Listening and Responding to Concepts of God in the Context of Trauma and Grief

By Jeanine Annunziato | June 6, 2023 | Comments Off on Listening and Responding to Concepts of God in the Context of Trauma and Grief

It is natural for patients to question the nature of God in the context of trauma and grief: “Why would God let this happen to me?” “Where is God when I am suffering?” “What kind of a God would allow these tragedies? Responding to these questions effectively not only requires understanding where the patient is coming from religiously and spiritually, but also on you as the Chaplain or caretaker. How does your religious formation, spirituality and personal experience inform your responses to someone’s whose background may be very different than your own? How might your response add to or alleviate the pain of the patient and their family members?

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Depression as a Wilderness Experience: Theological resources for depression in the wake of trauma

By Jeanine Annunziato | January 18, 2023 | Comments Off on Depression as a Wilderness Experience: Theological resources for depression in the wake of trauma

In the wake of traumatic events, many survivors experience psychological distress, including conditions like depression. These traumas and their psychological aftermath frequently engender disorientation and difficult questions: What is happening? Why is this happening? And what is one to do amid such pain? Depression sufferers and those who accompany them sometimes turn to faith communities for answers, and though some find solace in the theological and practical responses they receive, many Christians are left searching. Coblentz’s book, Dust in the Blood: A Theology of Life with Depression (Liturgical Press), adds to the Christian theological resources available to depression sufferers and those who accompany them. This lecture will introduce one such resource—an understanding of depression as a wilderness experience—and explore its implications for Christian interpretations of and responses to life with depression. (Art: Gesture of Grace by Jan Richardson)

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