Experiencing Trauma: Christian B. shares his story of sexual assault

Old Fashion Dad Podcast

This week we get real, when Christian B. get's vulnerable in sharing his trauma of being sexually assaulted by another dude. We walk through his journey of processing that and exploring the tough, dark world that is experiencing sexual trauma as a man.

NOTES:

• This Weeks Whiskey: Crater Lake Straight American Rye Whiskey
• Thompson Cigar Club
• Clinical Psychology reference - "DSM5" (American Psychological Association Diagnostic Manual for Mental and Mode Disorders fifth edition)
• Christian B. is a "Clinical Psychotherapist" and references this manual frequently
• What is trauma? "A deeply distressing or disturbing experience"
• What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?
• The word Trauma is used often and thrown around a lot in our modern culture, often for things that aren't actually "traumatic".
• Are things like "micro-aggressions" or being "triggered" (or other modern pop-psychology terms), actually trauma? Can someone else words online or opinion actually be "traumatic"?
• If everything we don't like becomes "traumatic" to us, is anything really trauma? The word looses it's meaning.
• Why does trauma happen?
• All trauma is a result of sin... like when one person violates another person's rights or something catastrophic happens to them, like natural disaster or war?
• God loves us enough to give us free-will or free-choice so that we can freely choice Him and that enabled us to choose to rebel against the God of the universe.
• As Christian's, we shouldn't be surprised when suffering or trauma happens to us because we live in a fallen world.
• As the world often puts it, "why do bad things happen to good people"... but as Christian's, we understand that there are no "good people" except Jesus.
• Recommended reading: "Knowing God" by J.I. Packer
• Mental Health Stats:
• National Institute of Health: https://www.nih.gov
• National Alliance on Mental Health: https://nami.org/Home
• Often people who cause trauma are living out a pattern or cycle of abuse or generational sin. Hurt people, hurt people.
• Where is God in trauma?
• Just because something bad happens, doesn't mean that God wasn't there or doesn't care
• The church showed up and responded, friends immediately came around him, God brought comfort through scripture and a new vibrant prayer life.
• Satan will try and use anything to separate us from God, to include the feelings of shame and anger often associated with trauma.
• What should be a Christian's response to trauma?
• Be in community, talk through it & seek counseling
• Trauma may be part of your story but let it define you and become your identity
• Christ experience extreme Trauma in this crucifixion on the cross, so we have a savior who gets it and can relate to our hardships and trauma that we may experience in this life.
• How does or should the church respond to it's member's experiencing trauma... specifically trauma at the hands of fellow church members or Christians?

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