How Christian Therapy Can Help You Heal From Past Trauma
Maybe you identify as a Christian but have experienced past traumas in association with being a part of a church. Having experienced this trauma maybe you feel like your faith is shaken. You may not be completely sure where you stand in your faith and within your belief in God. This article talks about how Christian counseling can help you heal from religious trauma.
Christian therapy can help you identify the hurt the trauma has caused in your life:
Churches and leaders of the church have a lot of responsibility as they hold a great amount of power in members’ lives. It is always the hope that the church would provide an environment that feels safe and models God’s image of what love is and what it looks like. Unfortunately, in some churches that is not always the case. Trauma as a result of the church may come from someone within the church abusing the power that they hold. The impacts of the abuse can have on individuals as a result can really have great impacts on their lives. Here are some examples of traumas that churches could create:
Shame as a result of making the choice to have an abortion or not being married.
Abuse including sexual, emotional, or physical from leaders in the church.
Making assumptions that illness was brought upon by lack a of faith.
Shaming for having anxiety or depression (or having any mental illness) as a result of not praying enough.
Shaming for being a part of the LGBTQ+ community.
Your Christian Counselor will help you to process trauma and validate your experiences:
It can make things even more difficult when you have gone through a trauma and someone gaslights you or doesn’t believe in the experience that you had. It’s extremely difficult as well when someone tells you that they don’t see what is wrong with the traumatic experience that you had. Know that when you seek counseling your counselor won’t invalidate your experience. They are there for you to help you find out how you can heal from it. It can be hard when friends and family don’t understand where you are coming from. That’s why counseling can be so important in helping you navigate the relationships in your life that are not understanding of what you had experienced.
Your Christian Therapist can help you understand and start the process of healing from your trauma:
It can be hard to know exactly where to start when you think about the trauma that you have experienced as a result of the church. That is where counseling can come in and help you to recognize more of what was experienced, the impact, and how you can move forward from it. Below are some examples of how Christian counseling can be helpful:
Counseling can help you to find ways in which you can set boundaries within your faith community.
Counseling can help in supporting you when you find a church community that doesn’t engage in further perpetuation of religious trauma.
Counseling can help you to build back confidence in yourself and in your faith.
Counseling creates a safe environment where you can talk about what happened.
Counseling can help you with finding coping skills to help manage symptoms that the trauma created.
Begin Working With A Christian Therapist in Pineville, NC
Are you ready to start your journey in healing? We are here for you at Inward Counseling and are taking new clients. Our team of caring therapists would be happy to support you in overcoming past trauma from our Charlotte, NC-based practice. We would be happy to answer any questions you may have about couples therapy and what to expect. You can start your therapy journey by following these simple steps:
Fill out our contact form
Meet with a caring therapist
Start giving your relationship the support it deserves!
Other Services Offered With Inward Counseling
Christian counseling isn’t the only service our team offers. We know that you may experience more than one mental health concern at a time. This is why we are happy to also offer therapy for anxiety, family, depression, and EMDR. We also offer trauma therapy and couples counseling. Visit our blog or about page to learn more today.