I remember the moment when I thought it might be a good idea to end it all. I was in my mid-twenties, experiencing what I now know as PTSD symptoms, had little hope for the future, and couldn’t experience happiness no matter what I tried. These thoughts had been on loop for months with no [ Read More ]
The first therapeutic assessment in my record, from July 2021, reads: “47 y.o. M with history of trauma and anxiety, with symptoms of PTSD, GAD, and depression.” In other words, some of this and some of that: post-traumatic stress disorder, general anxiety disorder, and depression. With a tip of the hat to my recent crisis, [ Read More ]
During my forty-eight years, I have experienced approximately eight years total of deep depression. The first episode lasted for about six years and stretched from my twenties into my early thirties. The second episode lasted for about two years during my mid-forties. During those years, I felt trapped and didn’t see a way out. In [ Read More ]
Jesus was drawn to suffering people. His was a mercy of ministry, and he focused his attention more on people in pain than people in who found themselves in the “sweet spot” of life. Jesus healed the sick, comforted the grieving, and raised the dead to life. He was deeply compassionate. But he was not [ Read More ]
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and physical health disorder caused by experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. Persons who experience PTSD often turn to alcohol or drugs to alleviate physical or mental symptoms. Physical symptoms include surges in levels of adrenaline or cortisol which cause a person’s body to be on perpetual “high [ Read More ]
We live in a fallen world in which we are sometimes exposed to terrifying events. Experiencing or witnessing those events can cause severe psychological trauma. However, we can be comforted in knowing that the God who experienced a traumatic crucifixion on our behalf is with us in the midst of our trauma, and that he [ Read More ]
By: Bruce Ashford, Lauren Ashford, Joy Forrest In light of the ongoing national conversation about Christian responses to domestic violence and the sad reality that abuse statistics are no better among church attenders than among society at large, it is incumbent upon us—SBC churches and pastors—to do everything we can to respond appropriately when victims [ Read More ]