Ptsd and prayer

[johnthebaptist]

8 minutes ago, maryjayne said:

the OP was/is looking for help with PTSD Trauma. A very specific request. Your advice, while correct under a different set of circumstances, smacks of victim blaming and shaming under this context and thread title. Can you see that it was/is inappropriate right here, right now? Can you 'hear' the fear and pain in her post? Perhaps, for someone without PTSD the pain and fear are not obvious, but in that case you should have listened to those of us who understand the condition, and tried to stop you. 

I am not belittling you. I have been attempting to educate you and stop you from causing more hurt and pain to those of us, including the OP, who have to live with PTSD right now. As have several others posting on this thread.

Do you understand?

My advice to anyone who is looking for help dealing with PTSD is to pray.

[Seasoned by Grace]

• 19 minutes ago, 1to3 said:

  I know that for me the old broken record of  past trauma that would pop up randomly without any given notice for and years , bringing  me each time into great depths of distress, anger and depression , stopped playing when I began to understand/comprehend how to forgive and let go of my resentments. through Christ Jesus, I stopped living in the past (through old record reviving past resentments and began to learn how to forgive,others, as well myself.)  Now the old record has stopped playing ( a real healing miracle from God), however my peace is contingent on my relationship with God on a daily basis as new tests of faith are given to us on a daily basis. How we deal with them test of faith is proof of what we have come to learn and understand through and with Him working in us

  For me I have learnt through Christ and His Word the value and healing there is in being able to forgive and let go of resentments.  (forgive them for they no not what they do.)     We are all sinners redeemed by His Grace through Gods Loving plan of Mercy and Grace if we only call on His Name and begin a daily relationship with Him.

    I am a witness of this in my own personal life: Forgiveness and letting go of resentments of any kind, in Christ, can heal diseases and sicknesses of mind, body and soul. PSTD can be healed through Christ Jesus. He will bring us the tools to cope and find healing.  Let go and Let God. Amen! Amen! Amen!

   

   

   

  Hello 1to3

• It's nice to hear that you are one of the few who get healed, by God's choice and not by our own strength, from abuse, and suffer PTSD their entire lives.

• No matter how we approach our healing, it is God who heals by His strength, and never because we were strong enough on our own.

• "Letting go and letting God", at least for me and these ladies isn't the "formula" for healing and there may not be total healing, as God knows what we need for our growth and for His plans for our life.

• None of us choose to be a victim and be "DAMAGED", but we can stand up and be counted for Christ and speak our voices in love for the HOPE that others can find in our support and love for each other, as we travel a sometimes painful path that is paved with pain and many tears, and yet paved with a kind of love the world doesn't understand, and sometimes the church and it's members don't seem to grasp, BUT IN PAIN, LOVE, TRUE LOVE, IS BORN BECAUSE GOD LOVED US FIRST - PRAISE GOD !!

• In Christ's love and continual unmerited GRACE - Dave

[johnthebaptist]

1 minute ago, maryjayne said:

Your first post, which set this whole rabbit hole in motion, was to recommend she pray for repentance. This is harmful first advice under the situation. As we have pointed out, it implies that she has sinned by having PTSD, or was somehow complicit in the cause of it. Please, just stop.

I never said "pray for repentance." When I was hurting, the Lord led me to repent of sins I was committing, and my life was transformed into something indescribably beautiful. It's hard for me to believe that any body who repents of their sin wouldn't experience the same thing.

[preciouspearl]

I have ptsd, but some of it was what was done to me and things I did to myself 

[1to3]

1to3saidL

I know that for me the old broken record of  past trauma that would pop up randomly without any given notice for and years , bringing  me each time into great depths of distress, anger and depression , stopped playing when I began to understand/comprehend how to forgive and let go of my resentments. through Christ Jesus, I stopped living in the past (through old record reviving past resentments and began to learn how to forgive,others, as well myself.)  Now the old record has stopped playing ( a real healing miracle from God), however my peace is contingent on my relationship with God on a daily basis as new tests of faith are given to us on a daily basis. How we deal with them test of faith is proof of what we have come to learn and understand through and with Him working in us

For me I have learnt through Christ and His Word the value and healing there is in being able to forgive and let go of resentments.  (forgive them for they no not what they do.)     We are all sinners redeemed by His Grace through Gods Loving plan of Mercy and Grace if we only call on His Name and begin a daily relationship with Him.

  I am a witness of this in my own personal life: Forgiveness and letting go of resentments of any kind, in Christ, can heal diseases and sicknesses of mind, body and soul. PSTD can be healed through Christ Jesus. He will bring us the tools to cope and find healing.  Let go and Let God. Amen! Amen! Amen!

