Latest / Your Hope-Filled Perspective with Dr. Michelle Bengtson podcast / How to Help a Loved One Who Is Struggling with PTSD: What to Do and What Not to Do

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How to Help a Loved One Who Is Struggling with PTSD: What to Do and What Not to Do · Your Hope-Filled Perspective with Dr. Michelle Bengtson podcast

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  Speaker 1: Life Audio.
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  Speaker 2: When someone you love is living with PTSD, it can
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  Speaker 2: leave you feeling helpless, confused, and afraid of saying or
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  Speaker 2: doing the wrong thing. You want to help, but what
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  Speaker 2: if your well intended words make things worse. In honor
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  Speaker 2: of PTSD Awareness Month, on today's episode of Your Hope
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  Speaker 2: Field Perspective, we will address the questions so many caregivers, spouses,
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  Speaker 2: friends and family members quietly ask, like how do I
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  Speaker 2: support someone with PTSD, what helps, what hurts? And how
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  Speaker 2: do I walk with them without losing myself. This conversation
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  Speaker 2: offers practical guidance, psychological insight, and biblical hope for anyone
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  Speaker 2: living with someone who's gone through trauma. On a recent
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  Speaker 2: episode of Your Hope Field Perspective, I offered an episode
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  Speaker 2: discussing understanding PTSD, what it is, what it isn't, and
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  Speaker 2: how God meets us in the aftermath of trauma. If
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  Speaker 2: you haven't listened to that episode, I encourage you to
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  Speaker 2: go back and listen to the insights offered there. But
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  Speaker 2: we want to continue this important discussion, so today we
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  Speaker 2: will be talking about how to help a loved one
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  Speaker 2: who is struggling with PTSD, what to do and what
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  Speaker 2: not to do. Welcome to your Hope Field perspective or
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  Speaker 2: it's always our goal to restore hope, renew minds, and
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  Speaker 2: empowered listeners to live in your God given identity. I'm
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  Speaker 2: your host, doctor Michelle Banks and board certified clinical neuropsychologist, author, speaker,
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  Speaker 2: and perhaps more importantly, companion on the journey to mental, emotional,
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  Speaker 2: and spiritual wellness. I'm always so grateful when you spend
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  Speaker 2: a few minutes of your week with us. Today's an
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  Speaker 2: important conversation that I just don't think we talk about enough.
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  Speaker 2: We're going to talk about how to help a loved
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  Speaker 2: one who's struggling with PTSD, what to do and what
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  Speaker 2: not to do. Right after this brief word from our sponsor,
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  Speaker 2: post traumatic stress disorder doesn't just affect the person who
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  Speaker 2: experienced the trauma, It impacts everyone who loves them. If
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  Speaker 2: you've ever felt like you're walking on eggshells, unsure of
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  Speaker 2: how to respond to a loved one's mood changes, triggers withdrawal,
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  Speaker 2: or emotional shutdown, this episode is for you in recognition
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  Speaker 2: a PTSD Awareness Month. Today on your Hope Field perspective,
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  Speaker 2: we are going to address a topic that affects far
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  Speaker 2: more people than we often realize. We will unpack what
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  Speaker 2: it really looks like to help a loved one who
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  Speaker 2: is struggling with post traumatic stress disorder, what to do,
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  Speaker 2: what not to do, and how God meets both the
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  Speaker 2: wounded and those who walk beside them in the aftermath
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  Speaker 2: of trauma. Joining me for this important discussion is my
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  Speaker 2: co host, jessic gunbnrukol Oh. Welcome back, Jess, Thank you.
