Abstract
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (PTSD) is one among the most common psychiatric conditions in the American society today. The condition, which I typically associated with emotional unsettledness in the period after a person has experienced or witnessed some life-threatening event, can last for years, and sometimes a lifetime. For this reasons, social scientists have endeavored to address it through a multidisciplinary approach. The main reason why this disorder cannot be managed through a single-handed approach is because it comes with other disorders, such as drug addiction and eating disorder. Approaching the disorder from a Christian perspective is one among the most common concepts in the modern world. Spiritual approaches have been found to be among the most therapeutic approaches, especially when accompanied with intensive counseling. It is critical to mention that the people that suffer this condition require intervention from all corners of psychology. The Christian view of PTSD is becoming a major topic in the world today. This paper seeks to explain the biblical worldview of the disorder. The explanation given is coupled with the theoretical perspectives of the condition. The paper also explains the additional conditions associated with PTSD, from the Christian perspective.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): The Biblical World View
Introduction
According to reliable statistics, 7.8% of American citizens have, at one point in their lives, suffered Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The studies indicate that women were more likely to suffer the psychiatric condition (10.6%) than men (5%). According to the research, 60.7% of the men in the US had experienced a traumatic event at one point in their lives. On the other hand, 51.2% of the women had experienced traumatic events. From these statistics, it is worth concluding that the disorder is menace enough to require remedies from all corners of the social world. This justifies the Christian attempts to address the disorder and its accompanying difficulties. While one may fail to understand the connection between Christianity and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), it is clear that Christians are mainly concerned with the remedial aspects of the disorder. The Christian religion endeavors to understand how the disorder can be cured. Typically, Christians borrow heavily from the Bible and the teachings of Jesus Christ to handle the victims of PTSD.
The Biblical and Theoretical Views
According to Schiraldi (2009), post Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is characterized by feelings of detachment and loneliness. While this is the case, a person may become depressed to the extent to developing suicidal thoughts. These are detrimental in the sense that they cause a person to react negatively to everything around them. Suicide is a common reaction to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), especially in war veterans - arguably the most vulnerable class. Suicide, according to the Christian perspective, is in contravention of the sanctity of life as explained in Exodus 20:13. What actually causes the suicidal thoughts is the fact that a person suffering from this psychiatric condition is likely to feel lonely. In counseling affected members, pastoral counselors advise that no one is ever really lonely (Holbrook et al, 2010). According to the Bible, Psalm 91 is an assurance that God will always be there for the lonely. Further, pastoral counselors use Psalm 34: 18 to console the victims of PTSD that God, who is the ultimate healer, will always establish a relationship with the hurting people.
According to Tan (2011), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is characterized by emotional volatility. Emotional volatility in this context refers to the state of one being extremely angry at very slight provocation. Such people tend to show some signs of bipolar personality disorder because at other times, they are overly calm. Such anger, according to Christianity, is wrong and should not be allowed to ruin relationships among people. In assisting the person with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the bible advises that Christians should assist the people in pain overcome such pain. Similarly, the Bible warns against anger in Ephesians 4: 26-32. Such anger, according to the Bible, causes self destruction. Besides anger, a person may develop such feelings as fear. Apparently, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is characterized by flashbacks and nightmares. Nightmares may bring about fear, as some people associate them with haunting spirits (Schiraldi, 2009). Typically, this is bound to bring fear in the person experiencing such nightmares. The Bible expressly addresses fear in the book of Romans 8: 31-39. Believing in God is the beginning of the end of fear because, according to the verse, God will always be on the side of those that believe in Him. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) victims should therefore resort to trusting in God.
Psychiatrists point out that the most prominent effect of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is numbness – emotional numbness. Such numbness kills all feelings for other people. Essentially, this may make the person fail to be caring towards their neighbor and other strangers (Powlison, 2010). Such numbness towards others is condemned by the Bible. The Bible, in Genesis 4:9 urges Christians to be their brothers’ keepers. As such, they should love one another. Pastoral counselors argue that Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) may make the person go against the biggest commandment given by Jesus Christ – Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Such teachings help the people with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) overcome the condition and stand for better values (Powlison, 2010). A Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) victim may be irrational because they lack self confidence. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) victims are usually unsure of themselves because they lose self esteem and self worth. The Biblical view of being unsure of oneself is that by so doing, a person does not believe in God because, essentially, man is created in the image of God. Additionally, man’s body is the temple of God. When a Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) feels unsure of himself, the pastoral counselors advise that they should be referred to Ephesians 3: 14-21. The verse is reassuring and makes an individual gain self confidence.
Kuang and Kwong (2010) note that from the Christianity point of view, people suffering from the effects of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) should not worry at all because God’s ability will strengthen them as they get to know Him better. In the book of Matthew 6: 25-34, Christians should not worry because Christ did promise to be with the believers. According to Beck and Sloan (2012), the biggest value used by Christians in guiding and counseling people with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is Grace. According to the Bible in Ephesians 2: 8-10; the grace of God will guide Christian life and be the way to salvation. In the book of Titus 3: 3-7, the grace of God is defined as the most powerful way to salvation and that God loves all people, including those in problems and facing difficulties. Pastoral counseling recognizes Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a barrier to believing in God. Being such a great barrier, Christian counselors treat it like a speck in the eyes of those seeking salvation. In furtherance of love and care for one’s neighbor, counselors endeavor to remove the ‘speck’ so as to prevent the Christians from losing focus.
