Trauma and Congregations: The Importance of Trauma Sensitivity in Local Religious Congregations
Main Article Content
Keywords
Keywords: trauma, congregations, collective trauma, trauma ministry
Abstract
Local congregations are vital resources within communities. They serve an important function in the lives of community members and especially those who have experienced trauma. This article examines current literature about the interaction between faith communities and trauma, the reasons why it is valuable for local congregations to understand trauma, and the role that faith and congregations can have in helping individuals who have experienced trauma. Rather than focusing on the role of faith in the healing of trauma (which is a separate area of study), this article focuses on the importance of positively creating congregational systems to be mindful of those who have experienced trauma. There is a significant gap in the current literature on how congregations can be trauma sensitive
References
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Danielson, T., Lucas, P., Malinowski, R., & Pittman, S. (2009). Set free ministries: A comprehensive model for domestic violence congregational interventions. Social Work and Christianity 36(4), 480–93.
Durà-Vilà, G., Littlewood, R., & Leavey, G. (2013). Integration of sexual trauma in a religious narrative: Transformation, resolution, and growth among contemplative nuns. Transcultural Psychiatry 50(1), 21–46. https://doi.org/10.1177/1363461512467769
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https://doi.org/10.1177/0040573610394922
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Streets, F. (2015). Social work and a trauma-informed ministry and pastoral care: A collaborative agenda. Social Work and Christianity, 42(4), 470–87.
Updegraff, J. A., Silver, R. C., & Holman, E. A. (2008). Searching for and finding meaning in collective trauma: Results from a national longitudinal study of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(3), 709–722. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.95.3.709
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Van Hook, M. P. (2016). Spirituality as a potential resource for coping with trauma. Social Work and Christianity, 43(1), 7–25.
Warner, R. S. (1994). The place of the congregation in the contemporary American religious configuration. In Wind, J. P., Lewis, J. W. (Eds.),
American congregations. Vol. 2: New perspectives in the study of congregations (pp. 54-99).
Wind, J. P., & Lewis, J. W. (Eds.). (1994). American congregations (Vol. 2). University of Chicago Press.
Ammerman, N. T. (2005). Pillars of faith: American congregations and their partners. University of California Press.
Anda, R., Felitti, J., Bremner, J. D., Walker, J., Whitfield, C., Perry, B., Dube, S., & Giles, W. (2006). The enduring effects of abuse and related adverse experiences in childhood: A convergence of evidence from neurobiology and epidemiology. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 256(3), 174–186. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-005-0624-4
Arjona, R. (2017). John Calvin on the Lord’s Supper: Food, rest, and healing for shivering souls. Pastoral Psychology 66(2), 177–90. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-016-0740-2
Blakey, J. M. (2016). The role of spirituality in helping African American women with histories of trauma and substance abuse heal and recover. Social Work and Christianity 43(1), 40–59.
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (US). (2014). Understanding the Impact of Trauma. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK207191/.
Chaves, M. (2004). Congregations in America. Harvard University Press.
Congregation [Def.]. (n.d.). In Merriam Webster Online, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/congregation.
Danielson, T., Lucas, P., Malinowski, R., & Pittman, S. (2009). Set free ministries: A comprehensive model for domestic violence congregational interventions. Social Work and Christianity 36(4), 480–93.
Durà-Vilà, G., Littlewood, R., & Leavey, G. (2013). Integration of sexual trauma in a religious narrative: Transformation, resolution, and growth among contemplative nuns. Transcultural Psychiatry 50(1), 21–46. https://doi.org/10.1177/1363461512467769
English Standard Version Bible. (2001). Crossway Bibles
Garland, D. R., & Yancey, G. I. (2014). Congregational social work: Christian perspectives. North American Association of Christians in Social Work.
Gingrich, H. D. (2018, October). How to become a trauma-informed congregation; these suggestions will help your church better care for survivors of abuse. Christianity Today, 62(8), 19A+.
Hunsinger, D. (2011). Bearing the unbearable: Trauma, gospel, and pastoral care. Theology Today 68(1), 8–25.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0040573610394922
Kilpatrick, D. G., Resnick, H. S., Milanak, M. E., Miller, M. W., Keyes, K. M., & Friedman, M. J. (2013). National estimates of exposure to traumatic events and PTSD prevalence using DSM-IV and DSM-5 criteria. Journal of Traumatic Stress 26(5), 537–547.
Klan, W. R. A. (2018). He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds (Ps 147:3): Perspectives on pastoral care. HTS Teologiese Studies 74(4). http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/hts.v74i4.5116
Nason-Clark, N., Fisher-Townsend, B., Holtmann, C., & McMullin, S. (2017). Religion and
intimate partner violence: Understanding the challenges and proposing solutions. Oxford University Press.
Oh, D., Jerman, P., Silverio Marques, S., Koita, K., Sukhdip, B., Harris, N. B., & Bucci, M. (2018). Systematic review of pediatric health outcomes associated with childhood adversity. BMC Pediatrics, 18(1), 83–19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-018-1037-7
Onwuegbuzie, A. J., Collins, K. M. T., & Frels, R. K. (2013). Using Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory to frame quantitative, qualitative, and mixed research. International Journal of Multiple Research Approaches, 7(1), 2-8. DOI: 10.24297/ijrem.v5i2.3910
Rudolfsson, L., & Tidefors, I. (2009). Shepherd my sheep: Clerical readiness to meet psychological and existential needs from victims of sexual abuse. Pastoral Psychology 58(1), 79–92. DOI: 10.1007/s11089-008-0173-7
Schultz, T., Vuncannon, J., & Bump, K. (2016). A pilot study of a scripture-based trauma healing model for adults in Nicaragua. Mental Health, Religion & Culture 19(6), 613–25.
Smith, S. (2004). Exploring the interaction of trauma and spirituality. Traumatology 10(4), 231–43. https://doi.org/10.1177/153476560401000403
Streets, F. (2015). Social work and a trauma-informed ministry and pastoral care: A collaborative agenda. Social Work and Christianity, 42(4), 470–87.
Updegraff, J. A., Silver, R. C., & Holman, E. A. (2008). Searching for and finding meaning in collective trauma: Results from a national longitudinal study of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(3), 709–722. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.95.3.709
Van Derk Kolk, B. (2006). Clinical implications of neuroscience research in PTSD. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1071(1), 277–293. https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1364.022
Van Hook, M. P. (2016). Spirituality as a potential resource for coping with trauma. Social Work and Christianity, 43(1), 7–25.
Warner, R. S. (1994). The place of the congregation in the contemporary American religious configuration. In Wind, J. P., Lewis, J. W. (Eds.),
American congregations. Vol. 2: New perspectives in the study of congregations (pp. 54-99).
Wind, J. P., & Lewis, J. W. (Eds.). (1994). American congregations (Vol. 2). University of Chicago Press.