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  Speaker 3: I'm happy to be here. And if you're listening today
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  Speaker 3: because someone you love has been changed by trauma and
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  Speaker 3: you're not sure how to support them without making things worse,
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  Speaker 3: this episode is for you. As I've thought about this
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  Speaker 3: episode and the importance it holds not only for those
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  Speaker 3: struggling with PTSD, but also the loved ones who care
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  Speaker 3: for them, I'm reminded of Romans Chapter fifteen, Verse one,
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  Speaker 3: We who are strong ought to bear with the failings
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  Speaker 3: of the week, and not to please ourselves. I see
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  Speaker 3: this verse as a call to compassionate sacrificial support without judgment.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, and before we go any further, I just want
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  Speaker 2: to clarify. I love that verse, and we are not
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  Speaker 2: saying that if you struggle with PTSD that you are
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  Speaker 2: weak or you are failing. Please don't hear that. What
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  Speaker 2: we really feel is that we need to come alongside
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  Speaker 2: those who are struggling because it's not your choice, it's
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  Speaker 2: not something you've done wrong, and we want to be
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  Speaker 2: part of the link with others to build you up
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  Speaker 2: and support you. Thinking of the truth in Isaiah forty two,
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  Speaker 2: verse three, a bruised read he will not break, and
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  Speaker 2: a faintly burning wick, he will not quench. The reason
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  Speaker 2: I like that verse and I think it's so applicable,
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  Speaker 2: Jess for the conversation that we're having today is because
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  Speaker 2: God's gentleness towards the traumatized sets the model for our support.
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  Speaker 2: BTSD doesn't just affect the person who experienced the trauma.
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  Speaker 2: It impacts relationships and families, marriages, friendships, and even faith communities.
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  Speaker 2: So today we're going to talk about what actually helps,
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  Speaker 2: what unintentionally hurts, and how God meets both the traumatized
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  Speaker 2: and those who walk alongside them.
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  Speaker 3: Okay, this is going to be a great episode, So
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  Speaker 3: let's start right where many of our listeners live. Some say,
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  Speaker 3: the trauma happened to my loved one, but it feels
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  Speaker 3: like it changed our relationship From a clinical perspective, why
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  Speaker 3: does PTO affect the way someone shows up with the
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  Speaker 3: people they love.
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  Speaker 2: That's a very important first question because it helps remove
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  Speaker 2: a lot of confusion and self flame. So clinically speaking,
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  Speaker 2: post traumatic stress disorder is not a character issue or
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  Speaker 2: a lack of effort. It's actually a nervous system injury.
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  Speaker 2: Trauma physically changes how the brain and body respond to
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  Speaker 2: perceived danger. When someone experiences trauma, the brain's alarm system
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  Speaker 2: we've talked about this before, the amygdala. It becomes overactive
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  Speaker 2: and it starts scanning constantly for threat even when there
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  Speaker 2: is no current danger present. And at the same time,
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  Speaker 2: the parts of the brain that are responsible for reasoning,
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  Speaker 2: emotional regulation, and relational connection don't function as efficiently, and
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  Speaker 2: this can be severe or it can be relatively mild.
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  Speaker 2: I was once involved in a bad car accident when
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  Speaker 2: I was doing my fellowship at Henry Ford Hospital in
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  Speaker 2: Detroit and my husband was living in Schaumberg, Illinois, and
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  Speaker 2: so every weekend one of us would commute to go
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  Speaker 2: see the other one. Well, that particular weekend, I had
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  Speaker 2: gone to see Scott in Chicago, because Chicago is more
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  Speaker 2: fun than Detroit. If I'm being honest. But anyway, the
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  Speaker 2: weather turned and I had a very long drive back,
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  Speaker 2: and in my not wisest of moments, I decided to
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  Speaker 2: try to beat the storm back to Detroit and got
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  Speaker 2: in a very bad car accident. I was fine, but
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  Speaker 2: it was a significant incident. And for the next many
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  Speaker 2: years I would find myself in a car with somebody
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  Speaker 2: and if they didn't break fast enough, my brain just
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  Speaker 2: naturally perceived it as a dangerous threat and I would
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  Speaker 2: grab the car handle or my feet would go forward
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  Speaker 2: as if I was trying to break And that's what
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  Speaker 2: I mean. It's a nervous system injury that's really not
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  Speaker 2: in our direct control. There are things that we can
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  Speaker 2: do to mitigate it. And if you are one who's
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  Speaker 2: struggling with PTSD, please go back to the earlier episode
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  Speaker 2: that I talked about. But I use this as a
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  Speaker 2: simple example of how that amygdala jumps in and it's
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  Speaker 2: ready to fight, and the part of the brain that's
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  Speaker 2: responsible for emotional regulation and reasoning kind of takes a
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  Speaker 2: back seat, as it did with me. So, friends, what
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  Speaker 2: can look like withdrawal, irritability, or emotional distance in a
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  Speaker 2: relationship is really often our brain doing the best to
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  Speaker 2: try to keep the person safe, even when that protection
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  Speaker 2: creates distance from the people they care about the most.
