Wednesdays With Watson: Faith & Trauma Amy Watson- PTSD Patient-Trauma Survivor

Protecting Your Peace in Troubling Times: Faith as an Anchor

• Amy Watson: Trauma Survivor, Hope Carrier, Precious Daughter Of The Most High God • Season 7 • Episode 3

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As Hurricane Milton approaches Florida Amy Watson is faithfully trusting in the Lord and His will while preparing to hunker down until the storm passes.
Even during this time she always has you, her listeners in her heart and mind and recognizes that during these uncertain times we all need a little extra hope and comfort.
Join Amy as we combine two Wednesdays With Watson episodes that put the focus on the Lord during times of trouble.
The first is from Season 5 Summer in Psalms. The episode is called Exploring God's Faithfulness in Times of Trouble. Click HERE to listen to the full episode.

We have also included an episode from Season 3, Spaces, Places, and Aces. The episode is called Protecting Your Peace In A World That Is Not Peaceful. Click HERE to listen to this episode. 

Navigating the stormy seas of life can leave us feeling adrift and uncertain, especially after the devastation brought by hurricanes Helene and Milton to the Southeast and Florida.  Our episode invites you to explore how faith and the comforting words of the Psalms, alongside David Crowder's heartfelt music, can act as anchors during such tumultuous times. We reflect on the vital reminder that even when our spirits feel crushed, there is solace in knowing that God stands close to those who are hurting.

As the world grapples with civil unrest and its ripple effects on our mental well-being, particularly for those with PTSD or empathy overload, maintaining personal peace can seem like an insurmountable task. Drawing on insights from John Eldredge's "Take Your Life Back," we discuss practical strategies to reclaim serenity in the midst of global chaos. By reducing screen time and practicing benevolent attachment, we can learn to release burdens that aren't ours to carry. Faith and prayer emerge as powerful tools, helping us find strength and comfort in reclaiming our peace, an essential step for living a balanced life in turbulent times.

--
"Every Hour" by Josh Baldwin used by permission

Wednesdays With Watson-Season 7

Wednesdays With Watson Wednesdays With Watson 

"Every Hour" by Josh Baldwin (4:19) 

Youtube Creator / Podcaster 

Included September 6, 2024 

You ARE:
SEEN KNOWN HEARD LOVED VALUED

You ARE:
SEEN KNOWN HEARD LOVED VALUED

Speaker 1:

Hey everybody and welcome to the Wednesdays with Watson podcast. It is October of 2024. And I had two separate episodes planned for you today. One of them we were going to start our generational trauma series, starting with the silent generation, but then we had Hurricane Helene, which, of course, has devastated a good portion of the Southeast. We're going to talk about how to navigate that. While en route to writing and recording that episode, however, we have another hurricane, hurricane Milton, headed straight for Florida and straight for us, and so my producer and her just her joy and her passion for bringing something to you guys every two weeks has put together this compilation of a couple different episodes that we did to help us navigate some of the things that we're going through.

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I will be back in two weeks. I don't know what that will look like, honestly. This hurricane is headed straight for Florida and, in particular, straight for the west coast of Florida, where I live. I will be back at some point and we will talk about how to navigate disaster, but know that even if you are not affected, if you are feeling all the feels and struggling through this, this is very normal and we'll talk about how we can get through this together. But until then, until I can get back to you, hopefully in two weeks, please enjoy this compilation that Amy Hyland, my excellent producer, has put together for you. If you are in the Southeast, particularly if you're under the sound of my voice and you're in the western half of Florida, the west coast of Florida, my prayer for you is that you will be safe and that this hurricane will not affect us, as it appears that it may. Until then, you guys know what I'm going to say. You are seen, you are known, you are heard, you are loved and so, so valued. Lord, I'm tired, so tired from walking and, lord, I'm so alone and, lord, the dark is creeping in, it's creeping in to swallow me. I think I'll stop and rest here for a while, because this is all that I can say right now. This is all that I can give. That's my everything. Lord, didn't you see me crying and didn't you hear me call your name? Wasn't it you that I gave my heart to? I wish you'd remember where you sat it down, because this is all that I can say right now. I know it's not much. This is all that I can give, this is my everything. This is all that I could say right now I know it's not much, but this is all that I can give, because this is my everything. I didn't notice you were standing here. I didn't know that it was you that was holding me. I didn't notice that you were crying too. I didn't know that it was you that was washing my feet. Because this is all that I can say right now. I know it's not much. This is all that I can give. This is my everything. This is all that I can give. This is my everything. This is all that I can say right now. This is my everything.

