My emotions went sky high. An event triggered pain in an area where I continue to need healing. I don’t expect to live in a perfectly calm and emotional state in every moment, but there are times when it’s clear emotions take over on a regular basis.
When they do, cue the note taking.
Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Try again.
Or rather, rinse, repeat, try something new?
Ever find yourself doing the same thing and getting the same result, but expecting something different?
Do you desperately want God to fix things yet it seems like nothing changes no matter how hard you pray or how great the desire?
I’ve spent years praying for change in the ways I act, expecting God to flip a switch and make me different. All the while God was showing me steps I needed to act on.
For as much as I’m passionate about the way God works in our hearts and souls, I’m also a believer in the way God works in our bodies. Sometimes, we need more than a scripture verse or turning on the praise music. Sometimes, we need help in the physical if we want to see health in the spiritual and emotional facets of our lives.
We are whole beings belonging to a wholly good God. Nothing surprises him. There’s always more to the picture and He’s the one who holds it all.
By taking notice of personal patterns, we receive needed insight to get whole help. There may be internal struggles and phsyiological concerns which go deeper than we know. There may be hidden woundedness, damaging belief patterns, brain disturbances, or underlying illnesses which limit our ability to experience healthy living.
You can’t fix what you don’t know is broken.
We don’t need to hunt down all the broken things, but having a willingness for awareness means we can accept the reality of hard truths. In turn, this opens the door to more full healing and thus, a cultivated life.
Did you know long-term stress can create trauma in the body much like a significant event might?
If you’re the caregiver of someone with high needs, in relationship with an addict, involved in a destructive relationship of some kind, dealing with one financial or medical blow after another, or living in a hyper-vigilent state for a number of reasons, the effects of heavy, long-term stress can be seen in health and emotional issues. When someone told me I’d endured trauma as a foster parent of many, I was surprised. My foster children had endured trauma. But me? It took me awhile to accept it as part of my reality.
I don’t want to live for Christ in any partial way. I want to seek Him with the whole of my being. Since I’ve been through various traumas and since there are certain areas of my life where I exhibit negative patterns, it’s important to look at possible underlying concerns.
Spiritual, physical, and emotional.
As a result, I’ve chosen EMDR for work in targeted areas. EMDR helps relieve intense emotional reactions so the heart and mind can process better. Think of it as a natural way of releasing the physiological impact of trauma on the brain so your physical being is more equipped to do the needed heart work.
If you’ve never heard of EMDR, look below for links to a few resources. More shared with Newsletter subscribers.
Much like other areas of personal growth, healing doesn’t happen all at once. We must choose to step with God in every hard moment and we’ll begin to enjoy Him even more.
Remember we are made as physical, spiritual, and emotional beings. God who cares about every aspect.Â
I’m thankful for a number of approaches to emotional health because…
What affects our bodies affects our minds and affects our hearts.
What affects our hearts affects our minds and affects our bodies.Â
What affects our minds affects our hearts and affects our bodies.
We are interconnected beings created by an incredible Master.Â
No singular field of speciality can address the whole of our selves completely. We are given doctors, counselors, prayer warriors, pastors, friends, writers, speakers, teachers, and many others to help us in one area or another. Ideally, they will work together.
As believers we also have the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide us.
We don’t have to figure it all out, we need to invite the Spirit to lead us in the process. We need to see God’s invitation into healing and surrender our way for God’s.
You are more than your circumstances. More than the way you look or the things you feel. You are a whole person designed to reflect a wholly good God.
Don’t stop praying, friend. God meets us in our prayers. He also provides a number of ways to move into a healing process with Him.
If you struggle with anxiety, depression, or the impact of trauma, and you’ve been told to “just pray about it”, there’s more helpful help available to you.
CULTIVATE: Where is God taking you today? What step of faith might be a step towards cultivating life for your whole being?
Looking for natural ways to improve brain function and reduce the impact of stress and trauma? Here are a few highlights. Newsletter subscribers will receive additional resources as well.
Brain Imaging:
Dr. Daniel Amen’s TED Talk: The Most Important Lesson from 83,000 Brain Scans
EMDR: Eye Movement Densitization and Reprocessing**
What is EMDR? An overview of what EMDR is and how it is used.
Christ-Centered Visualization and EMDR in Healing Trauma A lengthy article which provides great insight to the physical, emotional, spiritual benefits of EMDR.
** IMPORTANT NOTE: In all brain healing exercises, choose to put your mind on Christ. Choose to come before God with a humble heart and be ready to receive from Him. Prepare your heart with regular time in His presence. The physiological benefits of these techniques used in conjunction with prayer, praise, and Christ-centered thoughts can be incredibly beneficial.
[socialpug_tweet tweet=”What affects our bodies affects our minds & affects our hearts. What affects our hearts affects our minds & affects our bodies. What affects our minds affects our hearts & affects our bodies. We are interconnected beings created by an incredible Master. ” display_tweet=”What affects our bodies affects our minds and affects our hearts. What affects our hearts affects our minds and affects our bodies. What affects our minds affects our hearts and affects our bodies. We are interconnected beings created by an incredible Master. “]
[socialpug_tweet tweet=”You are more than your circumstances. More than the way you look or the things you feel. You are a whole person designed to reflect a wholly good God. via @theJoleneU #emotionalhealth #spiritualgrowth” display_tweet=”You are more than your circumstances. More than the way you look or the things you feel. You are a whole person designed to reflect a wholly good God.”]
[socialpug_tweet tweet=”We are whole beings belonging to a wholly good God. Nothing surprises him. There’s always more to the picture and He’s the one who holds it all. via @theJoleneU #emotionalhealing #spiritualhealth” display_tweet=”We are whole beings belonging to a wholly good God. Nothing surprises him. There’s always more to the picture and He’s the one who holds it all.”]
[socialpug_tweet tweet=”If you struggle with anxiety, depression, or the impact of trauma, and you’ve been told to ‘just pray about it’, there’s more helpful help available to you. #anxiety #depression #emotionalhealing” display_tweet=”If you struggle with anxiety, depression, or the impact of trauma, and you’ve been told to ‘just pray about it’, there’s more helpful help available to you. “]
A most excellent read! I concur with you. God has used Celebrate Recovery along with getting connected outside of my extended family to bring about healing in my life.
Thank you, Patricia. I love hearing God used Celebrate Recovery. Our church is about to implement this program and I’m looking forward to it.