice that move this week. [31:49]
4. If you suspect you or a loved one carries trauma that needs more than friends can offer, what concrete first step will you take toward professional help this month (call our counseling ministry, look up a Christian counselor who does CBT/EMDR, ask the pastor for referrals)? [20:04]
5. Helpers: have you ever noticed carrying other people’s pain (secondary trauma)? Name one boundary or self-care habit you will set this month to protect your own soul/body (limit intake of traumatic stories per week, regular supervision, Sabbath margin). [07:39]
6. The sermon warned against minimizing another’s timeline (“you should be over it by now”). Who in your life have you unintentionally rushed before? What will you do differently in your next conversation with them to validate their timing and feelings? [24:20]
7. The speaker described inviting Jesus into the memory where a lie took hold. Identify one painful memory that still defines you. What is one short prayer or sentence you can say this week to invite Jesus into that memory (for example: “Jesus, you were there; tell me the truth about this moment”)? If you feel unsafe doing this alone, who will you ask to accompany you (counselor, trusted friend, pastor)? [26:46]