Speaker 1:

If the Psalms were still being written today, this song by David Crowder would be included. I feel these lyrics deeply on this day, and in a year, one that has been difficult at best, this is all I can give Feels very real on this day, so I'm going to attempt to do that for you today. It feels like nothing that I have to offer to God or to you by any way at this podcast episode will be okay. Right before I sat down to write this episode, I sent a text to my producer telling her what an imposter I felt like, because I am a mental health advocate and in this difficult season, I seemingly have forgotten all of my coping skills and I find myself dealing with tears that I did not invite and won't leave. They were like an unwelcome guest sent to clean out something I thought was already clean. And so I ask, as David Crowder did in this song, lord, don't you see me crying? And then I remember it is him that is holding me, just like the lyric says, as I walk through this difficult season, and many of you through yours, I want to remember the faithfulness of God, even when it doesn't feel like it. There's no better place to find that than in the Psalms.

Speaker 1:

I grabbed my Bible just now because I needed to be reminded of what I had forgotten, and through the lens of my tears, I found that Psalms 34, 18, the Lord is close to the broken heart and saves those who are crushed in spirit. If any of you are like me, sometimes this verse doesn't feel true. Sometimes the valleys are so low and you feel like you're there all alone and nobody even cares if you ever get out of the depth of your sorrow and grief. In those times, we all have a choice. We all have a lot of choices, actually, but the main one we have is this Do we believe that God is God or don't we? Do we believe him when he tells us to draw near to him and he will draw near to us, as we see in James 4, 8? God is nothing but faithful. He has never changed and he never will. Perhaps it is the darkness of this world that makes us question everything we've ever known to be true, and I want you to answer this question, and I will too. Has anyone been a more steadfast help in trouble for you than God? Some of you may be like me and you see comments online like this If there is a God, why do babies die? Why are there murders, cancer and death? I have that answer, but I don't like the answer, especially on this day. It seems trite. Most of the time it does little to soothe hurting people. So I won't offer it here because, as I said, this is family time and this real life struggle for all of us has an answer. I can tell you from experience, as early as just 10 minutes ago, that he is faithful to keep his promise to be near the brokenhearted Sunday.

Speaker 1:

Our pastor spoke on Psalm 46. Our pastor used a different translation of Psalm 46, 10. Most of us have memorized that be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the heathen. I will be exalted among the earth. That's how I memorized it, but he read it out, the Christian Standard Bible, and I love how the Christian Standard Bible translated it Stop fighting and know that I am God. Say that again Stop fighting and know that I am God. Another translation says it like this cease striving and know that I am God.

Speaker 1:

I sat in my chair on Sunday, hoping the entire church did not hear my sobs from the deepest part of me, because, you see, even people like me, who have seen and proclaimed God's faithfulness, have times of doubt and despair, and Sunday in church, I felt as low as I had in a while, so tired of fighting, so tired of striving, just so tired. All I could do was watch my tears fall on the church floor. I didn't even stand up for the final song. How, how do I stop fighting? How do I stop striving? How do I trust God and why don't I trust him, with all of the proof that he's given me all of my life? And you can ask yourself that same question. The answer is easy, though, because you see the battle, my battle and your battle is not against flesh and blood, but instead our battle is against an enemy who wants to destroy us.

Speaker 1:

He doesn't want anybody getting behind microphones, platforms, keyboards and proclaiming the goodness and faithfulness of God, despite all of his tricks to use our past and present hurts to make us doubt God. When you take the time to listen to a podcast full of scripture or anything that you put your hand to that advances the kingdom of God, I can promise you you will come under attack, leaving you to question everything you've ever believed, just like the songs of lament and the Bible, many of them from David. What do we do when he collects all of our tears, when he binds the broken hearts, but not fast enough? I don't know about you. Clearly, I get behind a microphone and talk about it because I know in doing so I take the power away from the enemy, who wants to destroy me.

