Developing an Adequate “Pneumatraumatology”: Understanding the Spiritual Impacts of Traumatic Injury

Abstract

Psychosocial interventions and systematic theology are primary resources for chaplains and congregational pastors who care for victims of physical trauma. Yet these resources may not be adequate to address the spiritual impacts of trauma. This article proposes a preliminary “pneumatraumatology,” drawing on early Christian asceticism and Buddhist mysticism to describe one way of understanding the spiritual impacts of traumatic injury. It also suggests possible responses to these impacts informed by narrative/constructionist perspectives and Brueggemann's understanding of the dimensions of spiritual transformation in the Hebrew Bible.