While the support for families in our situation is woefully lacking, it is not fair to present an image of absolute isolation and ignorance. My hope is that this blog might someday be a beacon of light and hope to other families walking this path of grief. In the meantime, I want to pass along all the resources that the Holy Spirit is using to educate us and bolster our hopes.

The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D. is an essential read for anyone wanting to more fully understand how the physiology and psychiatry of trauma intersects in today’s medical world to promote different therapies – some of which are great and some of which are nothing more than hokey-pokey.

As a mother of four traumatized children, feeling out of control and ignorant of the different treatment modalities was a large point of anxiety and stress in the beginning of this journey. I was already fearful of failing my children in my own responses to their needs. What if I failed them by enlisting the help of professionals who couldn’t address their trauma? Jesus was gracious and used our local Women and Children Abuse Prevention Center to provide us with a list of trauma therapists that specialized in children. But reading this book has also given me a great deal of insight, and I now understand why certain methodologies are good for us while others are not.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is a bit scientific in the beginning and does require some degree of thinking, but it is worth every minute of your time.