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  Speaker 3: So what you're saying, then, is when a spouse or
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  Speaker 3: family member says they're just not the same anymore, that's
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  Speaker 3: not a no.
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  Speaker 2: That's very real. Trauma changes how someone experiences the world
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  Speaker 2: and how safe connection feels. But the key thing that
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  Speaker 2: I really want listeners to hear is this change does
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  Speaker 2: not mean broken beyond repair. The brain is wounded, but
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  Speaker 2: the beautiful thing about how God designed our brains is
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  Speaker 2: that it's all so capable of healing.
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  Speaker 3: Okay, this is so interesting and hopeful. Now let's talk
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  Speaker 3: about fight, flight, freeze, and fawn. I know that we
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  Speaker 3: hear terms like fight or flight, but we don't always
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  Speaker 3: know what that looks like in real life. Will you
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  Speaker 3: walk through how these trauma responses show up relationally?
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  Speaker 2: Sure, and this is so helpful for loved ones to understand.
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  Speaker 2: When the brain perceives danger, it automatically activates survival responses,
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  Speaker 2: and these responses happen before logic kicks in. In my
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  Speaker 2: little example of how I responded and other people would
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  Speaker 2: drive after my car accident, my brain perceived danger, and
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  Speaker 2: it automatically activated the survival response, clutching the door handle
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  Speaker 2: and trying to break for the driver. That was before
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  Speaker 2: I could even think about it. In fact, I didn't
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  Speaker 2: realize what I was doing until a close friend of
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  Speaker 2: mine in Nebraska who knows me very well, She's like,
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  Speaker 2: are you not feeling safe with how I'm driving? And
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  Speaker 2: it clicked. No, it really wasn't about her driving. It's
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  Speaker 2: that my brain didn't want the same thing to happen
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  Speaker 2: to me again. So fight can look like irritability, anger, defensiveness,
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  Speaker 2: or quick emotional reactions. A loved one may seem oh
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  Speaker 2: argumentative or easily frustrated, not because they want conflict, but
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  Speaker 2: because their nervous system is braced for threat. Light often
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  Speaker 2: shows up as avoidance. They may pull away from conversations,
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  Speaker 2: cancel plans, overwork, stay bl or even emotionally check out.
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  Speaker 2: Avoidance is really the brain's attempt to escape anything that
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  Speaker 2: feels overwhelming or dangerous, and freeze is when the nervous
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  Speaker 2: system just shuts down. This can look like emotional numbness, silence, disassociation,
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  Speaker 2: or blank stare, and loved ones will often say it's
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  Speaker 2: like they're here, but they're not really here. And then
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  Speaker 2: there's fawn, which is less talked about. Fawn responses involve
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  Speaker 2: people pleasing, overapologizing, or minimizing their own needs to keep
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  Speaker 2: the peace. It's another survival strategy that's rooted in conflict
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  Speaker 2: or abandonment.
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  Speaker 3: This is so incredibly helpful because many people listening might
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  Speaker 3: recognize these patterns but didn't realize they were trauma responses exactly.
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  Speaker 2: And when we name these responses accurately, we help reduce
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  Speaker 2: shame and it increases our own compassion.
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  Speaker 3: Wow. Now, another thing loved ones mentioned is feeling like
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  Speaker 3: they're walking on eggshells. Why does that happen with PTSD?
