Biblical PTSD (2)
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are [a]crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18 NASB
Crushed – What does it mean to be “crushed in spirit”? The word, and its similarly spelled parallel, is used in poetry and laments. It emphasizes the “emotional and spiritual suffering”[1] of a person or people. Here it is an adjective. The English translation treats it as as verb, but this slightly changes the sense of the verse. An adjective modifies a noun. An adjective adds something to the idea of the noun. The noun here is the brokenhearted. They are crushed-in-spirit brokenhearted. And God saves them.
Our initial question, “What does it mean to be ‘crushed in spirit’?” must be refined. We are asking about the existential reality of the brokenhearted. The Hebrew adjective, dakkāʾ, helps us feel this reality. Wolf notes the the parallel verb “appears only in laments and is consistently used of one who is physically and emotionally crushed because of sin or the onslaught of an enemy.”[2] To put it in contemporary terms, “crushed-in-spirit brokenhearted” is debilitating trauma. It is the biblical version of PTSD. That means we can learn something about this ancient account from modern research about trauma.
“Simply put, each time we repeat a particular experience, it becomes more ingrained in us. With enough repetition, it can become automatic. Applying Hebb’s principle, we benefit most when we practice having a new experience we perceive as being positive, rewarding, or meaningful—one that engages our sense of curiosity and wonder. This can be an experience of receiving comfort or support, or feeling compassion or gratitude—ultimately anything that allows us to feel strength or peace inside.”[3]
“Ultimately, healing is an inside job.”[4]
“In many ways, healing from trauma is akin to creating a poem. Both require the right timing, the right words, and the right image.”[5]
“ . . . all that is not said, is transmitted.”[6]
“We will need sentences, rituals, practices, or exercises to help us forge a new inner image. The new image can fill us with a reservoir of calm, becoming an internal reference point of peace that we can return to again and again. With new thoughts, new feelings, new sensations, and a new brain map ingrained, we begin to establish an inner experience of well-being that starts to compete with our old trauma reactions and their power to lead us astray.”[7]
Should we look at Scripture as “a new experience we perceive as being positive, rewarding, or meaningful—one that engages our sense of curiosity and wonder,” that “can fill us with a reservoir of calm, becoming an internal reference point of peace that we can return to again and again”? Is there a connection between the story of the Messiah’s suffering and my wounds? Can I hear his words, read his history, engage in the wonder of his claims and find relief for my particular form of PTSD? And what is forgiveness of sin if not healing on the inside?
Topical Index: dakkāʾ, crushed in spirit, trauma, healing, forgiveness, Psalm 34:18
[1] Wolf, H. (1999). 427 דָּכָא. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 189). Moody Press.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Mark Wolynn, It Didn’t Start with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle (Penguin Books, 2017), p. 50.
[4] Ibid., p. 10.
[5] Ibid., p. 11.
[6] Naasson Munyandamutsa, cited in Mark Wolynn, It Didn’t Start with You, p. 33.
[7] Mark Wolynn, It Didn’t Start with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle (Penguin Books, 2017), p. 51.
Physician, you are healing thyself as you guide others in the healing process.
I take great comfort in this post reflecting self healing and guidance for others to take heed.
Rebuilding oneself takes the same pattern and work as building another. The magic ratio, 5 positive interactions/statements/activities for every 1 negative.
The same process and hard work to rebuild self esteem as to build up another.
“Should we look at Scripture as “a new experience we perceive as being positive, rewarding, or meaningful—one that engages our sense of curiosity and wonder,” that “can fill us with a reservoir of calm, becoming an internal reference point of peace that we can return to again and again”? “
Yes, amen.
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:15
Amen.
What is forgiveness of sin if not healing on the inside? Indeed… there is a connection between the story of the Messiah’s suffering and my wounds. I can hear his words, read his history, engage in the wonder of his claims and find relief for my particular form of “crushed-in-spirit brokenheartedness”… realizing that—categorically—sin is the blunt instrument that was used to inflict such traumatic personal damage.
Ahhh… the healing relief found by my personal realization that my experience of being— that is, as one suffering “crushing brokenheartedness”— was also shared by Messiah
(though being himself in continual fellowship with the Father and without sin until that moment of his crucifixion when the entirety of mankind’s sin was fully transferred and placed upon him—the sacrificial lamb without spot or blemish). Thanks be to God for his indescrible gift… healing on the inside through forgiveness of sin!