MARCH 9, 2022
VALERIE’S INSPIRATIONAL TESTIMONY
OF TRAUMA HEALING
I’m 49 years old and have had so many traumatic events happen in my life, including:
- I was a victim of sexual abuse at 5 years old.
- I was a victim of human trafficking at 12 years old.
- I was in a physically and emotionally abusive marriage for 15 years.
- I survived breast cancer.
- My 19-year-old son didn’t graduate high school, is an addict and is still lost.
- My 17-year-old was diagnosed with Bipolar 1 manic severe disorder and was in a horrible car accident during which he suffered 5 broken ribs and a punctured lung.
I have felt I’ve had a steady drip of suffering flowing through my veins. While at the same time, I’ve had a steady drip of grace flowing as well. My life hasn’t been easy, but God has been faithful. He always sends me exactly what I need in His perfect timing with so many beautiful blessings along the broken road.
I took the Healing from Your Heart Wounds workshop at a time I really needed it. I’ve had counseling through the years, but I never have participated in sharing within a group setting. And wow, it was powerful! There’s something to be said for sharing your story with others who have walked down the same painful roads, who understand your pain and who together are learning the tools to understand their trauma and how God heals!
The trained facilitators were so compassionate and really led our group well! It made all the difference in leading the group to be vulnerable and really share and bond.
The most impactful things for me were the following:
Writing a lament to God helped me to really connect with my pain and to press into who God was in my pain and where He was in my pain. It helped me to hold onto His promises and His faithfulness. I tucked that prayer into my bible and prayed it often over both of my sons.
Going through the villages and phases of our grief journey. It really helped me to understand where I’ve been on my journey, where I’m at and where I’ve gotten stuck as I walked through the process of my grief.
Taking our pain to the cross. This was so powerful for me. Writing my pain out and then tearing it up like broken pieces of my heart and taking it to the cross was like laying it at the feet of Jesus. An exchange. My pain for His peace. My brokenness for his wholeness. Beauty for ashes. I felt such a release!
The class has been such a blessing to me and from someone who has gone through deep trauma, this class is life changing! So much so that it’s given me the confidence and courage to become a trained facilitator so I too can be a part of helping others understand and grow through their trauma in a God-centered way.
We celebrate the Lord healing Valerie through her participation in a trauma healing group. Jesus is healing wounded hearts in the KC metro area! People from 128 different churches have been involved in KC Trauma Healing ministry since 2017, impacting 2,180 lives.
Are you interested in participating in a trauma healing group or being equipped to be a trauma healing facilitator? For more information, please call Mark Davis at 913-206-6835.