Speaker 1:

He does not want to see the redemption of the years that the locusts have stolen. He wants me in despair. He wants you in despair. That the locusts have stolen, he wants me in despair. He wants you in despair. He wants us hanging out in the valley, believing the lie that we are alone and have to fend for ourselves Because, you see, the lies are so much louder than the truth. Do you know that you have the same enemy? His favorite place to hang out is in the dark, but we know in our hearts, in and our heads that Jesus is the light, and that light is so bright that the darkness cannot overtake it. But that doesn't stop our enemy from trying to engage us in a battle we have already won. Did you hear me? We already won it. So I'm here to remind you that that battle does not belong to you. It does not belong to me.

Speaker 1:

The message version of Second Chronicles 2015 says it this way the war is God's, not yours. Feels like a war right now, doesn't it? So why do we try to fight a war that isn't ours? For most of us, the hardest part is in the waiting, the time when it doesn't feel like he's fighting for us. But he is. We are not alone, and plenty of Bible verses promise us that.

Speaker 1:

Joseph comes to mind when I think of someone who could have wondered if God would fight for him. God had fought for him over and over and at the end of it all, he put all the pain, the depth and despair squarely on the shoulders of the person responsible for all the lies. We all know the story of Joseph and the trials that he endured, and we all know the famous verse you meant it for evil, god meant it for good. What is that in your life right now? I know what it is in mine and I needed to be reminded that Satan has meant this for evil, but God will turn it into good, either on this side of heaven or on the other side of heaven. If there's one thing I know, is that I can't give you any hope without the hope of the completed work of Jesus on the cross.

Speaker 1:

I know what many of you think of God, because you blame him for your pain, but I have tried it the other way. It doesn't work and it lands you in deeper despair than you already feel. Seek him, he will be found. Cry out to him, he will answer. I don't know how he will do that in my life right now, but I know without a shadow of a doubt that he is so, so faithful. We see his faithfulness throughout history, especially in the book of Psalms. So what does God need from us right now? He needs that childlike faith in him that it be okay and that nothing can take him away from us or us away from him, even in the darkest dungeons of our lives. No one can take God from you. Will you join me on this day? Call out to him he is our ever-present help in trouble. It is my prayer that today, whoever needed this podcast episode will feel the enveloped love of Jesus surround you and let him extinguish the darkness. And, for those of you where it seems like it is going to be dark for a season, cling to him like the life preserver he is. I know I am. Try it this week. Stop fighting, know he is God. It is March, the 1st of 2022.

Speaker 1:

In the last couple days, I simply have not been able to get out of my mind the importance of protecting my peace as the events of the world unfold. I think it's also important for you, my trauma tribe those who love us and even just citizens of the world to understand the importance of protecting our peace. So let's step into the healing zone as I attempt to talk with you about how I am attempting to regulate my own nervous system, some things I am doing to protect my peace and the importance of doing that for all of us. So let's step into the healing zone as we attempt to do that. Today, I stood in my kitchen and I was pacing because my hands were shaking and after the 12th phone call, I was out of energy, I was out of tears and I was out of the ability to speak another single word. Because, you see, after the 12th person on those phone calls that I had to tell they no longer had a job, I just dropped my phone and tears began to flow and I began wondering what my life would look like, as I was convinced that I had lost a 26-year career.

Speaker 1:

The Wednesdays with Watson podcast has listenership all over the world, including much of Eastern Europe. Civil unrest has rocked our worlds and many of us find ourselves paralyzed, unable to move, because you see, guys, it's all too much. We simply were not created to bear such global trauma and civil unrest. It touches the very core of our fears. We long for safety within not just our families but our communities. As an American, perhaps the events in Europe are a little less scary because we watch them unfold from the safety of our homes, often on huge flat-screen TV hung on walls of homes that many in the world cannot even dream of having Yet for me, a complex post-traumatic stress disorder patient. My world is rocked, my brain is full and I am out of tears. Watching the world fall apart is scary, and many of us need help navigating some of these uncertain and scary waters.