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  Speaker 2: That's often due to what we call hypervigilance. Hypervigilance means
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  Speaker 2: that the nervous system is stuck on hyghlert, so a
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  Speaker 2: person maybe easily startled sensitive to noise or sensitive to
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  Speaker 2: tone of voice, facial expressions, or sudden changes. For loved
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  Speaker 2: ones Jess, this can feel confusing because something small like
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  Speaker 2: a door accidentally slamming or a comment even said casually,
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  Speaker 2: can trigger a big reaction. But again, the reaction really
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  Speaker 2: isn't about the present moment, it's about the past danger
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  Speaker 2: being re experienced within the body. Now, on the other
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  Speaker 2: end of the spectrum, we can also see emotional numbing,
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  Speaker 2: and this is when the brain damns our emotional response altogether. Joy, affection, excitement,
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  Speaker 2: even love can feel muted, kind of like you're looking
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  Speaker 2: through Hayes. And loved ones can often then interpret this
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  Speaker 2: as indifference, but it's not. It's actually the brain trying
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  Speaker 2: to protect your loved one from emotional overload.
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  Speaker 3: Wow. So what I'm hearing you say is that the
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  Speaker 3: same brain that shuts down pain can also shut down pleasure.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely. Trauma doesn't selectively numb, it blunts across the board.
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  Speaker 3: So one of the most painful things for supporters is
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  Speaker 3: feeling pushed away. Why does PTSD often lead to relational withdrawal?
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  Speaker 2: At its core, it's because trauma disrupts trust, both trust
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  Speaker 2: in others and trust in oneself and sometimes even trust
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  Speaker 2: in God. Relationships to be close require vulnerability, and vulnerability
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  Speaker 2: feels dangerous to a traumatized nervous system, So relational withdrawal
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  Speaker 2: is often an unconscious attempt to maintain safety. If I
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  Speaker 2: don't get close, I can't be hurt. Unfortunately, that protective
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  Speaker 2: strategy can leave loved ones feeling rejected or shut out,
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  Speaker 2: even though the desire for connection is still there underneath
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  Speaker 2: the trauma.
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  Speaker 3: All right, so you've given us a lot of really
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  Speaker 3: good information. Now if you could give loved ones one
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  Speaker 3: clinical reframe that could change how they interpret these behaviors.
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  Speaker 3: What would it be?
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  Speaker 2: I would say this, PTS behaviors are not about a
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  Speaker 2: lack of love. They're about a lack of felt safety.
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  Speaker 2: So when supporters understand that, it helps to shift the
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  Speaker 2: question from why are they doing this to me? To
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  Speaker 2: what might their nervousness and be experiencing right now? That
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  Speaker 2: shift alone can transform how we respond because we don't
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  Speaker 2: receive it as a personal attack that it helps us
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  Speaker 2: to understand what they are experiencing that often they don't
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  Speaker 2: have a whole lot of control over, especially when they
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  Speaker 2: don't realize what they're doing. Friends, I think this is
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  Speaker 2: a really important conversation about how to help love a
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  Speaker 2: one struggling with PTSD. We want to continue this conversation,
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  Speaker 2: So after this brief word from our sponsor, I want
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  Speaker 2: to turn our attention to things that we can do
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  Speaker 2: to help a loved one who's struggling with PTSD. We'll
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  Speaker 2: be right back.
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  Speaker 3: All right, well, welcome back to this episode on helping
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  Speaker 3: a loved one with PTSD. We're going to turn our
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  Speaker 3: attention now to what actually helps, what we need to do,
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  Speaker 3: or what we can do. So, now that we understand
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  Speaker 3: what PTSD does to the brain nervous system, and if
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  Speaker 3: that person has someone in their life that desperately wants
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  Speaker 3: to support them, well where should they start.
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  Speaker 2: The most important place to start is with presence over
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  Speaker 2: problem solving. Frequently, when we have a loved one in
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  Speaker 2: any kind of pain, we want to make it better.
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  Speaker 2: But clinically, a regulated nervous system helps regulate another nervous system.
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  Speaker 2: You don't have to fix the trauma. In fact, let
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  Speaker 2: me just tell you you can't. But your calm, consistent
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  Speaker 2: presence helps communicate safety to a brain who's perceiving the
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  Speaker 2: world is unsafe. So do number one offer presence not pressure?
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  Speaker 3: Ugh, that's hard. That's hard for I mean for helpers,
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  Speaker 3: especially because we just want to get in and fix it.
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  Speaker 3: We don't want to see people in pain, so we
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  Speaker 3: want to relieve that pain. So offering presence not pressure
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  Speaker 3: is still something we're doing. Right. Presence is to do something.
