DeepSummary
The episode discusses spiritual trauma, its manifestations, and the path to healing. Andy Kolber, a licensed professional counselor and author, explains that spiritual trauma often results in physical and emotional symptoms, such as dissociation, anxiety, and disconnection from one's body and faith. Kolber emphasizes the importance of listening to and honoring the body's wisdom, practicing grounding techniques, and seeking trauma-informed therapy.
Kolber highlights the role of attachment patterns and early childhood experiences in shaping our relationships, including our relationship with God. She suggests that toxic or abusive dynamics in church communities may feel familiar to those with insecure attachment styles, leading them to repeat harmful patterns. Healing requires creating safety, building trust, and integrating mind, body, and spirit.
The discussion also touches on the impact of spiritual trauma on pastors and church leaders. Kolber encourages leaders to approach their roles with humility, acknowledging their limitations and allowing congregants to heal at their own pace. She emphasizes the value of creating a culture that validates pain and promotes embodied spirituality, where grief and emotion are welcome.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Spiritual trauma can manifest in physical and emotional symptoms, such as dissociation, anxiety, and disconnection from one's body and faith.
- Listening to and honoring the body's wisdom, practicing grounding techniques, and seeking trauma-informed therapy are crucial steps in the healing process.
- Attachment patterns and early childhood experiences shape our relationships, including our relationship with God, and can contribute to repeating harmful dynamics in church communities.
- Creating safety, building trust, and integrating mind, body, and spirit are essential for healing from spiritual trauma.
- Pastors and church leaders should approach their roles with humility, acknowledging their limitations and allowing congregants to heal at their own pace.
- Healing from spiritual trauma is a complex and non-linear process that requires patience, validation, and a culture that welcomes grief, emotion, and embodied spirituality.
- Small moments of growth and 'resurrection' should be celebrated along the healing journey, even as survivors and leaders work towards something bigger.
- Maintaining a balanced perspective that embraces both our belovedness and our fragility is crucial for navigating the complexities of spiritual trauma.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “And I think particularly abuse survivors, spiritual abuse survivors, that is a very common thread. Everything that I thought I knew. I don't think I know anymore. And I think I want to just normalize that if you are a person listening to this and you have had that experience, you are not alone. This right here, when we talk about our body giving us information, this is it. This is the information.“ by Speaker B (Andy Kolber)
- “And I think at our best, you know, at our God given, like, self best, we are humbly confident. We are in touch with the reality of our belovedness, and yet we are in touch with our fragility. And those two things together are really beautiful. And I think that we need that for such a time as this on both sides.“ by Speaker B (Andy Kolber)
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Episode Information
The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill
Christianity Today
7/20/22
The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill tells the stories of myriad hurts committed in the name of Christ and his church. Real pain inflicted on real people has consequences; and, for many in the Mars Hill community, the ripple effects have been long lasting. Individuals' spiritual trauma has born out in subsequent church relationships and even personal spiritual practices like Bible study and prayer.
In a culture enamored with therapeutic lingo, it can be hard to determine what true trauma is. Spend any time on social media, and you'll find claims of trauma and invocations against toxic people, especially those associated with the church. Exhorted by Scripture to be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves," how can we discern this kind of abuse when we experience it? How can we create organizations that are hospitable to the hurting? And, what can we do to recover?
In this bonus episode of The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, host Mike Cosper sits down with therapist Aundi Kolber to investigate the roots of spiritual trauma and chart a path forward after pain. Committed to an integrated view of humans as divine image bearers, Kolber explains the necessity of embodiment in our spiritual lives and offers practical tips for starting the process of repair after trauma.
You can learn more about Aundi and her work at www.aundikolber.com
“The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill” is a production of Christianity Today
Executive Producer: Erik Petrik
Producer, Writer, Editor, Host, and Mix Engineer: Mike Cosper
Associate Producers: Joy Beth Smith and Azurae Phelps
Music and Sound Design: Kate Siefker
Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs
Social Media: Kate Lucky
Editorial Consultant: Andrea Palpant Dilley
Editor in Chief: Timothy Dalrymple
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