Speaker 1:

Besides fear, a prominent emotion is that of empathy for those who have suffered and who are suffering. And if we are not careful, empathy alone can serve as a fray in the fabric of our beings, and empathy overload can and will take us to places we don't want to go, and the road back is so, so difficult. So how, then, shall we live, not only those with PTSD, but as citizens of the world? How do we live in a world that is not safe? How do we continue to thrive despite all of it, and how can we protect our peace? Because, you see, peace is essential and without it, all of us are living subpar lives, and you better believe that our bodies are keeping the score.

Speaker 1:

In his book, take your Life Back, john Eldredge suggests a few ways we can protect our peace. Eldredge released this book prior to the pandemic, but it has become a staple for many of us as the principle of taking our lives back from the things that steal our peace is a welcome principle, a welcome truth, and one that I hope that I can help you do today. I love the lyrics to the old Rebecca St James song On my Knees, my favorite lyric. I don't know how, but there is power when I'm on my knees. I do find it ironic that Eldridge and his people created an app to go along with a book that is imploring us to walk away from our phones and take our lives back. But a large premise of the book is just that walk away from all the information that sits in that computer in your pocket.

Speaker 1:

It has been said that we are walking around with more powerful computers in our pocket than it took to send the first space shuttle into space. The average person picks up their phone 80 times a day. That means we have real-time global information at the tips of our fingers at all times. The only thing separating us from this information is perhaps some willpower and the occasional dead phone battery. Eldridge notes that our brains are not meant to receive massive amounts of information from those computers in our pockets. We tax our brains and, since that is ground zero for our entire beings, consuming too much information about anything is going to place us in a spot where our peace is not protected, our mind can't rest and the fallout is real.

Speaker 1:

Years ago, rick Warren suggested this about our cell phones Divert daily, put your phone away, usually for an hour a day, withdraw weekly. This one is a little bit more difficult. It's a day that we set our phones aside where we have minimal screen time and finally abandon annually for an entire week. That is a difficult thing to do, but I have successfully done this for two years now and during those times I find my heart more at peace and my time better spent intentionally caring for myself and my nervous system better spent intentionally caring for myself and my nervous system. My brain is not taxed and I am a better version of myself, with PTSD often in its place at bay, and my body thanks me. This concept of protecting your peace with intentionality to not consume the news is one that I promise will help you as it has me. Put your phone down and you will protect your peace.

Speaker 1:

Secondly, eldridge suggests a concept called benevolent attachment. This is the concept of separating ourselves from the events in the world that are not ours to carry. Eldridge speaks of a bunch about soul care and how our souls are not meant to carry the burdens of the entire world. We are simply not wired to do so, and empathy overload is a thing, and it is a thing that will not be ignored. And so, for the PTSD patient, this concept of letting go of that which is not ours is paramount, and the ability to make the decision alone is evidence of healing. We want to protect that healing, and so we must know when to detach from those things that are not ours, and I'm finding that is most things in this world.

Speaker 1:

Again, I am reminded of the power that I have when I am on my knees. It is not lost on me that most people suffering from PTSD had their power stripped from them at one point, and we have the ability to gain it back by holding an audience with God, the only one who can fix any of this. That truth alone can cause some confusion, but I promise you, while your faith is hard to find, you can borrow mine. Peace from the star of the story is real. He promises that if we draw near to him, he will draw near to us. We see that in Hebrews 12.1. This is especially true in the midst of crisis internally and globally.

Speaker 1:

Typically, if you're living with trauma and are an empath, breaking news from around the world serves to trigger you and make you deeply sad. If you are like me and suffer from PTSD or any of its friends, I beg you to be mindful of the information you're consuming, not just from your phone, but from other news sources as well. Let's talk about how consuming disturbing global news impacts those of us with trauma. I am of the belief that consuming the news steals everyone's peace, but particularly those of us with trauma. What happens to us when we watch these things playing out, literally, sometimes in real time, right in front of us?

