Theodicy and posttraumatic spirituality

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Theodicy and post-traumatic spirituality

• R.Ruard Ganzevoort

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An intimate connection

• Suffering is the strongest impetus for religion
  and its largest stumbling block
• Suffering is edging on transcendence
• Trauma is extreme suffering

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Trauma and religion

• Religions individual life stories and traditions
  are all different and interfere differently with
  traumatization
• Traumata experiences of threat or loss, natural
  or man-made, individual or collective, in
  childhood or adulthood, incidental or structural,
  tragic or malicious

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Effects of trauma on religion

• Severity, content, and consequence will be
  different for every two cases
• Mediating factors social support, coping style,
  cultural and religious influences

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Negative effects

• PTSD intrusive memories, avoidance, increased
  arousal
• Decrease in religiosity
• Specific effects on God-image for victims of
  sexual abuse by priests or fathers

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Other effects

• Limited changes in religious convictions
• Religion proved resilient
• Increase in belief in God and in future

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Post-traumatic growth

• PTSD usually below 25
• PTG probably more common
• Search for salutary factors
• Resilience
• Resistance
• Recovery
• Refiguration

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Post-traumatic growth

• Relating to others
• Openness for new possibilities
• Personal strength
• Spiritual Change
• Appreciation of life

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Theodicy

• Theological content in coping with trauma
• Research should be located in real suffering
• Theodicy attempts to reconcile stories of God
  with problematic experiences

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Theodicy notions

• God is all powerful
• God is all good
• This is the best possible world

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Psychological correlates

• The world is meaningful and coherent
• The world is benevolent
• I am worthy of care and respect

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Divine power

• God is all powerful
• The world is meaningful and coherent

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Divine love

• God is all good
• The world is benevolent

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Human dignity

• This is the best possible world
• I am worthy of care and respect

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A grid of understanding

• The focus of theodicy attempts in personal life
  stories may depend on
• Religious tradition and background
• Type and content of traumatization
• Personality factors

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Research needed

• The role of theodicy interpretations in the
  stories of traumatization
• One project Adult narrative constructions of
  spirituality and violence-related childhood trauma