Even if we narrow the definition of prayer to a conversation between us and the Lord, or further narrow it down to denote  only our requests and petitions to God, so long as we perceive God as loving and faithful, these interactions will lead to further healing and transformation**. (Studies show that if we perceive God as unloving or tyrannical in some way, the impact on our wellbeing of relating to God, is negative.**)

So, anything we do to lean into and nurture our connection with God as a loving, faithful being, will help us on our journey of healing from trauma. I have experienced a significant amount of trauma healing in this way, both the slow burn transformation that takes place over years of walking with God, as well as periods of accelerated healing.

By accelerated healing…

I refer to memorable moments in which whilst resting with the Lord and consenting to His work within me, I have experienced the transformation of a wound or the dislodging of a pain. These have most often occurred during a session with my spiritual director or alone whilst on extended retreat. Sometimes during a session with my trauma therapist I have sensed the Lord’s presence and consented to His work which has happened in conjunction with the therapeutic processes.

Lets turn now to the particulars of healing prayer and deliverance in the context of trauma, I will speak to each in turn.

By healing prayer..

I mean any prayer be it petition or otherwise that has healing as it’s aim, usually implied is that this healing is accelerated and takes place independently of other therapeutic interventions. This is an important aspect of healing from trauma and I think the key is to be clear on what to expect.

Remember, trauma is an emergency process that has got stuck at it’s peak, causing many widespread effects***. Trauma healing implies the resolution of that process and the reversal of it’s effects; neither of which can happen unless safety is restored to, and threat is removed from, the person’s circumstances; all of which is conditional on establishing healthy, loving relationship.

The answer to healing prayer could involve the acceleration or activation of any one of these processes; if our attention and expectation are in one place and the answer comes elsewhere we might not recognise the healing work that is occurring.

There are always ways in which we are required to harmonise with the healing process both as the person receiving the healing and the ones praying with them. Accelerated or spontaneous healing should not be looked to as a quick fix or fast track to save us the discomfort of the long journey of transformation and rigours of accompanying others on that journey. God does accelerate healing at times but God still calls us to the journey of transformation in the context of healthy relationship – whether we are ministering or being ministered to. 

Now let’s talk about deliverance…

(or exorcism), by which I refer to the practice of attributing particular dis-ease to demonic activity and sending the culpable spirit or demon away using the authority of Jesus Christ; usually implied is an immediate resolution of the dis-ease.

I have found that wise, trustworthy veterans of this ministry bear three hallmarks; they focus more attention and energy on equipping folks to stay free after deliverance than on the deliverance itself, they don’t confuse a person’s emotions and trauma with demonic activity and they have not been seduced by power but rather have a Christ like, cruciform understanding of and approach to power.

Having experienced the unpleasant effects of ministry without them, if these three things are not in evidence I personally would not engage. 

Regarding the place of deliverance in the trauma healing journey, all I would say in addition is: 

Light dispels darkness.

Christ dwells within you; and Christ is the light of the world; and the darkness cannot overcome or understand the light. Nurturing and leaning into your relationship with God is the most effective defence against the forces of darkness. Find a good spiritual director, celebrate the Eucharist regularly and frequently, let Christ dwell in you richly through His word and His Spirit. Christ has made all provision for your healing and flourishing in freedom. 

Emotions need processing.

Sadness, grief, anger and even fear are examples of emotions, and like all emotions they carry important information that we need to pay attention to and process. However powerful or overwhelming our emotions may be, bypassing, suppressing or demonising them doesn’t help. They cannot be fast tracked either. They are simply messengers designed by God (remember we are made in the image of an emotional God), giving us particular information about the pain and injury we carry. They are the road map for our healing journey; don’t ignore them if you want to become whole!

Pursue healing before deliverance.

This was something I learned from Jacki Pullinger speaking from her experience working with recovering addicts in Hong Kong. The substrate into which demonic activity lodges is inner wounding. If the underlying injury or trauma is not healed, deliverance is ineffective and certainly freedom cannot be maintained. Once the trauma is healed, what you thought required deliverance will probably be no more, either because it wasn’t demonic in the first place or because it no longer has a substrate to sustain it. 

As Christians, our relationship with God as a loving, faithful Other is central to our trauma healing journey. Accelerated healing can take place simply as we rest in God’s presence and consent to God’s work, and as a result of specific prayer. Very rarely, specific deliverance ministry may be a necessary part of the healing journey. The point is to journey with God towards greater and deeper wholeness and union. 

Next time I will speak to the difficulty that trauma itself can pose to us seeing God as loving and faithful.

Hopefully this information has been helpful. If you would like some help working out what the best next step for you to take is, I would be very happy to have a chat or we can schedule in a couple of coaching sessions.

If you haven’t attended one of my trauma training events yet or would like a refresher, then do book yourself in. The more we understand how trauma is operating in us the better equipped we are for our journey of healing. Wherever you are on your journey, know that all trauma can be healed and transformed with the right environment and processing; there is always hope!

* Leading experts in the field of trauma all concur on this. Check out Gabor Mate’s and Bessel Van Der Kolk’s work in particular – they have both published books, articles and can be easily found on YouTube. 

** Homan, K. J., and V. A. Lemmon. “Perceived Relationship with God Moderates the Relationship between Social Comparison and Body Appreciation.” Mental Health, Religion & Culture 19, no. 1 (2016): 37–51.

*** In a previous post on dealing with your trauma I recommended some books that explain the nature of trauma and how it works. Alternatively at any of my training events, you will learn what trauma is, how it works and how it heals.