Evaluating Trauma Education Designed Within a Spiritual Framework
Abstract
The invasion of trauma images from the past into the present can lead to dissociation. Jung recognized the soul fragmentation that can result from dissociation. Researchers reporting an inverse correlation between spiritually focused interventions and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) suggest that understanding the spiritual context of trauma might add prognostic value. The spiritually based strategies frequently requested by those with PTSD include imagery and traditional/cultural healing. Research demonstrates that offering the brain right hemisphere aligning processes such as therapeutic art and imagery can provide neurological and emotional release and allow healing to happen. Acknowledging that the research calls for exploration of the most beneficial ways to address the spiritual and soulful manifestations of trauma, a Trauma Recovery Certification training program was designed to address the effects of trauma on the human spirit and to provide right hemisphere aligning strategies for healing the soul fragmentation that can result from trauma and dissociation. Qualitative and quantitative program evaluation results indicate that graduates of the Trauma Recovery Certification training advance their knowledge of the relationships between trauma and the human spirit and heal their own unhealed spiritual concerns and soul fragmentation resulting from their previous traumas.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious and growing mental health concern, affecting people of all races and ages. PTSD can result from the trauma experienced during and following a disaster caused by the forces of nature or from atrocities resulting from human actions. The experiencing of intrusive symptoms, the invasion into the present of trauma images from the past, is a diagnostic feature of PTSD (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). This distressing symptom can lead to dissociation, which can range in reactions along a continuum from a brief detachment from the emotional content to a complete loss of consciousness (Lanius et al., 2010) and involves “disruptions in and fragmentation of the usual integrated functions of consciousness, memory, identity, body awareness, and perception of the self and the environment” (pp. 640-647).
Jungian psychotherapist, Donald Kalsched (2013) reported that Jung recognized the soul loss that can result from trauma and dissociation and of how the soul fragments are held in a nonordinary reality (a deep layer of the unconscious) that provides a safe archetypal container for the soul part in hiding. In this nonmaterial reality that exists alongside the scene of the trauma, there will often be a soulful connection to nature and to soul animals that provide safety to the soul parts (p. 4).
A similar understanding of soul fragmentation resulting from trauma is a part of the traditional and cultural practices that flow from ancient Shamanism (Engels-Smith, 2014; Harner, 1980; Ingerman & Wasserman, 2010; Kharitidi, 1996; Stonechild, 2016; Wahbeh, Shainsky, Weaver, & Engels-Smith, 2017). According to that worldview, the role of the healer is to journey into the nonordinary reality, there to find, reclaim, and reintegrate the soul part into the larger soul, allowing the traumatized person to again feel more whole and complete (Engels-Smith, 2014; Ingerman, 1994; Simington, 2013a; Tedlock, 2005). In Jungian terms, to be whole or in a state of wholeness happens when there is a harmonious balance between consciousness and the unconscious (Jung, 1973; Kalsched, 2013). When soul parts are reintegrated, the traumatized person has an easier time healing the physical, mental and emotional responses to trauma and experiencing a sense of wholeness (Simington, 2013b).
The National Centre for Complementary and Integrative Health was established in 2015 as a response to the ever-increasing demand for alternative and complementary treatment approaches for those who experience PTSD (Barnes, Bloom, & Nahin, 2008; Davis, Mulvaney-Day, Larson, Hoover, & Mauch, 2014; Fletcher, Mitchinson, Trumble, Hinshaw, & Dusek, 2014; Wahbeh, Senders, Neuendorf, & Cayton, 2014). Schuman (2016) reported that Combat Veterans seek complementary therapies for their PTSD symptoms because they desire a wholistic approach that also addresses their spiritual needs.
Building upon studies suggesting an inverse correlation between spiritually focused interventions and PTSD symptomology (Currie, Drescher, & Harris, 2014; Hourani et al., 2012; Maguen & Litz, 2012; Schuman, 2016), Currie, Holland, and Drescher (2015) examined longitudinal associations between spirituality and combat-related PTSD symptoms. Their results revealed that spirituality variables were concurrently associated with Veterans’ PTSD symptom severity (at baseline and discharge). Their findings suggest that understanding the spiritual context of trauma-related concerns might add prognostic value and equip clinicians to alleviate PTSD symptomology (Currie et al., 2015).
Wahbeh et al. (2017) reported the outcome of a feasibility study to identify the acceptability by Combat Veterans of a Shamanic treatment protocol focusing on healing the spiritual dimension of the human being, which then affects healing of the physical body and the mind. Their results suggested that a treatment protocol of Shamanic healing is acceptable to Veterans and can reduce the intensity of their PTSD symptoms.
The spiritually based strategies found by the National Centre for Complementary and Integrative Health to be most frequently requested by those with PTSD, including imagery, meditation and traditional/cultural healing practices (Schuman, 2016), are methods more readily interpreted by the brain’s right hemisphere than the left, especially during times of trauma when the left hemisphere loses its ability to function at full potential (Teicher, 2000). Since traumatic life events are stored in an altered frozen state, and can continue to affect daily life through dissociation, chronic pain, and/or addictions (Levine, 1997; Rothschild, 2000; Scaer, 2005), right hemisphere aligning processes such as imagery can provide neurological and emotional release and allow healing to happen (Carey, 2006; Kain, 2007; Scaer, 2001; Schore, 2008). Levine (2005), Pugh (2004), Schore (2008), and Carey (2006) suggested that by offering the nervous system options, such as art and imagery, you invite the possibility of the transformation of wounding into healing.
