Soulfood

Trauma and the body

Our bodies are created very good, and not in and of themselves sources of sin. Our bodies and souls are inextricably linked. We don’t have bodies, we are embodied.

Trauma manifests itself in the body in many ways. Intrusion, physiological responses, hyper-vigilance, etc can all make it difficult for the traumatized person to be present and focused in the moment.

Bodily responses to trauma are associated with the amygdala. The amygdala takes sensory information from the thalamus together with memories from the hippocampus to interpret environmental cues and prompt us to respond appropriately.

With trauma, this delicate system becomes unbalanced – reacting too much, or too little, or at the wrong time – so that the present environment is dissociated with the body’s response.

We remember traumatic events differently than other events because of the dislocation and fragmentation the experience creates.

Trauma survivors have an altered relationship with their bodies. When helping them we must remember and be compassionate towards the broken relationship he has with his body.

For the traumatized person, the body can feel like an enemy. It is like a screaming child as the brain insists there is danger in situations where a person who hasn’t been traumatized would feel safe, and some part of her knows she shouldn’t be feeling what she is feeling.

The Christian hope, though, is not escape from the body but the use of our bodies as vessels of worship and service, both in this life and in the life to come. Rom. 12:1

Scripture lays out for us a pattern of multi-sensory discipleship. Our worship practices are not disembodied but embodied. Old testament sacrifice requires the offerer to physically place his hand on the animal dying in his place. And Jesus is God embodied, present among us to touch us and speak to us.

Our sacraments are shaped around our bodies. Baptism is a physical symbol of spiritual cleansing. Communion is an actual meal, not simply a spiritual exercise.

When helping the trauma sufferer, we seek to find ways to connect them meaningfully and positively with their bodies. Breathing exercises can help this, sometimes guided by meditations on God’s word.

Grounding can also be helpful. In finding ways to help trauma sufferers stay focused in the midst of intrusive bodily responses, we look for connections to make between physical objects and the reality of a creation filled with evidence of its Creator. We remember the firm foundation we have in Christ.

Jesus’ glorified body still bears the scars of his traumatic experience. We don’t lose our scars, but they don’t have control over us and they become part of the story of redemption.