How to Overcome Anxiety from Trauma Memories

Anxiety is the number one mental health issue in the world. I will share how I overcame debilitating anxiety from trauma memories. I remain somewhat nervous and distressed when triggered. The internet has many articles on anxiety if you want to learn specifics. This post addresses anxieties beyond typical, everyday occurrences. Getting on a plane or speaking in front of people may cause anxiety for one person but not another. You may get nervous or worried when taking a test, entering a competition, or a job interview. Anxiety from traumatic experiences is a cause of depression, addiction, and PTSD.

I will not tell you that anxiety is weakness and beat you over the head with Bible verses. However, a spiritually healthy person will have less general anxiety because they trust in God and know they can give their worries or concerns to Him because He cares and will act (Psalm 37:1-5 and 1 Peter 5:7). Trusting God is the antidote for general anxiety.

Today, I want to delve into why we have debilitating anxiety and how to overcome it by healing trauma memories. Trauma is an overwhelming event or experience that exceeds one’s capacity to cope and has a lasting and controlling effect on the mind and body.

Anxiety and Stress.

I developed anxiety during my dysfunctional and abusive childhood, which caused a lot of stress. As a child and teen, I dealt with the stress by escaping through daydreaming, reading, watching TV, church events, and going to friend’s houses. Childhood stress often leads teens to escape through drugs and alcohol. Last week, I wrote a post explaining how to overcome stress because stress and anxiety go together. If you remain stressed for too long, you will become anxious. Please read last week’s post if you haven’t already done so. Your anxiety may be triggered as I share my testimony, so practice the stress reduction exercises I described in last week’s post.

I developed a full-blown anxiety disorder when I was married for seven years to my first husband, who was very abusive. That is also when fibromyalgia manifested. During one of our fights, he said, “You will never see the kids if you leave me.” This statement triggered panic attacks, and I still remember the exact moment he said it and where we were. I knew he meant it, and I felt trapped.

I can testify that admonishing someone not to be anxious or fearful who is experiencing trauma or trauma memories is counterproductive; instead, reassure them with something hopeful and guide them to see different options. I could only see my trauma and my need to escape. I had no other perception, even though I prayed for God’s help.

God spoke to me during a prayer walk and said I was free to leave my husband because he broke the covenant of love. I did not think through a safe plan and did not seek counsel, but God was with me, and He protected me and the children. I recommend that you talk with a counselor about a safe plan to leave an abusive partner, especially if you have children. Establishing a support system is helpful. The police department can help you find good counsel. Though I trusted God and knew he cared for me, it did not stop me from having full-on panic attacks every time my husband came to get the children. You can learn more about how God performed many miracles in my life during that time in the post called Trust God to Keep His Promises.

Anxiety and fear

Just as stress and anxiety go together, so do fear and anxiety. After I left my first husband, I became overcome with fear that he would kill me or the children, that he would keep his promise, and that I would never see my children again. As I write this, I am becoming anxious because words have power, and rethinking those words and reliving the emotion generate anxious feelings. So, telling someone not to be anxious but with thanksgiving by prayer and petitions, let your request be known to God, and you will have peace (Phil. 4:6-7) is not beneficial. This is a mental health issue, not a spiritual issue, though they are interrelated.

Overcoming Trauma Memories.

First, I recognize and take the trauma thought captive. Next, I put it out of my mind by saying something like; I take these destructive thoughts “that I will never see my children again” captive, and they are to leave my mind in Jesus’ name. Breathe slowly and deeply while relaxing tense muscles.

Second, I remind myself that God is with me, and I do not have to be afraid because he is my protector. I claim His promise that He is my shield and deliverer (Ps. 18:2 and Ps. 144:2). Putting out of my mind the stressful thoughts and putting in God’s promises helps the most to deconstruct trauma memories. God’s promises give you hope and a different perspective. Prayer works to help you transform your thoughts and wrong beliefs with God’s promises. Read my posts on God’s promises to know what they are.

The hardest thing God asked me to do was to visit the places I did not feel safe. So, I went to my childhood home and asked God to show me the memories of when I did not feel safe there. As soon as a memory came to my mind, I forgave the person in the memory. Next, I put the trauma memory out of my mind in Jesus’ name, along with the spirit of fear or some other oppressive spirit God shows me. Next, I put a spirit of peace or deliverance into my mind. I then thanked God for protecting me, being my shield, and keeping me from greater harm. I went to other locations and did the same thing. After completing this exercise, I was free from controlling thoughts that create anxiety in my life. Before I did that, I would have a panic attack for no reason. I believed they came from my fearful memories of not feeling safe. Once I asked God to heal those memories and put them out of my mind and put in God’s promises, I no longer had panic attacks.

What Trauma Memories to Look for.

As you look through the following list, try not to despair but follow my example of forgiving, putting off the negative memories and the spirit of oppression, fear, or bitterness. Then, replace it with a good thought that God was with you, understands your suffering, and is there to help you overcome it. Apply any of God’s promises. Find something to be thankful for about that situation, and so on. Healing trauma memories is necessary to stop them from controlling your thoughts, emotions, and behavior. I still have memories that need to be healed because I recognize automatic emotional reactions to specific triggers. You also may need to grieve a loss of some kind in the trauma memory. I advise you not to dwell on the loss or trauma.

1. Violence toward you or someone else: physical altercations, screaming fights, threats of violence, unfair punishments. Did you live in fear?
2. Emotional, sexual, physical, or mental abuse toward you or someone else. Did you have someone to go to for comfort? Were you abandoned because one or both parents were on drugs or incarcerated? Were one or both parents mentally or physically handicapped or mentally ill and could not care for you? Did you feel supported academically and encouraged to do different things? Was there constant pressure to do better or do more? Did you feel loved and accepted? Were you demeaned and put down?
3. Neglect of emotional or physical needs. Was there enough food to eat? Was the home a pig stye, and were your clothes not washed, which caused you embarrassment at school? Did you feel nurtured or encouraged to be your best at something you enjoyed? Were you abandoned by one or both parents through death or divorce? Was there empathy?
4. Were you bullied at home, school, or on social media? Did a teacher or other school personnel ridicule or embarrass you in front of the class?

Trauma memories are very different for everyone, even within the same family. To be free from debilitating anxiety, you must seek God to heal those memories and heal your mind. There is hope for complete healing. To learn more, read my online book.

RELATED POSTS:

ANXIETY: Protected by Worry and Fear Strongholds

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All verses are from the English Standard Version. If you find my posts and website helpful, please share this link with your friends and family: hopeforcompletehealing.com. The information is copyright protected. Please do not reproduce any part of the posts or my book without proper citation to Joyce Hanscom and this website. 

My latest book, Unlocking God’s Promises, explains 18 categories of relevant promises to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.  

If you find this website helpful, you would like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, which expands on my website book and includes many of my posts. 

Additionally, consider my book Fighting Unseen Battles, which describes the many unhealthy beliefs that control our lives and what the truths are. To learn more about this book, read the post How to Fight Unseen Battles.  

Contact me at hopeforcompletehealing@gmail.com, and ask for a PDF of Eight Life-changing Prayers from the Bible. The prayers are for the Spirit of wisdom, renewal, spiritual strength, knowledge of His will, virtues of God, non-believers, 23rd Psalm, and victory. I will also send you the Lord’s Prayer Model to pray effectively. Please leave your name, so I know you are a real person making the request.