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  Speaker 3: But why is presence so powerful from a brain based.
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  Speaker 2: Perspective because safety is the foundation of healing. When someone
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  Speaker 2: sits with a traumatized person without demanding explanations, timelines, or solutions,
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  Speaker 2: the brain begins to downshift out of survival mode. Simply
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  Speaker 2: saying something like I'm here with you or you don't
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  Speaker 2: have to go through this alone helps activate what we
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  Speaker 2: call the parasympathetic nervous system. That's the part of the
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  Speaker 2: body responsible for rest, connection and repair. So number two
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  Speaker 2: is validate without trying to fix.
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  Speaker 3: Validation is something we talk about often, but it can
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  Speaker 3: feel awkward. So what does validation look like clinically and
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  Speaker 3: what does does it not mean?
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  Speaker 2: Validation means acknowledging someone's emotional experience without trying to change it.
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  Speaker 2: So it sounds like that makes sense or I can
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  Speaker 2: see how that would be so painful. Validation doesn't mean
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  Speaker 2: you agree with every perception, but it means you honor
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  Speaker 2: their experience and where it's coming from. From a neurological standpoint,
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  Speaker 2: validation quiets someone's brain's alarm system and it helps to
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  Speaker 2: reduce the emotional intensity. Now do Number three is learn
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  Speaker 2: your loved one's triggers and early warning signs.
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  Speaker 3: Okay, so, Michelle, Triggers are often misunderstood. How can loved
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  Speaker 3: ones approach triggers in a supportive but not controlling way?
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  Speaker 2: Triggers are really sensory or emotional cues that remind the
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  Speaker 2: brain of past danger. They're not necessarily logical, and they're
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  Speaker 2: not chosen. When a loved one learns triggers, collaboratively asking
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  Speaker 2: gentle questions like what tends to make things harder? That
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  Speaker 2: fosters teamwork instead of shame. And it also allows supporters
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  Speaker 2: to notice early signs of dysregulation and intervene with calm
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  Speaker 2: rather than intervening and reacting out of frustration, which can
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  Speaker 2: be really hard. It really requires you to put your
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  Speaker 2: own needs in your own reactions temporarily on a shelf
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  Speaker 2: to help try to understand. And number four I would say,
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  Speaker 2: encourage professional help but with gentleness.
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  Speaker 3: Oh so okay. So many listeners feel stuck here. Yeah,
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  Speaker 3: they know therapy could help, but they don't want to
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  Speaker 3: push too hard. So could you tell us what healthy
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  Speaker 3: encouragement looks like?
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  Speaker 2: Healthy encouragement sounds like curiosity, not ultimatums. It can be
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  Speaker 2: easy in our own emotional reaction to say things like, well,
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  Speaker 2: if you would just get some help, that induces shame
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  Speaker 2: and it puts your loved one on the defensiveness. Instead,
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  Speaker 2: if you could approach it from a place of compassion
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  Speaker 2: and trying to understand, you could say, would you be
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  Speaker 2: open to talking with someone who understands trauma? And what
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  Speaker 2: that does is keeps agency intact. Clinically, healing happens best
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  Speaker 2: when help feels chosen. Force treatment often increases resistance and fear,
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  Speaker 2: especially for trauma survivors who already feel a loss of control.
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  Speaker 2: My DO recommendation number five is to pray in ways
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  Speaker 2: that help regulate, not overwhelm.
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  Speaker 3: Okay, so let's talk about prayer then, Yeah, how can
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  Speaker 3: loved ones pray in a way that actually helps someone
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  Speaker 3: with PTSD?
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  Speaker 2: Prayers should feel encouraging, not pressuring, keep it simple, and
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  Speaker 2: ask permission. Pray for things like safety and peace in
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  Speaker 2: God's nearness, not quick fixes. From a trauma informed faith perspective,
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  Speaker 2: prayer should mirror God's gentleness. Scripture tells us he does
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  Speaker 2: not break the bruise read, and neither should we. So, friends,
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  Speaker 2: we've talked about five healthy things that we can do
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  Speaker 2: to support loved ones who might be experiencing post traumatic
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  Speaker 2: stress disorder. We're going to take a real short break
• 20:44
  Speaker 2: from a word from our sponsor, but stick with us
• 20:46
  Speaker 2: as we continue to discuss how to help a loved
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  Speaker 2: one who's struggling with PTSD. After the break will turn
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  Speaker 2: our attention to what not to do, We'll be right back.
