Surviving and Thriving After Trauma - Series 13
Your past does not define you!
In this series, we share healthy ways to cope with the immediate effects of traumatic experiences, as well as steps to take towards a fulfilling life by processing emotions, building resilience, and deepening your trust in God.
This series covers many topics including childhood trauma and abuse, racism, death and dying, child loss, and PTSD, as well as trusted resources and therapies to help you overcome the effects of trauma and live a whole, healthy life.
These topics are often difficult to talk about, and may bring up painful memories. Our goal is not to cause you discomfort, but to give you the tools and resources you need to move forward, heal from the past, build stronger relationships, develop empathy, and experience personal growth.
What is Trauma?
In this foundational episode of our series, we explore what trauma truly is—and isn’t. As the term “trauma” becomes more prevalent in everyday culture, it’s essential to clarify its meaning, dispel myths, and offer tools for understanding and growth.
Combining biblical truths with psychological insight, John, Lynn, and Austin answer the following questions:
What is trauma?
What is the impact of trauma?
What are some myths about trauma?
What does the Bible say about trauma?
How Do I Heal from Trauma?
Trauma is any experience that overwhelms your ability to cope on your own and can stem from events like divorce, abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence, health crises, and more. However, it’s not just the event itself that is disruptive, but the lingering emotional and mental impact that makes healing difficult.
Lynn, John, and Austin sit down to discuss key elements needed to heal from trauma:
Ongoing safety
Self-regulation skills
Connecting with safe people
Giving voice to your trauma
Dismantling false narratives
Engaging with your story in light of God’s love and truth
Looking for Hope When Your Health Fails
When a trip to urgent care led to a 2 week stay in the ICU as a critical care patient, Lori Ann Wood’s life went from predictable to precarious. Being diagnosed with end stage heart failure with an enlarged heart functioning at only 6%, Lori Ann was faced with a health crisis that would test her faith with an uncertain future.
Listen in as Lynn talks with Lori Ann about:
The trauma of a medical crisis and a ‘forever’ diagnosis
The difficult journey of self-reflection and spiritual growth
Praying a prayer of ‘relinquishment’ and trusting God with the future
What Parents Need to Know about Trauma
If you have a child who has experienced trauma, it may seem like your best efforts to work with them are getting nowhere. You may frequently question your parenting approach. And you may start to feel despair about making progress.
In this next episode of our series, Austin sits down with behavior analyst Kari Nietzel to tackle some tough questions about parenting a child with trauma, including:
What trauma is and how it manifests in children
The difference between ‘trauma’ behavior and ‘normal’ behavior
Strategies for parents, families, and caregivers
Flipping the Script on Your Childhood Trauma
When you’ve grown up in a dysfunctional, abusive home, are you who others say you are? Or can you ‘flip the script’ and live a healthy, happy life?
Listen in as Lynn sits down with our own social media manager, Jules Lundberg, to hear her story of hope and redemption, including:
Overcoming the damaging rules of a dysfunctional family
The power of surrendering to God in your darkest moments
5 ways to ‘flip the script’ on your childhood trauma
How Does EMDR Help You Heal from Trauma?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a mouthful, but it’s been clinically proven to help reduce the effects of traumatic memories, enabling people to face everyday stress with calm intentions.
In this episode, Austin sits down with Dr. Mark Pfuetze, an EMDR trained therapist and Covenant Seminary professor, to understand more about:
How EMDR repairs the effects of trauma on your brain and body
The ‘theological piece’ of trauma
What to look for in an EMDR therapist
The Trauma of War
Sometimes called ‘combat stress’ or ‘shell shock’, the residual trauma from war can have a lasting impact on veterans and their families.
No one knows this better than Dan and Jo Slawski, founders of Guardian Hills Veterans Healing Center, a facility in northern Missouri that provides resources and support for veterans struggling with trauma, including post-traumatic stress (PTS) and moral injury.
In this eye-opening episode, Shay sits down with Dan and Jo to discuss:
The mental, physical, and emotional toll of warfare
The ways that trauma affects veterans over the long-term
How veterans and their families can experience healing and wholeness
The Trauma of Racism
Though you may wonder if racial injustices, mistrust, and misunderstanding will always plague our society, it’s worth asking the question: Does the Bible have anything to say about healing racial divides?
Derwin L. Gray, former NFL player, pastor, author, and founder of Transformation Church in Charlotte, NC., says the answer to this question is unequivocally: YES.
Listen in as Shay & Lynn talk with Derwin about:
The life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The traumatic effects of racism
Why the church should be at the forefront of racial reconciliation
The Trauma of Betrayal and Infidelity
If you’ve experienced betrayal trauma, you know just how devastating and heartbreaking it is. Is there hope? Can couples recover? We talk with relationship experts Matthew & Joanna Raabsmith about all this and more, including:
Their own story of betrayal and healing and how betrayal affects a relationship
What kind of counseling is needed after betrayal
Healthy signs that a relationship is healing
The Trauma of Child Loss
When you lose a child, you enter a deep void of despair, a haunting, lonely place you never planned to go and one you wish you could leave. In this episode, John talks to Kari Kaczan about her journey of grief after losing her son, Christopher, and the way God showed up in her darkest moments, including:
The devastating reality of receiving a terminal diagnosis for a child
The emotional and relational impact of loss
The importance of honest prayers and how to bring Jesus into your suffering
Breaking the Cycle of Generational Trauma
As we wrap up our series, we are covering the essential topic of generational trauma – the passing down of traumatic events from one generation to the next through anxiety, depression, PTSD, and even economic and social effects.
Our special guest for this episode, Gina Birkemeier, is a licensed professional counselor, author, and trauma specialist. Listen in as Austin and Gina discuss:
The impact of inherited trauma and how it shapes your perceptions
How to recognize dysfunctional patterns like shame and control
Breaking the cycle to create a new, healthy legacy
How Do I Know When I’ve Healed from Trauma?
In the final episode of our series, John, Lynn, and Austin answer listener-submitted questions about trauma, healing, and resilience.
Their conversation highlights helpful insights from our trauma series, including:
Definitions and perspectives on trauma
Understanding the impact of trauma on ourselves and our loved ones
Starting the important journey of healing from trauma
Remember to vote for us as BEST LOCAL PODCAST in Best of Columbia!
