Series: Trauma in the Pews 2.0 - Healing as a Spiritual Practice

All the links to series posts in one easy-to-find location!

Over the next week, you will receive posts that include all the links in the series I have published. This is in part a review and also helps those who have recently joined to access any series they may have missed. This is the third post and each one will be added under the new Substack Series tab. As each series is completed, it will be removed from the main menu and this will be a way to locate it.

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Trauma in the Pews 2.0: Healing as a Spiritual Practice

Is it possible that this series of newsletters will one day be a book? It is possible, but that process is slow and it seems most important to provide a follow-up to Trauma in the Pews sooner, rather than later. My reasons for this are explained in this Introduction. It is time to answer the question survivors ask me after reading Trauma in the Pews: If the problem isn't spiritual, what do I do next?"

Note: Parts of this series are behind a paywall. I will gladly provide a one-month paid subscription to access the book if you message me!

Book Outline with Links

• An Introduction to Trauma in the Pews 2.0

• Section I: Recognizing the Impact of Trauma on Your Life

  • Chapter One (first part): What If Your Struggles Aren't Spiritual?

  • Chapter One (second part): Is the Impact of Childhood Adversity Causing the Struggles?

  • Chapter Two (first part): Can Understanding Trauma Help You Grow Closer To God?

  • Chapter Two (second part): What Do We Need to Understand about Trauma?

  • Chapter Three: What if Your Story Includes Religious Trauma?

• Section II: How Can Reframing Spiritual Practices Support the Healing of Trauma?

  • Part One (first half): What is Self-Regulation and how Can it Help You Find Inner Peace?

  • Part One (second half): Can Self-Regulation Help You Access Spiritual Practices?

    • Spiritual Practices: Self-Regulation for Meditation

    • Spiritual Practices: Self-Regulation for Prayer

    • Spiritual Practices: Self-Regulation for Fasting

    • Spiritual Practices: Self-Regulation for Study

  • Part Two: What is the Pause and How Can It Help You Live a Less Stressful Life?

    • Spiritual Practices: Using the Pause for Simplicity

    • Spiritual Practices: Using the Pause for Solitude

    • Spiritual Practices: Using the Pause for [Healthy] Submission

    • Spiritual Practices: Using the Pause for Service

  • Part Three: What is Agency (first part)

  • Part Three: Who is in the Driver’s Seat (second part)

  • Part Three: How Does Trauma Impact Agency? (third part)

  • Part Three: Is Agency Possible in Faith Communities? (fourth part)

    • Spiritual Practices: Using Agency in Confession

    • Spiritual Practices: Using Agency in Worship

    • Spiritual Practices: Using Agency in Guidance

    • Spiritual Practices: Using Agency in Celebration

• Section III: How Can Healing be a Spiritual Practice? (first part)

• Section III: Three Truths about Healing as a Spiritual Practice (second part)

• Section III: Three Truths about Spirituality and Trauma-Based Healing (third part)

I plan to return and finish Section III sometime this spring or summer 2025. Stay tuned!