Speaker 1:

There is a psychological concept called vicarious trauma. One source quotes vicarious trauma as a process of change resulting from empathetic engagement with trauma survivors. Anyone who gauges empathetically with survivors of trauma, incidences of torture and material related to trauma is potentially affected. Another publication calls this repeated exposure to adverse details of traumatic events. That is equal to the news guys. This term is often used in terms of the context of therapists taking on the trauma of their patients. So we know absorbing the trauma of others is a real issue, and you can see why repeated exposure to dramatic global events can be detrimental to any of us, especially those of us with existing trauma.

Speaker 1:

The symptoms of this vicarious trauma are broken into five categories, and I wonder how many of these are familiar to you. Trauma are broken into five categories, and I wonder how many of these are familiar to you Persistent feelings of grief, anxiety and sadness, irritability and anger, being easily distracted, changes in mood and sense of humor, and feeling isolated and unsafe. If you're experiencing these things, it's time to pay attention, it's time to make a change Again. You were not made to consume such relentless sadness, death and destruction. Furthermore, we are all impotent when it comes to changing some of these occurring events, and so, again, I ask how then, shall we live?

Speaker 1:

What about those of us that feel the need for information so that we won't be blindsided with all the bad news at once? I know this is something that I struggle with. Sometimes, not knowing can feel worse than consuming the information. I will tell you, it does take discipline to put into practice, but I promise you that not knowing is better than knowing. You cannot unsee what you see and you cannot unhear what you can hear. I love that old song Be careful little eyes, what you see. Be careful little ears what you hear. Be careful little feet where you go. So I have a trusted friend who keeps me generally updated and only provides information that may immediately affect my safety. Otherwise, ignorance is truly bliss for the trauma tribe, and when I do this, peace rules and my body thanks me.

Speaker 1:

Thirdly, eldridge encourages us to get outside. Making a concerted effort to get outside changes the subject, engaging a different part of your brain. As you scan your surroundings for beauty, your lungs get filled with that much needed fresh air. You're way, way more likely to consume deep breaths of relief rather than the short breaths that are indicative of your activated nervous system. While you're outside, if you can tangibly touch the earth, pick a flower, grab those weeds that have been driving you crazy, or get your toes in the sand and my favorite find a body of water. There I find peace, and while I realize I live in a state surrounded by water, some of you have mountains and others of you have both. Some of you have deserts. All of it is gorgeous. Either way, paying attention to beauty of the earth restores any peace that you have lost and also adds to it.

Speaker 1:

Eldridge cites beauty hunting as a way to get our lives back, and I could not agree more. If you can get outside, at least try to find a place where you can see outside, where you can intentionally beauty hunt and give your brain the rest and peace it deserves. Finally, eldridge gives us permission to allow our souls to be human. This means it's okay to take the one minute pause, it's okay to detach yourself from sadness that is not yours and it's okay to take time to get outside and look for beauty of the world. Our souls need this and for the trauma patient, your nervous system will thank you. No-transcript. I know what you're thinking. All of this sounds good in theory but more difficult to put into real-life practice. But we must. It is essential. God did not create us to live in such activated states all the time.

Speaker 1:

Jesus' completed work on the cross came at a heavy price for him but a great benefit for us. Jesus promised that we would have trouble in this world in Matthew 16.33, but he also told us to take heart because he has overcome the world. Do we really believe that? He told us in Matthew 11, 28, that we can rest, that his yoke is easy and that his burden is light? He reminds us in 1 Peter 5, 7, to give him all of our burdens, that he cares for us. We also know that he understands our sufferings and promises that it isn't for nothing. Romans 8 18 promises that the suffering of this present world are not worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us. Often, we use these scriptural principles for ourselves and forget, though, that these promises are also true for those around the world for whom we empathize but must attach ourselves actively. Realizing this is not a burden we can bear, but we can take it to the star of the story, because he is the star of everyone's story.

Speaker 1:

Protecting our peace in a world that is without it also requires us to understand the concept of rest, and right now you may need more of it than you did before, and you must give yourself permission to rest. So many times, those of us with PTSD, and any of its friends, don't recognize rest as an issue that we must pay attention to, just as if we were physically ill, to pay attention to just as if we were physically ill. Many times, we are less guilt-ridden when we rest if the doctor or a thermometer tells us to do so, but what about when your trauma tells you to rest? What about when the world's trauma has gotten you and demands that you rest? Because, you see, rest brings peace.