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  Speaker 3: Welcome back to your hope Field perspective, where we are
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  Speaker 3: discussing how to help a loved one with PTSD. For
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  Speaker 3: the break, we gave you a list of things to do,
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  Speaker 3: but now let's talk about the harder side of this.
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  Speaker 3: But unintentionally causes harm. Michelle, what are the common mistakes
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  Speaker 3: you see loved ones make even with the best intentions.
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  Speaker 2: The most common mistakes come from misunderstanding trauma. So let's
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  Speaker 2: work through a few that listeners may recognize. And while
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  Speaker 2: we're at it, let's release the guilt. Don't Number one
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  Speaker 2: is don't minimize, compare or try to rush healing.
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  Speaker 3: So why are phrases like it could have been worse
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  Speaker 3: or just try to move on so damaging?
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  Speaker 2: Oh? Those statements minimize the nervous system's reality. Trauma healing
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  Speaker 2: doesn't follow a timeline. It follows seeking for safe when
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  Speaker 2: healing is rushed, shame increases, and the person learns my
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  Speaker 2: pain is inconvenient. Just that belief alone can deepen symptoms
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  Speaker 2: and relational distance. So number one, don't minimize, don't compare,
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  Speaker 2: and don't try to rush your loved one's healing. Don't.
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  Speaker 2: Number two is don't take trauma responses personally.
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  Speaker 3: This one is hard, yeah, how it is loved on
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  Speaker 3: it is so tell us how can loved ones avoid
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  Speaker 3: internalizing PTSD behaviors.
• 22:36
  Speaker 2: By remembering that trauma responses are about perceived threat, not rejection.
• 22:42
  Speaker 2: When a loved one with draws, snaps, or shuts down,
• 22:47
  Speaker 2: it's not a reflection of how much they love you.
• 22:50
  Speaker 2: It's a reflection of how unsafe their nervous system feels
• 22:55
  Speaker 2: in that moment. So don't compare or minimize, don't take
• 22:59
  Speaker 2: trauma responses personally, and friends, I know this is hard,
• 23:03
  Speaker 2: I know it is. But if you understand that their
• 23:06
  Speaker 2: response is about perceived threat rather than a rejection of you,
• 23:10
  Speaker 2: that can help. Number three, don't force disclosure or emotional processing.
• 23:16
  Speaker 3: What would you say to the person who keeps asking
• 23:20
  Speaker 3: why won't they talk to me?
• 23:22
  Speaker 2: Healing requires having a choice. Forcing disclosure can actually retraumatize
• 23:28
  Speaker 2: someone by removing their sense of control. Most instances of trauma,
• 23:32
  Speaker 2: if not all, actually came in a situation where control
• 23:38
  Speaker 2: was stripped from someone. Clinically, trauma processing happens best in safe,
• 23:44
  Speaker 2: structured environments, not under relational pressure. Number four, don't try
• 23:50
  Speaker 2: to be their therapist or savior.
• 23:53
  Speaker 3: Helpers often slide into this role without realizing it, don't they.
• 23:57
  Speaker 2: They do because they want to help, but it's unsustainable.
• 24:03
  Speaker 2: Loved ones are not equipped to hold trauma narratives without support.
• 24:08
  Speaker 2: Trying to be everything can lead to a loved one's burnout, resentment,
• 24:14
  Speaker 2: and secondary trauma is so hard. I know it is
• 24:17
  Speaker 2: because we want to help. We want them to experience healing,
• 24:22
  Speaker 2: and we usually want it faster than the brain can
• 24:26
  Speaker 2: process healing. So don't try to be their therapist or
• 24:29
  Speaker 2: their savior. And number five, don't spiritually bypass pain.
• 24:35
  Speaker 3: This one sounds important. Can you explain what you mean
• 24:38
  Speaker 3: by spiritual bypassing?
