Understanding Trauma

Tim Challies

"This book was extremely helpful to me as I considered people I know who have been traumatized by grief, pain, and abuse. It was helpful to me as I considered how I could better relate to these people and others like them, extending to them the comfort and grace of God. It was helpful to me as both a pastor and a church member, one who longs for his church to lovingly support the ones among us who are bearing heavy burdens and carrying sore wounds.”

Michael R. Emlet

When faced with the complex pastoral needs of those who have expe- rienced trauma, we can err either by rushing forward to care for these sufferers without requisite knowledge and skill or by outsourcing all care to secular trauma specialists as if the church has little to offer. Steve’s wise and thoughtful book charts a better way. Working from the conviction that Scripture provides the deepest perspective on the experience of trauma, he summarizes current trauma research, builds a biblical understanding of the multifaceted suffering associated with trauma, and demonstrates in practical ways how the church can and must play a central role in the care of those who have endured extreme suffering and its aftermath.

“An important read”

This is such an important little book. It gives a clear and thoughtful explanation of what trauma is and how deeply it can affect someone’s life - sometimes for years or even decades. What I really appreciated is how Steve Midgley approaches the topic with both compassion and a strong biblical foundation.

It’s not heavy or overly technical, but it still really opens your eyes to the kind of care and understanding people in the church often need - but sadly don’t always receive. This book will help the body of Christ love and care for those who have been through traumatic experiences.

Don’t let it sit unread on your shelf. It’s short, readable, and packed with insight. Reading this could make a difference to how you care for the person you sit by in church this Sunday.

“Clear and Helpful”

Dr. Steve Midgley has previously contributed to the co-written book "Mental Health and Your Church," and this book is a helpful follow-up. This book focuses specifically on trauma, and the first section of the book explains what trauma is like for sufferers and how trauma connects with biblical teachings. Midgley shows that even though the word 'trauma' is not in the Bible, the concept certainly is, and that the Bible has helpful resources for traumatized people, as well as the church leaders and caring friends who want to help them. Midgley also shares fictional case studies to show ways that people with different types of trauma might struggle to engage with church.

The second part explores what our current medical understanding of trauma is, and how this connects with biblical teaching. Midgley highlights the significance of how trauma impacts relationships, and he writes about ways that the church can come alongside sufferers and help them through caring, compassionate relationships. The final section explores ways that churches can help trauma sufferers, both through thoughtful and considered elements of worship services, and through community life. Midgley also warns readers about common pitfalls, raising awareness about ways that churches often fail sufferers and hurt them more.

This book is a straightforward, helpful guide for ministry leaders and church members who want to better understand how trauma affects people, and how they can help. The writing is clear and easy to understand, and the author did a wonderful job of covering a lot of trauma-related topics at a high level. He is never too vague, and he also avoids overwhelming the reader with too much information. This is a very helpful, wise book that I would recommend to Christians who are interested in learning more about the subject.

I received a free copy from the publisher, and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

“Biblical Wisdom!”

A compassionate and biblically grounded guide for those seeking to understand trauma from a Christian perspective. With practical insights and gospel hope, it’s a helpful resource for both those who have experienced trauma and those walking alongside them.

“Both Informative and Practical”

As a chaplain and ministry leader, I often engage with people from different backgrounds and life experiences. When I saw this book, I knew it was something I wanted to read---as I haven't had personal experience with trauma but many of the people I counsel do. This book was both theological, intellectual, and practical.

It is an introduction to dealing with trauma, while not exhaustive, it covers a wide range of topics. Dr. Midgley shared examples and case studies connecting them to Scripture, guiding his audience to understand the nature of trauma and how we can respond, and hopefully help.

I think this is a must-read for church leadership, but really, it is for anyone who wants to better educate themselves on how to care and empathize with those who've experienced trauma.

“great intro for leaders”

I was intrigued to have the opportunity to read this book as my husband and I just attended an ACBC Biblical Counseling training conference. The conference significantly changed our perspective on so much of how the church and christians handle trauma.

Something we learned through the ACBC training conference was how quickly the church and believers are to shove others off to "professional" counselors or physiologists in order to handle or deal with their current crisis. But this is completely unbiblical! We, as a church, should be the first source for someone who is struggling or navigating a crisis. Yet we have excuse after excuse to not fulfill that role for God's people.

Trauma is definitely a complex, intimidating concept. Midgley does a great job of introducing this concept to build a solid foundation for the church and believers to respond well to those in difficult scenarios.

Midgley structures the book with three parts and fifteen chapters. Part 1 = Seeing Trauma in Scripture and life. Part 2 = Contemporary Thinking and Biblical Perspectives. Part 3 = Responding with Compassion in the Local Church.

This is not a light read and will cause heavy feelings due to the inclusion of real trauma situations. But this is necessary to fully understand the weight trauma carries. The church is called and has the ability to walk alongside those in crisis and lead them to Jesus as they rely on the Holy Spirit.

This is a great introduction to understanding, loving and caring for those with trauma.

I received a copy of this book from The Good Book Company in exchange for an honest review.

“Great Introduction to a Complex Subject”

Having recently completed my theological training with a focus on biblical counselling, I found it fascinating to study trauma and how we can support those going through it. However, it's a really big, complex topic! That's why it's great to have some simpler introductory books like Midgley's, explaining something of what trauma is, where we see references in scripture, and (most importantly) how the local church can respond well. We're not trained counsellors or physicians, so there will be a limit to what we can do. However, we can make a real significant contribution, showing understanding and compassion, and pointing them to Jesus. Read this book as an individual to see how you can be part of that change or, even better, read it as a church (maybe a leadership team first) to think through how the church as a whole can support those experiencing trauma