Maryjane quoted 1to3:

1 hour ago, 1to3 said:

For me I have learnt through Christ and His Word the value and healing there is in being able to forgive and let go of resentments.

 

1 hour ago, maryjayne said:

I hold no resentments. I have forgiven all, even the missing memories. I cannot erase my experiences though, or my bodies response to them.

Maybe one day God will heal the responses. I pray and trust that He will. In the mean time I do not accept that Gods healing is mine to demand as a right,at a time of my choosing. At no point in this thread has anyone said that God cannot heal as and when He chooses.

Compassion, and no victim blaming of those whom God has not yet chosen to heal, is a good thing.

 

I was speaking my truth, of my experience in Christ Jesus I do believe, I like you can do also?

You say you have no resentments?

This is what I understand with the word resentment:

Resentments means: re-living your past in your present, hence PSTD, it means holding on to anger,hatred, fear and every other emotion in ones heart,even present day grudges,  resenting, fear of, what others say and not letting go of it and making peace with it withing your own heart with God.  What has helped me overcome with God Words:Ephesians 4:26  let not the sun go down upon your wrath,  Philippians 4:6-8 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Meditate on These Things

⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

I am sorry you do not accept Gods availability to heal, and look at it as a demand,  I do not see it as a demand , it IS a promises in Gods Word that Gods gives FREELY to all who come to Him and humbly ask and yes, yes yes He can heal us, give us comfort and answer us in our distress and help us to overcome. God is the great salvageur and can meet us, even in the great dephts where  man cannot.

Maybe I was not understanding properly but where you alluding toward my post, that I was lacking in compassion and shaming the victim?

Its seems that is what you are trying to blame and shame  my testimony concerning my own recovery through Christ Jesus;

Neither was I victim blaming anyone or writing with a lack of compassion as I wrote from my own personal experience .    I will leave this  thread as my trying to share my own experience and be of encouragement and help seems to bring the contrary. Good bye and peace to you In your own personal recovery in Christ Jesus.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 2, 2019 by 1to3

[Jostler]

Quote

 On 8/29/2019 at 11:58 PM, RarexxRose said:  

Why do I have to re experience the trauma in order to get healed from it? Am I wrong? Is there something I'm misunderstanding?

 

 

Quote

   On 8/30/2019 at 7:30 PM, Abby-Joy said:
  

@RarexxRose

   I am a survivor of severe trauma from (pre)birth and onward.   I know what you're talking about.  It can be very difficult process working through so much trauma.  ...

   .... when I invite Him to “go there” with me, there is grace for it.  Then I own it, rather than the denial that it was wrapped up in while it was locked away.  You can’t give something to Him that you deny is yours.... hoping that made sense.
  

Here is an excerpt from an email ....

....GOD in His infinite wisdom and love allows us to return to those broken places and reclaim  what was lost.  And, in effect, things are placed back into their correct order.  ... And He makes the crooked places straight;  puts order where there was no order.

 

 

@RarexxRose  Dear Sister, I wanted to point point out  some things from Abby's post.  All of it, is evidence of someone who has been met by God and taught by Him in the midst of unimaginable trauma.  But perhaps not unimaginable to  you.  That is the first thing I wanted to point out, and that is that He will meet anyone, anywhere, and teach them personally, how to find freedom in Him.  Look for Him in  the  pain...very often when He reveals where He was when the abuse happened, and where He is now, that becomes a place of release and healing.

I really don't think I can say what Abby said about the need to return....and reclaim... any clearer than she did.  But, sometimes looking at the same principle from a different perspective can expand understanding of even a well placed and well expressed bit of wisdom.  I'd like to try.

You asked a difficult question that deserves an answer and I think Abby answered wisely.  I'll try not to overwhelm you with Scriptures but I'll note that we have MANY examples where the Bible talks about suffering.  Here is just one:

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  Rom 8:16-17
   The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, IF indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

 

That is a conditional promise.  Just a point to ponder, but He is a suffering God.  He suffered with you when the trauma happened, and He suffers with you now as you go through  the process of seeking Him for healing of the aftermath.  Find Him in His suffering, and in your own.  The two are one.  Relieving His suffering will relieve your own.  I'll stop there, but encourage you to think on that with Him and perhaps look up some other passages about suffering and why  He  doesn't always just step in and sovereignly  bring relief.

Back to expand on Abby's revelation, which I am convinced came straight from  God, out of her own experience of Him.  It occurs to me we may have an example in a type in the Old Testament. 