Christian psychologists have explained that most Christians have the tendency to give up their faith when they find themselves in serious problems and difficulties (Haraburda, 2013). This tendency dates back to the time of the Old Testament. When in problems, Christians will always blame God for their predicament. They argue that the difficulty is a way of God testing their faith as in the case of Job. Most pastoral responses indicate that a majority of the Christians suffering Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) point out to the case of Job. The explanations revolve around Job 9:10-12 and Job 9: 16-17. Just like Job did not succumb to the temptations of abandoning his faith in God, Christian counselors advise that the people experiencing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) should trust in God all through (Kuan and Kwong, 2010b).
The Bible has many stories relating to endurance and perseverance. These are the two most important values in managing difficulties relating to both physical and mental torture. Acts 14:21-22 explains the virtue of perseverance in the Christian way of living. As mentioned earlier, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder can last for years. During this time, the person under psychological therapy and spiritual intervention may give up, arguing that God is not helpful to them. The form of perseverance mentioned in Acts 14:21-22, comes in handy and gives hope to the despairing Christians with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. According to Holbrook et al (2010), hope and faith should be accompanied by such perseverance since the faith of an individual can be tested in a multiplicity of ways. Additionally the argument about endurance and perseverance is explained by the fact that God does things at his chosen time (Tan, 2011). One should keep on hoping and praying instead of giving in to the negative and destructive effects of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Christian counselors emphasize the importance of the example of the early Christian martyrs. They went through traumatic stress and were finally killed. Their loved ones did go through Posttraumatic Stress Disorders but through the grace of God, everything went well and the church of Christ was established.
The Bible portrays suicide as a negative response to difficulties. The story of Judas is the most notable in the New Testament. Apparently, Judas was not among the best disciples, especially considering that he betrayed the messiah. The manner in which he died is a disgracing one and people of God should not consider it a solution to their problems. Apparently, many people that fell in the Bible chose suicide, this; according to Tan (2011) means that suicide is evil in the Christian faith as it violates the provision that life is a sacred gift from God. Samson, a man given extraordinary strength by God, fell because he did not obey the commands of God. The man died miserably in the temple, where he killed thousands of his enemies. While the Bible does not address suicide expressly, the implications from the tales are that the reaction is evil. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder patients are counseled in this line, since most of them tend to resort to suicide.
Psychiatrists explain that substance abuse and other disorders are among the most significant signs of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Heavy drinking and use of hard drugs are against the will of God. The Bible warns against the evils of drinking and excessive intoxication in the books of psalms and proverbs. As such, Beck and Sloan (2012) argue that it is advisable that the people affected by Posttraumatic Stress Disorder keep off drugs and intoxicants because, in the Biblical view, such substances are sinful and should be avoided at all costs in order for one to access the kingdom of God through salvation. The use of hard drugs is associated with such difficulties as self mutilation. Self mutilation refers to the tendency of mentally unstable people to cut and hurt parts of their bodies for reasons that psychologists describe as extreme reactions. Such self mutilation tendencies are against Christian teachings. Counselors affiliated to the Christian faith argue that self mutilation is in contravention with the presumption that the human body is a temple of God, which should be kept holy and respected.
According to the writings of Paul, repentance and forgiveness are sought through being open and free to release the pain in one’s heart. Bringing things to light is the most effectual way of reducing the load in the heart of an individual (Powlison, 2010). From the point of view of Christianity, darkness is associated with the devil. Satan is associated with dark powers. Pastoral responses hint that keeping secrets and haunting memories to oneself is the reason why people feel isolated and left out. This is what leads to stress, which degenerates into depression – a condition that may lead to suicidal thoughts. Pastoral advice in the Christian religion is that people should endeavor to reveal their troubles as this way, they will get support from friends, family and other well wishers, reducing trauma. Citing from the Bible, scholars in Christian studies (Holbrook et al (2010) and Schiraldi (2009)) argue that according to Christianity, light and darkness do not coexist. Therefore one should opt for one side. Revealing problems is the same as bringing them to light. Since the Bible describes Jesus as the Light, the way and the life, a problem brought to light, is a problem brought to Christ (Powlison). Since God is omniscient, all problems brought to Him should be considered as solved because he is also omnipotent. For this reason, pastoral counselors advice the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder patients that the first step towards healing is speaking out their problems and troubles.
Insights
Clearly, there are some similarities between the theoretical viewpoint and the Christian view of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Notably, both approaches advocate for the same remedial measures, but give different justifications for them. Apparently, psychiatrists heavily rely on psychology in trying to understand the causes and possible cures of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. While this is the case, Christians rely heavily on the biblical teachings to explain the measures to be taken in trying to manage the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Among the most prominent similarity is the actuality that both advocate for social support of the victims. They advocate for avoidance of loneliness. The major explanation given for such recommendation is the fact that Posttraumatic Stress Disorder patients tend to get depressed easily and this could lead to suicidal thinking, especially if the patient is in lonely conditions. Christianity emphasizes prayers alongside other powerful Biblical teachings.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is clear to note that from the foregoing discussion, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is a serious problem in social circles and has been addressed from all social angles including religious perspectives. Christianity has prominently addresses Posttraumatic Stress Disorder through explaining how to deal with the difficulties it is associated with. Among the most notable difficulties identified are: depressions, suicidal considerations, alcohol and drug abuse, loneliness, emotional instability, feelings of worthlessness and numbing effects as well as fear and doubt. From the biblical point of view, the menace should be addressed through prayers and other powerful teachings from both the new and the Old Testament. From the discussion, it is as well important to note that there are many similarities between the biblical world view and the theoretical notions.
References
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Kuang, B., & Kwong, A. (2010). Biblical perspective on how to handle worry and fear. S.l.: Xulon Press.
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