Eco-Theological Trauma
The recent, collective experience of trauma as presented in texts like The Body Keeps the Score and Trauma and Memory is that it infects the human body in a way that is utterly chaotic and isolating. As we begin to contemplate trauma as it relates to theology, more specifically eco-theology, understanding this phenomenon seems to be of extreme importance to the Church. We, eco-theologians, believe this to be the case because, as one group member observed, a great deal of trauma is experienced in community. VanderKolk’s work exemplify’s this unhappy reality by recalling this work with veterans and their struggle to reintegrate back into everyday life. Could there be a better example of trauma caused by communities of people than war? More so, it would appear that the cycle of trauma that is experienced on a very visceral level not only continues as cycle of pain and isolation for the actual victims, but for future generations. So, as the church, how has this cycle of harm played out in our communities? On a larger scale, how has this cycle of harm reached the rest of creation? As those realities unfold, what can be done to interrupt the cycle? Hopefully, as our conversation continues throughout the term, these unanswerable questions will feel less overwhelming. What we have in the meantime are some incredible peeks into trauma’s impact on the body and mind.
One interesting quality of a traumatic experience is the feeling of being stuck. This notion was perceived in both texts by our group. From my understanding, animals whose fight, flight, or freeze instinct gets triggered either escape their trauma or die from it. The human experience of trauma, however, seems much more complicated. Survival and safety is much more than simply finding food, escaping predators, and protection one’s offspring. It means having a good income, a safe community to live with, and healthy emotions. It also means having a personal narrative to organize our thoughts. What is so fascinating about the new research around trauma is that it continues to be relived if it is not properly integrated into one’s life. What makes that integration so difficult is the feeling of being stuck which in turn causes the trauma to be stuck in the body as well. The experience of war, rape, torture, and even undependable attachment figures all hold sensations of being stuck and helpless in a highly unsettling situation. We survive, but in a way that exceeds normal communication and peacefulness. With confusing anxiety responses and very little ability to be intimate with others, this pain is like a ghost. Living and moving as if alive, but overtaken by death itself.
Another aspect that distinguishes us from animals, expect for maybe rare occasions in the animal kingdom, is our ability to maliciously cause one another pain for personal gain rather than survival. This is quite an accomplishment for the human race and sparks a great deal of questions in regard to our relationship with the earth. It may be a clique, but it rings true for many of us. Hurting people hurt. Or, in other words, traumatized people traumatize and not only other humans, but animals and earth as well. Looking at that system can feel hopeless, even for future artists, prophets, and healers (Aka…Seattle School Folks). But as VanderKolk and Levine remind us, there is a way to let our bodies speak for us, tell our story, and in time allow us take control of our lives more effectively. Additionally, this healing occurs in the very atmosphere that the trauma so often first takes place, community. Acknowledging this paradox seems to be our first step in our discovery of theological and ecological trauma in order to discern and make amends for them. We, as a group, look forward to taking this first step together.
