A Biblical Framing of the DSM-5 Criteria for Trauma

We are awash in psychological jargon and concepts in contemporary discussions of trauma. While these descriptions can be extremely helpful for identifying what a traumatized person is experiencing, they are often limited to symptom lists and medicalized language. However, spend time with someone who has experienced trauma, and they won’t share lists with you. They will talk about feeling disconnected from themselves and unable to commune with others. When speaking about their trauma, they will tell you it felt as if God wasn’t there, that they were alone during the most horrific experience of their lives. While we should be aware of how medical and mental health experts describe and treat trauma, we must be capable of understanding the stories and experiences of the traumatized in fully biblical terms and truths.