From Chaplains to Chaplains
Chaplains Corner
A place for Chaplains to encourage other Chaplains
Maximize your chaplaincy self-care by also engaging with other chaplain’s communication. We hope if you are a volunteer or case worker practicing chaplaincy skills, you may also find encouragement in each Corner Communication.
Read the works of chaplains and/or submit your own words of comfort or encouragement to Living Shield Ministries for review and use in an upcoming Corner Communication.
Corner Communications
Spirituality and Hope
Chaplain Lynne writes:
Hope and Spirituality are linked to Trauma Recovery.
Spirituality has a deep healing impact on the recovery of individuals experiencing a traumatic event. Healing fundamentally centers around the spiritual impact of hope. Recent studies have discovered that spirituality is a significant factor in the attitude of Hope. In the studies conducted at institutions such as Stanford, having hope and a spiritual influence, actually demonstrated in studies and predicated whether veterans developed PTSD, depression, and anxiety.
The Chaplaincy courses at Living Shield Ministries help us learn the importance of Hope.
What is Hope? Hope is essentially a belief that things can get better. Trauma draws a person deep within and in that moment of crisis, they have no hope. They are surrounded by their pain and the noise of their circumstance blocks out hope that anything can be any different than they are at that moment.
Imagine what a loss of Hope does to an individual. It limits the ability to make decisions, to look forward and move out of the Survival state the mind automatically evolves into. No expectation of anything, ever being different then it feels right now … and you have lost hope because your loss is deep … dark … forever gone and hope is swallowed up in it. What is more… that dark cloud can overlap everything … everything in your life… touching everyone in its path… including those who love you … are close to you and even those who desire to help you. Without a forward-looking perspective, people can become trapped in their suffering. Hope allows an individual to move forward and enables trauma survivors to imagine possibilities beyond their current pain and crisis. Small steps forward, allow the hope to grow, the decisions to be made and a future to be moved toward.
A hope-based focus, centered around spirituality, leads the individual who is in pain and suffering, to look beyond themselves and to an entity that has greater reach than they do.
Spirituality lays the groundwork, nurtures and feeds the hope. Hope heals. Prayer is an impacting factor in building hope and healing. Scientific research shows that prayer can significantly alter the brain’s structure, improving emotional regulation, reducing stress, and increasing feelings of peace and hope. Dr. Caroline Leaf, a cognitive neuroscientist, states that consistent prayer can detox our minds resulting in a renewal of our thought patterns. When we pray, our brain forms new neural pathways that align with hope and a focus on our foundational beliefs, rather than fear, anxiety, or past trauma. The Bible affirms this by calling us to renew our minds (Romans 12:2). Through prayer, we train our brains to trust in Gods sovereignty, replacing worry and fear with faith and hope.
Many Chaplains draw on their own experiences of hardship and healing to support others facing similar challenges. By cultivating and sharing hope through service, they help foster healing in themselves and others, turning adversity into compassion and purpose and growing more Hope.
Chaplain, where is your Hope today?
As a Chaplain, it is essential you are aware of your Hope. The pain filled questions of a hopeless person can affect your foundation. Make sure your foundation is grounded in Hope and sustained in prayer!
Blessings, Chaplain Lynne
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” ~ Romans 12:12 ESV
Spirituality and Hope
Explore more about the role of chaplaincy and how to improve essential skills.
Helpful suggestions
- Some starting questions:
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- What causes you the greatest fear, worry or despair?
- What sustains you and has helped you in the past?
- Where do you find peace?
- Do you have spiritual beliefs?
- What does your spiritual walk say about what you feel?
Cautions
Ensure the individual is able to comprehend your discussion. If they are too emotional, your discussion will not be as useful.
1) Create safety for the conversation – Hope is created in safety
2) Show them your purpose is to support them in the midst of their pain by quietly listening to their story
3) If it is less than 48 hours from the crisis event that impacted them, sharing your personal spiritual insights may not be appropriate. During the first 48 hours of a crisis, the brain is still in shock and cannot process information properly.
4) Support them by linking them to their spiritual leaders
5) If you have an ongoing supportive relationship with them, once the initial impact has passed somewhat, following up on their spiritual growth and providing insights may be welcome.
to submit a comment go to:
https://livingshield.org/project/spirituality-and-hope/
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Corner Opportunities
Contribute to the Corner
We are currently collecting one-page encouraging messages to be shared in future editions of the Chaplains Corner. A Living Shield Ministries board member will evaluate the submission and decide when to use it, after communicating back with you.
A Path Forward
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