We live in a broken world filled with broken people. Because of this, everyone experiences some level of trauma. Unfortunately, past trauma experiences can greatly impact our lives, perceptions, and interactions in the present. Many of us have become adept at numbing our pain. In order to heal, however, we need to have the courage to unpack and process our trauma stories with truth but also with a great deal of self-kindness. In this episode, Dr. Allender and Cathy Loerzel, coauthors of Redeeming Heartache, released by Zondervan, share some archetype mentalities that often stem from trauma, why it’s so important we learn to order our trauma stories, and how we can grow in greater freedom.

Find Dr. Allender at:
https://theallendercenter.org/about/team/dan-allender/
https://www.amazon.com/Dan-B.-Allender/e/B001HCW4JU

Find Cathy Loerzel at:
https://theallendercenter.org/about/team/cathy-loerzel/
https://www.instagram.com/cathy.loerzel/

Learn more about their book, Redeeming Heartache - https://www.zondervan.com/p/redeeming-heartache/

Find Jennifer Slattery at:
JenniferSlatteryLivesoutLoud
https://www.facebook.com/JenSlatte

Find Wholly Loved Ministries at:
https://www.WhollyLoved.com

Group Discussion Questions:

1. What resonated with you most in today’s episode?
2. What type of thoughts or emotions arose when you heard Dr. Allender’s definition of trauma?
3. Consider Cathy Loerzel’s discussion on the three common ways people deal with trauma (to fragment, numb, and isolate). When has this been true for you?
4. What do you think it means, in terms of unpacking past wounding, to show oneself kindness?
5. Why might it be important for us to acknowledge the brokenness of our world (that our world is not as God intended)?
6. How can acknowledging the world’s brokenness help us process past hurts?
7. What thoughts or emotions arose when Dr. Allender spoke of false Edens?
8. What are some false Edens people might create?
9. What are some false Edens you have created?
10. What is one action step God might want you to take based on what you heard in today’s episode?

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