Healing From Unresolved Trauma
video series

Impact on the Nervous System and Relationships

God designed the mind and body to protect ourselves against danger and as we age and develop, our nervous systems should mature with us, enabling us to respond with the emotional maturity of our “adult” brain. However, when we experience trauma, our nervous system is more sensitive and our emotional responses tend to be that of a child or teenager instead of a fully developed adult. In this video, registered psychotherapist Tara Lalonde will help you understand how trauma can lead to immature coping techniques and offers hope that we can retrain our brain to respond more maturely when triggered.

Get more out of this series!

After watching video 2, follow these steps to get the most out of this part of the series:

// Step 1

Read and meditate on this verse: “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.”
(1 Corinthians 13:11)

// Step 2

Download and read through the PDF “Common Strategies for Coping with Unresolved Trauma” to understand how our child, teenage and adult brains react when triggered.

// Step 3

Ask yourself the following questions:

1. 1. Can you recall a time when you overreacted and later felt regret? How did you feel in the moment? Out of control? Helpless? Like a scared child?
   2. Which of the automatic responses Tara mentioned (e.g., shutdown, collapse, submit, people-please, fight or flight) sound familiar to you?
   3. How can complex childhood trauma Tara described in video 1 lead to the childlike reactions explained in this video?

// Step 4

Read the article “Psychological trauma: What was intended for evil God can use for good” by Dr. Karl Benzio to learn more about how childhood trauma affects brain development and how to find healing.

// Step 5

Listen to the Focus on the Family Broadcast “Healing Childhood Traumas” with Stephanie Fast as she talks about her traumatic childhood and describes how her faith in Jesus Christ has helped her find healing from past emotional and physical abuse.