Understanding Trauma

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.

Jason Roach

All those seeking to support those who have experienced trauma should read this book. It is biblically rooted, medically accurate and practically helpful. I will be recommending this to all of our missionaries.

“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