• 24:40
  Speaker 2: Spiritual bypassing uses scripture or faith language to avoid emotional pain.
• 24:48
  Speaker 2: Its phrases like maybe if you just prayed more, or
• 24:52
  Speaker 2: I know this is hard, but remember God works all
• 24:54
  Speaker 2: things for good friends. While those statements are true, they
• 24:59
  Speaker 2: actually silence grief when they're spoken too soon. God doesn't
• 25:04
  Speaker 2: rush the healing, and yes, God can work all things
• 25:08
  Speaker 2: together for good, but it's usually not at a snap
• 25:12
  Speaker 2: of a finger. It's a process, and it's only when
• 25:16
  Speaker 2: we get further in our healing process that we can
• 25:20
  Speaker 2: look back and recognize the good that God is starting
• 25:24
  Speaker 2: to bring from it. God never bypasses pain, he enters
• 25:28
  Speaker 2: into it, and our support should do the same.
• 25:32
  Speaker 3: Michelle, you've provided such valuable information from a knowledgeable perspective.
• 25:38
  Speaker 3: Thank you. What hope filled perspective? Would you like to
• 25:41
  Speaker 3: leave our listeners and viewers with?
• 25:43
  Speaker 2: I want you to remember this. Loving someone with PTSD
• 25:48
  Speaker 2: is not about doing everything right. You'll never be able to,
• 25:52
  Speaker 2: but it's about doing your best with compassion. Understanding trauma
• 25:57
  Speaker 2: helps us respond with grace for them and for ourselves.
• 26:02
  Speaker 2: We know that trauma tends to isolate, but scripture affirms
• 26:07
  Speaker 2: the healing power of presence. So I want to leave
• 26:10
  Speaker 2: you with Ecclesiastes four nine through ten, which reminds us
• 26:15
  Speaker 2: two are better than one. If either one of them
• 26:18
  Speaker 2: falls down, one can help the other. Uh So I
• 26:23
  Speaker 2: applaud you in loving someone who is struggling with post
• 26:27
  Speaker 2: traumatic stress disorder and wanting to help. So I hope
• 26:31
  Speaker 2: today the tips that we gave about what to do
• 26:35
  Speaker 2: and what not to do in even greater understanding about
• 26:38
  Speaker 2: what is PTSD and word does it come from. I
• 26:41
  Speaker 2: hope that helps you better feel equipped to support your
• 26:45
  Speaker 2: loved one. Just now that we've come to the end
• 26:48
  Speaker 2: of today's episode, which I'm so glad we did because
• 26:51
  Speaker 2: I think it's such an important topic, would you close
• 26:55
  Speaker 2: us out in prayer for the loved ones who were
• 26:58
  Speaker 2: supporting those struggling as well as those who are struggling
• 27:02
  Speaker 2: with PTSD.
• 27:03
  Speaker 3: Yes, I'd be happy to. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank
• 27:07
  Speaker 3: you so much that you walk with us into our pain.
• 27:11
  Speaker 3: There's a passage that says that we go through waters,
• 27:14
  Speaker 3: but you are with us. Lord. I ask that you
• 27:16
  Speaker 3: would be with the person that's struggling with PTSD, Lord,
• 27:19
  Speaker 3: that you would wrap them in your loving arms. Lord,
• 27:22
  Speaker 3: that you would be their place of safety. Lord. I
• 27:25
  Speaker 3: pray for the one that's helping their loved one with
• 27:28
  Speaker 3: who's struggling, Lord, that you would empower and encourage them
• 27:32
  Speaker 3: to enter into the pain instead of rushing to fix it.
• 27:36
  Speaker 3: That they would just sit in the pain with their
• 27:38
  Speaker 3: loved one, knowing that you are with them, that you
• 27:41
  Speaker 3: will guide them, that you are the healer and Lord,
• 27:44
  Speaker 3: that sometimes we get to be the person that you
• 27:47
  Speaker 3: work through and use. So, Lord, encourage and equip. Lord,
• 27:52
  Speaker 3: we ask that you would just continue to do a
• 27:54
  Speaker 3: mighty work in our hearts and our lives to bring
• 27:57
  Speaker 3: us into a deeper, hope filled relationsiationship with you. In Jesus' name. Amen.