 

In Daniel there is a story of three of Daniel's companions, high officials in the government of Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon.   They chose God over death.  Watch this:

This was the setup.  Nebuchadnezzar had built a gold statue of himself 90 feet  high and commanded that all must worship it.  Some of his magicians and wise  men figured they could eliminate some competition because they knew the Jews among them were committed to the One true God and might not obey the  King's order.  And they didn't.

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   Dan 3:10-15
   “You, O king, have made a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe and all kinds of music, is to fall down and worship the golden image.  But whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.   There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. These men, O king, have disregarded you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.”
   ¶
   Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and anger gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego; then these men were brought before the king.  Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up?  Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?”

 

Take note of how the  three responded.  Their heart attitude isn't the main point I want to make but it informs the point.

Quote

   Dan 3:16-18
   ¶
   Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter.  If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.  But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

 

So what happened?  And this is getting close to the  point I want to make.  Did God choose to just quench the fire before Nebuchadnezzar could throw them in it?  No, He did not.

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  Dan 3:19
   ¶
   Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with wrath, and his facial expression was altered toward Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego.  He answered by giving orders to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated.  He commanded certain valiant warriors who were in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego in order to cast them into the furnace of blazing fire.  Then these men were tied up in their trousers, their coats, their caps and their other clothes, and were cast into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire.  For this reason, because the king’s command was urgent and the furnace had been made extremely hot, the flame of the fire slew those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego.  But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, fell into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up.

 

God's way was not to spare them from the fire, but to take them through it.  I think that is an analogy, truth in a type we can use to apply to understanding how He chooses to work to bring freedom to survivors of horrific traumas and abuse.  And look at what God did:

Quote

  Dan 3:24-25
   ¶
   Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste; he said to his high officials, “Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?” They replied to the king, “Certainly, O king.”  He said, “Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!”

 

Instead He chose to meet them IN the fire....and IN the fire He accomplished quite a number of things.

Quote

 Dan 3:26-28
   Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of blazing fire; he responded and said, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, come out, you servants of the Most High God, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego came out of the midst of the fire.  The satraps, the prefects, the governors and the king’s high officials gathered around and saw in regard to these men that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their trousers damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them.
   ¶
   Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God.

 

To summarize the  point.  Notice that when the three were thrown into the  fire, they were BOUND...hand and foot.  When they came out, not an eyebrow was singed and not even the  smell of burning remained on their clothes.  But He used the FIRE to burn off what bound them.  And it was IN the fire, with Him, they learned the fire had no power to harm them.

I don't believe His way ALWAYS has to be through  the fire....He is sovereign and I think there are times He does instantly deliver.  He can do what He wants, how He wants any time He wants. 

As I have endeavored to walk with survivors I have noticed that many times final healing comes when a survivor finds the trust in Him to dive INTO the pain, and look for Him, ask Him to reveal Himself in the fire.  And He uses that to reveal Himself, His power, His love, His salvation, and DESTROY the power of the fire to harm in their lives.

It is NOT an easy process.  But what He brings out of it is  priceless.  And permanent...eternal.

 

 

Edited September 2, 2019 by Jostler

[ayin jade]

On 8/29/2019 at 11:58 PM, RarexxRose said:

Why do I have to re experience the trauma in order to get healed from it? Am I wrong? Is there something I'm misunderstanding?

At this point, the thread has been deleted in order to clean it up. If it is put out in the forums again, I hope you will read my post. 

I too suffered from ptsd in january 2000. Going through therapy was rough but it helped me learn to cope with it. 

I look at it this way. When you suffered your trauma, you put a "bandaid" over it. It healed imperfectly and is festering. In order to be better healed from it, the bandaid needs to get ripped off so the wounds can properly heal. 

Take heart. You can get over this. You can heal and get past this. You can be free of this.

[George]

Shalom everyone,

I had to go through this thread, and remove about 10 posts that were completely missing the OP, or a personal attack in some way.

Oftentimes, trauma continues until you deal with the root of the issue ... and at times you need to deal with the root which can be tough in order for complete healing to take place.

For those who've never experienced PTSD, it's probably best not to give advice ... as the best advice is from those who've dealt with PTSD and have learned and overcome it.  

The OP is simply someone asking for help to overcome a trauma.  Trauma's are never easy to deal with ... and trauma can come in a variety of ways ... however, there is healing that can be found in Him!

May the Lord bless you all, and please no more personal attacks ... and keep the thread focused on the question at hand.

I trust that I'll not have to address this thread again.

God bless,

George

[Prycejosh1987]

On 8/30/2019 at 7:58 AM, RarexxRose said:

Why do I have to re experience the trauma in order to get healed from it? Am I wrong? Is there something I'm misunderstanding?

You dont but i believe you should confront the issue and try to get some closure on it.