Thanks to you we can provide Trauma Healing

Many of our AlphaCare moms carry a weight that we cannot simply lift off their shoulders by providing social services, prenatal education, or even free diapers and baby clothes. They are burdened by past experiences–experiences that are a direct result of our sin-soaked world. Whether it be abuse, neglect, grief or loss, these women often do not understand how to process past traumatic experiences continuing to affect them each day. Many moms feel trapped by unhealthy behavior patterns and are searching for a pathway to wholeness, so they can become the excellent mothers they long to become.

AlphaCare offers hope by inviting particular mothers to attend a trauma healing workshop Life hurts. Love heals. Finding hope together. which is based on materials developed by the American Bible Society. We meet as a small group to explore the impact of trauma on their lives and start the process of emotional and spiritual healing.

Stories, music, art, games, Scripture and sound mental health principles facilitate the healing process. The healing group explores questions such as “If God loves me, why do I hurt so much?”, “How do I connect with my feelings?” and “How do I deal with grief and loss?” among others. We walk alongside each woman, providing support to help them find answers, connect with their feelings and build skills to cope with the difficulties of their lives.

Consistently we’ve seen these workshops bear fruit in client’s lives. Many women discover their past trauma directly connects to their current struggles. Identifying triggers for unhealthy behaviors and acknowledging their past experiences are not normal create pathways for significant life changes.

AlphaCare envisions a Philadelphia community where everyone experiences hope, health, and healing. Our trauma healing workshops transform entire families, beginning with the mother. Complete transformation can only be accomplished through an ongoing work of faith through the Holy Spirit; however, we are blessed to see so many mothers on the journey toward God, provider of full hope, health and healing.

What is trauma?

Studies have shown that childhood experiences such as child abuse, neglect, domestic violence, and household substance abuse and/or mental illness are strong predictors of poor health, unintended pregnancies, substance abuse, depression, suicide and other tragic consequences. Adverse childhood experiences are the most basic and long-lasting cause of health risk behaviors, mental illness, social malfunction, disease, disability, and death. Seeing these consequences unfold in the lives of many of our clients, AlphaCare has developed trauma healing workshops as a way to address this problem.

For more information on the effects of trauma: https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/toxic-stress/

Article Author: Sue Henderson