Speaker 1:

I love Exodus 14, 14,. You be still. I will fight your battles for you, and so I hope that you will take time today to take care of your mental health. Protect your peace by getting your life back. Keep your peace by handing it back to the one that it belongs to anyway the Prince of Peace and the reason that we can have it. Finally, remember the promises of Isaiah 43. Go read it. I promise you'll be encouraged. You are not alone and you never will be. While this world seems unbearable, know that we have been given everything that we need to not just survive but thrive. It is my prayer those of you out there who are suffering or have lost your peace will take life back and hand it to the King of the world, who knows you better than you know yourself. He loves you and he loves me as all the people in the world that are suffering. We don't understand suffering, but we understand the truth of Romans 12, 12. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer. I know there are those of you who do not share my faith in the star of the story, the one that gave his life so that we can have the peace that passes all understanding. If you would like to get to know him, I would like to help you. Just press that contact Amy button in the show notes.

Speaker 1:

I do not get behind this mic with this message today and pretend any of it is easy, but I do know that practicing some of these things will help us get our peace back and it will help us protect our peace. Whether it is your trauma speaking or you're at critical mass with the sadness of the world, it is imperative that we all hand it over to the one that can and is perfecting all that is concerning not only us but the citizens of the world. So, before you pick up that computer in your pocket or you consume the news from around the world, think twice and protect your peace and know that it is promised to you in Isaiah 26, 3, where the Bible says I will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind has stayed on thee, because he trusts in me. Do you trust him? If not, my prayer is that you will and that you will live in peace. Do you trust him? If not, my prayer is that you will and that you will live in peace, protected as a valuable commodity, that it is remembering the heavy price Jesus paid so that we could have it. And as we are tempted to indict him for the sufferings of the world, we remember again that he promised this suffering in John, chapter 16, but that he also promised to be our ever-present help in trouble. In Psalms, he promised that we can hide under the shadow of his wings in Psalm 91, under the cleft of the rock, and again, an ever-present help in trouble. Draw near to him. Today, guys, he is waiting with open arms for your exhausted self to collapse into his arms and as you are there, he reminds you by his scars that he is not unfamiliar with these sufferings.

Speaker 1:

Run to the Father, y'all. It is hope, hope and peace will roll your heart and mind and you will then realize the abundant life, in spite of circumstances. I promise it's true. Y'all, give it a try. Take your life back, protect your peace and be sure to share it with others. And one more thing, and this is the reason you should always protect your peace. Here it is. You know it by now. You are seen, you are known, you are heard, you are loved, you are valued. Everyone in the world is all of those things, and when we draw near to the cross, we are drawing near to the one that longs to give us comfort. He wants us to give him our cares. He asks for them, he can handle them because he cares for you and he cares for those for whom our hearts break. Finally, remember, your true power comes on your knees in the war room.

Speaker 1:

Speaking of that, if I can pray for you in any way, it would be my honor to do that. Just hit that contact Amy button and let me know, and I will definitely be in prayer for you Every hour, every day. Oh, I need you, lord, and that will never change. Every moment, every way. Oh, I need you, lord, and that will never change. Oh, that will never change. You're a fortress. You're my hiding place. You're the shelter where I am safe. You have freed me. You have called me by name, my redeemer, my saving grace.

Speaker 1:

Every hour of every day, oh, I need you, lord, and that will never change. Every moment, in every way. Oh, I need you, lord, and that will never change. We'll be right back. Care for my heart, father and friend, there, till the end you are faithful, oh God, oh, and faithful, that's who you are, more than able To care for my heart, father and friend there. To the end you are faithful, oh God, and every hour, oh God, and every hour and every day, oh, I need you, lord, and that will never change. And every moment, in every way, oh I need it, lord, and that will never change. Oh, that will never change. Yeah, that will never change. Oh, that will never change.

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Amy Watson

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