Hi there. I want to share something that I have observed.
Turning to a higher power for help in healing is immensely helpful for people in their recovery journey.
This doesn’t mean that the recovery journeys of people of faith are easier or shorter or less intense or have fewer setbacks.
But what I’ve observed, and what I’ve heard from client after client and in interview after interview, is that those who choose to believe in a higher power find purpose in their pain and suffering, and that purpose gives them strength to carry on.
Many people also share that they are strengthened by more than just a sense of purpose, but that they do feel sustained and carried through their trials by their higher power.
Many times people are inspired to use these hardest of experiences to then turn around and help others who may be similarly suffering. It is a beautiful thing to behold.
I want to acknowledge, too, though, that I have spoken with multiple people who felt, at least initially after a head injury, that their access to and closeness with God was taken away — that God was silent and they could not feel that presence in their life like they could before.
Each of them has mentioned that with time and healing, they either regained that ability to feel God or they recognize that God is still working in their life but they see that manifest in different ways.
Clark Elliott, in his book, “The Ghost in My Brain,” shares his experience with this loss of closeness with God. He shared that there have been studies where certain areas of the brain have been shown to be specifically tied to what people report as spiritual experiences. He commented that some may interpret that to mean that spiritual experiences and feelings are simply a matter of brain activation and nothing more. But he offers a counter-argument that resonates with me: perhaps those areas of the brain are just the way we access and interpret spiritual experiences, just like our ears and auditory centers of the brain allow us to access and interpret the sounds in our environment. If we had damage to those areas and could no longer hear, there would still be sound in the world.
Similarly, if the areas of our brain that have given us access to feeling God in our life are damaged by brain injury, that in no way decreases God’s presence or ability to work in our lives.
So my invitation to you is to seek out your higher power in your healing journey. If you already have a belief, do what you can to strengthen it. If you do not yet have a belief, try opening up to the possibility that there could be a higher power that loves you and can guide you on this journey of recovery and life. There’s really no down side to considering it. Try offering up a prayer for strength, help, guidance, or healing.
With Easter coming up, and since I come from a Christian perspective, I want to share with you my personal belief and experience that God does exist. Because of Jesus Christ, there is hope for peace in this life, despite challenges and heartaches. He has felt all of your pain and sorrow and knows all of the thoughts and concerns of your heart. Give those to Him — He will help you carry them. I have experienced the strengthening and sustaining power He offers through challenges I have faced in my life, and I believe that that same light and power is available to everyone who will turn to Him.
Shared with lots of love,
Bethany