• 28:03
  Speaker 2: Amen, friends. If you know a loved one who is
• 28:09
  Speaker 2: struggling with some of the signs and symptoms of PTSD,
• 28:13
  Speaker 2: thank you for caring for them. And if you know
• 28:16
  Speaker 2: someone who's walking alongside someone who's struggling, would you consider
• 28:20
  Speaker 2: sharing our previous episode about what is PTSD as well
• 28:24
  Speaker 2: as today's episode to bring them a biblically based hope
• 28:27
  Speaker 2: field perspective. I look forward to being with you again
• 28:30
  Speaker 2: for another episode of your Hopefield Perspective next week, But
• 28:34
  Speaker 2: in the meantime, it's my prayer for you that you
• 28:37
  Speaker 2: have a hope filled week.
• 28:40
  Speaker 1: Your ragged and torn past may be the key to
• 28:45
  Speaker 1: God's future for you. We all endure trials, pain, and
• 28:50
  Speaker 1: hardship in this life. Too often we believe these experiences
• 28:55
  Speaker 1: disqualify us from being useful to God. The truth is,
• 29:00
  Speaker 1: your past pain and brokenness serve as preparation for what
• 29:06
  Speaker 1: God wants to do in and through you, if you
• 29:11
  Speaker 1: will surrender to entrust Him in Sacred scars. Neuropsychologist and
• 29:17
  Speaker 1: fellow sufferer, doctor Michelle Thankson helps you understand the suffering
• 29:23
  Speaker 1: from a biblical perspective. Discover how the trials of your
• 29:27
  Speaker 1: life serve a purpose. Reflect on the healing that God
• 29:31
  Speaker 1: has accomplished, and comfort others, but the comfort God has
• 29:36
  Speaker 1: given you. Just as Jesus's scars didn't disappear after his
• 29:41
  Speaker 1: resurrection and confirmed that he was who he said he
• 29:46
  Speaker 1: was and that he did what he said he'd do,
• 29:49
  Speaker 1: our emotional or physical scars tell our story and lend
• 29:54
  Speaker 1: credence to our testimony of God's love and power. You
• 30:00
  Speaker 1: are ready to turn your past pain into present comfort
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: and future hope. Let doctor Benkson be your compassionate guide.
• 30:09
  Speaker 1: Jill Savage, host of the No More Perfect Podcast and
• 30:13
  Speaker 1: author of No More Perfect Marriages, have this to say
• 30:18
  Speaker 1: about sacred scars. While we wish for a pain free life,
• 30:23
  Speaker 1: the dark seasons are where God invites us into the
• 30:26
  Speaker 1: most growth. In the pages of this book, you will
• 30:30
  Speaker 1: come to understand how God uses pain in powerful ways.
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: If you're human, you need this book. Pick up a
• 30:38
  Speaker 1: copy of Sacred Scars wherever books are sold, and watch
• 30:43
  Speaker 1: God turn your pain into purpose.
• 30:50
  Speaker 4: Thank you for joining doctor Mankson to your hope build perspective.
• 30:54
  Speaker 4: We hope you are encouraged by her authenticity, vulnerability, and
• 30:58
  Speaker 4: biblical truths. You enjoyed today's conversation. When you take a
• 31:02
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• 31:05
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• 31:09
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• 31:18
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• 31:21
  Speaker 4: for a future show, reach out to our staff at
• 31:24
  Speaker 4: info at Hope Prevails dot org for additional resources. Information
• 31:28
  Speaker 4: about doctor Bankson's books where free downloads, or to contact
• 31:32
  Speaker 4: her to speak at your next event, Please visit doctor
• 31:36
  Speaker 4: Mishelbe dot com. Until next time, May you have a
• 31:39
  Speaker 4: hope filled week.
• 31:44
  Speaker 2: I'd like to take just a second to thank the
• 31:46
  Speaker 2: team at Life Audio for their partnership with us on
• 31:49
  Speaker 2: this podcast. If you go to lifeaudio dot com, you'll
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• 31:56
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