Book Brief Helping Your Family Through PTSD (1)

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Apr 3, 2024

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Book Brief Helping Your Family through PTSD Author Background Dr. Greg Gifford, Assistant Professor of Biblical Counseling at The Master’s University and Captain of the United States Army (2008-2012), holds a PhD in Biblical Counseling from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, M.A. in Biblical Counseling from The Master’s University, and a B.A. in Pastoral Ministry from Baptist Bible College. Dr. Gifford’s professional journey includes roles as a full-time Biblical counselor and associate, with extensive experience in both nonprofit and local church settings. He is a member of the Association of Biblical Counselors and Evangelical Theological Society. Dr. Gifford’s educational and professional expertise is on the impact of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder has on a person’s behavior. He is the author of two books: Heart and Habits and Helping Your Family through PTSD, which he has won Biblical Counseling Book of the year in 2021. Thesis/Purpose Dr. Gifford’s purpose of this book is to identify how the Bible along with other God- given resources are able to help people that suffers from PTSD and other traumas that can come from a difference in exposure and family genetics. He gives a level of expertise to the knowledge of PTSD and how Scripture can be applied to help speak the complex nuances of the disorder. Dr. Gifford goes through the practical steps to help with ministering to a family that has members that suffer from PTSD. Argumentation and Support “Our desire should be to bless fellow brothers and sisters who are battling PTSD by taking them to the one who is the “man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Gif 10) “The nature of this disorder is saddening as we contemplate the atrocities to which some are exposed, sometimes, on a regular basis.” (Gif 12) “So there is hope for the one experiencing PTSD that the Bible does speak cogently into what they are suffering, or in other words, the Bible speaks into trauma.” (Gif 13) “Those suffering from PTSD must learn to re-orient their fear, honor, and reverence to God, not there circumstances, past, or emotions.” (Gif 13) “Let us take what the Bible says about man to be true and accurate and then apply that to the problems of PTSD to the glory of God!” (Gif 15) “Some people experience trauma at the event level, while others experience trauma at the lifestyle level.” (Gif 17) “The family of the one with PTSD has to orient their loved one around the truth.” (Gif 22) “The one suffering with PTSD must begin to employ some sort of method that encourages them to address their thought life and reorient it to God’s truth.” (Gif 25)
“Our family member suffering with PTSD must know that the reason they can have hope is not because of their experiences, their doctors, or their own inner determinedness. Their hope is based off of the character of God and his promises.” (Gif 28) “The presence of the Holy Spirit teaches us that ministering to people can come through the ministry of presence.” (Gif 38) “We recognize that the entire orientation of our family’s ministry must be towards Christ.” (Gif 40) “In the beginning of your ministry to your loved one with PTSD it will be imperative to avoid circumstances that trigger flashbacks.” (Gif 42) “They can walk by faith in their circumstances that encourages them towards PTSD symptoms knowing that God is using these circumstances to refine their faith.” (Gif 43) “Identify PTSD as a weakness with which you struggle not a banner under which you fall.” (Gif 47) “If you, as the reader, have come away with anything from this book it should be a heightened awareness of the complexities of PTSD and the Scripture’s robust ability to speak into those complexities.” (Gif 48) Strengths and Weaknesses One of the strengths I took away from is Gifford’s insight due to his personal experience in the military and having seeing PTSD firsthand. I believe this gives a credibility to how PTSD is handled and what it looks like to properly counsel/help people that suffers from PTSD. Another strength of the book is the emphasis of Scripture in relation to characteristics/symptoms of PTSD. Gifford didn’t just rely on Scripture, he spoke about the pros and cons of secular psychology as well. Dealing with the complexities of PTSD, it is important to use all resources available while keeping Scripture as the foundation of all reasoning. One of the weaknesses I found in this book is there wasn’t much instruction or explanation on dealing with people who are not willing to get as much help. I believe someone with the experience like Gifford knows what it takes to reach the people that reject helps a lot of times. There was mentioning of how difficult is to get people to accept help and the book mentions why people reject help, but I believe Gifford has some tools to how to get people to open up to receiving counseling. I understand it is a choice but some people need a push to get to their help. Why did the Professor make me read this book? This book has a lot of useful and important insight on how to counsel people who is going through a real condition such as PTSD. Also, it gives explanation to the condition of PTSD and where it stems from. I believe this is important to know in regards of any condition, we must know what the condition is in order to properly help people navigate through it.
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