Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is something that is mentioned fairly often in everyday life. Sometimes someone will make a joke or a comment about a frustrating, disappointing experience at work or school and say they it caused them to have PTSD when they actually mean they are challenged and having a hard time feeling good about a situation. 

However, post-traumatic stress disorder is a very real disorder that develops when a person has experienced or witnessed a scary, shocking, terrifying, or dangerous event. These traumatic events usually involve a situation where someone’s life has been threatened or severe injury has occurred. It is so damaging that the affected children and adults may feel anxious or stressed even when they are not currently in danger.

PTSD may start immediately after a frightening event and then continue. Others develop new or more severe signs months or even years later. PTSD is often related to the seriousness of the trauma, whether the trauma was repeated more than one time or not, what the individual’s proximity to the trauma was (were they the victim or did they see it?), and what their relationship is with the victim of the trauma, or the perpetrators/causes of the trauma.

To be medically defined as having PTSD, signs and symptoms must last more than a month and be severe enough to interfere with school, work, or relationships. Though women are more likely to have PTSD, it can happen to anyone, even children. In fact, the original designation was “shell-shocked,” and it referred to soldiers who had experienced severe trauma in war, with the things that had happened to them personally or the shocking, damaging things they had seen.

Of course the first and most basic answer is to get help. You can talk to a specially trained doctor or counselor. Talking through your symptoms and concerns with talk therapy is often very helpful. When the doctor or therapist is a Christian and will pray for you and with you, this adds to the effectiveness. A doctor may prescribe medicines temporarily to help you feel less afraid, tense, and depressed. Make sure you get counseling/therapy, and don’t rely on medicines alone if you are diagnosed with PTSD.

Think realistically about what happened. A major task in helping people after traumatic events is to normalize many of the thoughts and emotions that they are experiencing. Our culture is so focused on diagnoses and medicine to make us “well” that we lose the concept of normal. Competent doctors in trauma ministry say that only a minority of people who struggle with significant traumatic events have ongoing challenges that require long-term, intensive help. Most people need encouragement and support as well as assurance that what they are experiencing is normal.

To be truthful, it would be more concerning if someone who experienced an event like an assault, or a tragic event like any of those mentioned earlier, was not struggling with memories of the event. When something so significant and out of the ordinary as tragedy and trauma occurs, a natural and truly healthy response is to try to understand the issue, why it happened, and whether it might happen again. It is natural and healthy to attempt to make sense out of it.

This is a very large subject, and I don’t want in any way to minimize it. But there is great hope and encouragement in God’s Word and in a solid, growing relationship with Jesus Christ. God’s Word itself is very comforting and helpful. Make sure you get powerful input from the Bible, inspirational readings, music, and uplifting people.

No matter what has happened, knowing we are not powerless over our thoughts is a very liberating truth. The Bible teaches that believers can take every thought captive (2 Cor. 10:5b) This idea is presented in the context of spiritual warfare (2 Cor. 10:3-5a). Ephesians 6:10-17 and Ephesians 4:20-22 are just two places that will give hope as well as a focal point for us when we struggle. Putting off thoughts, being renewed in the spirit of the mind, and putting on thoughts that honor God can dramatically help in overcoming trauma.

Lastly, it is important to be with people and not spend too much time in isolation. God uses relationships with others to heal us. Getting involved in church groups can be helpful. An overarching challenge and goal of ministering to people who have PTSD is to help take the focus off the trauma and themselves. Reminding them that they have hope is important.

Romans 8:28-29 helps us see that God will bring good out of evil – specifically, they will become more like Christ. Romans 15:4 ties hope to Scripture and is a good verse to work with as well. Turn PTSD to PTSG – post-traumatic spiritual growth.