Healing PTSD by Chat

There is a widespread belief that only those who are trained in mental health treatment are qualified to help people who suffer from emotional trauma such as PTSD. I’m grateful for people like Kathleen Young who have studied emotional trauma and dissociation and who have helped us understand the nature of this crippling condition. Their efforts have proven to be invaluable. But I’d like to suggest there is a way that ordinary people, who have no formal training in counseling, can help heal those who’ve suffered emotional trauma.

Years ago, my friends and I realized we could minister physical healing through chat on social media. I’ve seen all kinds of diseases, including cancer, healed this way. But it’s just as easy to help people receive emotional healing by chat.

I was scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed the other day when a friend asked for prayer to be healed of recurring flashbacks related to PTSD. She often feels a man’s hands around her throat, as if she is being choked. I sent her a private message asking if I could try to get her healed. Below is our exchange, which was done in my private chat. (I changed her name to protect her identity.)

Praying Medic: If you’d like, I might be able to help you with the memory of being choked.

Sam: I have to be honest and tell you that genuine healing prayer of the sort you do scares me. I’m not sure why – I think it’s probably a control thing. But yes, if you would be willing, I would love to be rid of this sensation.

Praying Medic: Okay. The process I use is pretty simple. And it is not very traumatic

Sam: OK – I’m game.

Praying Medic: Okay. The first thing I need you to do is recall a memory of being choked. When you do, tell me the emotion you feel at the time.

Sam: Scared, sad, struggling to maintain some sort of composure. A little angry

Praying Medic: Okay, here’s what I want you to do. Say this out loud:: “Jesus, I ask you to take the feelings of being scared and sad away from me. I don’t want them anymore. I ask you to heal the wound in my soul from them. I receive your healing.”

Let me know when you said this.

Sam: OK. done

Praying Medic: Okay, now recall the memory again and tell me what emotion you feel

Sam: Grief.

Praying Medic: Okay, here’s what I want you to do. It’s the same thing we did before. Say this aloud: “Jesus I ask you to take this feeling of grief from me. I don’t want it anymore. I ask you to heal the wound in my soul. I receive your healing.

Let me know when you have said this.

Sam: OK. done.

Praying Medic: Okay, now I want you to recall the memory again and let me know what emotion you feel.

Sam: Well, this is interesting. I’ve only ever been able to remember this from the third-person perspective, as if I were watching from outside myself. Now the memory is from the first-person perspective. That’s never happened before. As for what I feel, I’d say it’s something like disdain or contempt for the person choking me.

Praying Medic: Okay, same as before. Only let’s ask Jesus to take away the feelings of disdain and contempt. Tell him you don’t want them. Ask him to heal the wound in your soul. Tell him you receive his healing.

Sam: done

Praying Medic: Recall the memory one more time & tell me what emotion you feel

Sam: I do feel much more detached from it. It’s like a memory of a bad dream.

Praying Medic: Right. Less emotional involvement?

Yes. But I’m exhausted. I think I need a nap!

Praying Medic: Sounds like a good idea

Sam: Thank you for taking the time with me!

Praying Medic: My pleasure!

Emotional healing is not difficult to do. The process I use can be done over chat, over the phone, or in person. You don’t even need anyone to help you do it. If you’d like, you can use these steps on yourself.

Does this process heal every kind of emotional trauma? No, it doesn’t. Complex trauma usually requires additional steps, and in many cases, deliverance. But we shouldn’t let the fact that we can’t get everyone healed of all their trauma stop us from healing those we can.

Emotional healing Is a process. It may take multiple sessions for someone to be healed of major trauma, but the more we allow Jesus to heal our wounded souls, the more freedom we will have. Each session we have moves us a little closer to the goal of complete freedom.

If you’d like more information on healing trauma, I write a short e-book on the subject titled Emotional Healing in 3 Easy Steps.