Incorporating right brain strategies into trauma healing has gained strength following the MRI study of Lanius (2004) who found that when trauma clients relate their trauma narratives, they replay these memories through the imaging functions of the brain’s right hemisphere. These findings also support those of Scaer (2005) and Schore (2008) who report that an alignment with right hemispheric processes is essential for the treatment of dissociation and other trauma symptoms of frozenness and rigidity, and add support for the reexamination of the more ancient and cultural healing methods, which for generations used experiences that more readily engaged the brain’s right hemisphere than the left and included the reliance on spiritual traditions and practices (Stonechild, 2016).
The ever-increasing literature describing the inverse relationship between right hemisphere spiritual interventions and PTSD symptoms has stimulated interest in the exploration of the most beneficial ways to address the spiritual and soulful manifestations of trauma and to identify effective approaches for healing trauma at the soulful level.
From a clinical perspective, Simington (1999, 2004, 2006) acknowledged the need to hear and respond to the spiritual and soul pain of which her trauma clients spoke. Her previous work with Aboriginal Peoples and Shamanic practices, her review of the neurological literature calling for the addition of right hemisphere approaches to trauma therapy, and a thorough review of the research calling for attention to the spiritual context of trauma-related concerns created in her an acknowledgment of the need to provide these updates to others who provide professional services to trauma clients (Simington, 2018).
Acknowledging that the best approach to change practice is through education, Simington (2014) developed a Trauma Recovery Certification Training program that builds on a spiritual framework.
A Spiritual Approach to Healing Trauma
Developed for practicing professionals, the program incorporates right hemisphere engaging strategies, including therapeutic art and guided imagery. These modalities allow gentle engagement with the traumatic memories (Carey, 2006), and through these imaginal and symbolic processes, neurological and emotional release can occur and spiritual healing can happen (Levine, 2005; Pugh, 1994, 2004).
Course Overview
The Trauma Recovery Certification is a 160-hour training program, accredited by the Canadian Council of Professional Certifications (CCPC Global). The training is equivalent to two elective courses toward a master’s degree in psychotherapy. Successful graduates are certified to provide trauma recovery counseling and therapeutic approaches to individuals and in group settings.
Concepts Central to the Trauma Recovery Certification Training
Within the context of the Trauma Recovery Certification training, spirit is viewed as the life force of a human being, as the invisible spark of life, while soul is identified as the spiritual principle embodied in human beings containing their moral nature and unique identify. Spirituality is described as a human being’s personal relationship to what is meaningful and what gives direction and purpose to their life. The spiritual needs are identified as the need for love, trust, hope, forgiveness, belonging, and meaning and purpose in life (Stoll, 1989). Spiritual distress is the suffering experienced when one or more of the spiritual needs are not met, as frequently happens during times of personal crisis such as following a traumatic life event (Carson, 1989). If the spiritual distress is severe, such as can happen during trauma, the soul pain experienced may result in soul fragmentation.
Simington’s Four-Part Model for Healing Trauma is consistently applied as learners acquire knowledge and skill in the uses of strategies that gain the attention of the brain’s right hemisphere, including guided imagery, therapeutic art, and energy work to promote gentle and rapid healing. This approach is aimed at addressing first of the spiritual responses to trauma, followed by the healing of the emotional, mental, and physical responses to trauma.
Simington’s Four-Part Model for Healing Trauma
During and in the aftermath of trauma, the functions of the left hemisphere are interfered with, as are the functions of the corpus callosum, which is the large band of nerves separating the two hemispheres. The major role of the corpus callosum is to move information across the hemispheres, allowing them to work as an integrated unit. During trauma, this often does not happen. Healing trauma requires strategies to help reintegrate the hemispheres, so they can again function in wholeness and so that the traumatized person can benefit from the utilization of both hemispheres (Rothschild, 2000; Simington, 2014).
To strengthen the abilities of the brain’s left hemisphere, to gain the attention of the brain’s right hemisphere, and to support reintegration of the hemispheres, Simington included in the Trauma Recovery Certification training her Four-Part Model for Trauma Healing, based on trauma research and on her extensive clinical experience with more than 4,000 traumatized people including women in a federal prison and Indigenous peoples, many of whom had experienced trauma resulting from childhood residential school experiences.
1. Language: The language center is situated in the brain’s left hemisphere (British Psychological Society, 2013). In theory, the use of oral language helps to strengthen the abilities of the left hemisphere that have been interfered with by the trauma. The first step in the application of the Four-Part Model is to gain access to the left hemisphere through an exchange of oral language. The exchange can take place in either counseling or teaching environments and can involve the person describing their experiences or, in listening and responding to the oral language being used by the counselor or facilitator.
2. Experience: The application of an experience to directly match the oral language exchange is the second step in the model’s application. The experiential activities are designed to gain the attention of the brain’s right hemisphere. During the Trauma Recovery Certification training and in the model for clinical practice taught in this training, the right hemisphere-interpreted experiential activities are intended to first meet the needs of the human spirit and heal the spiritual distress resulting from the trauma. A major premise of this training is that once the human spirit is more healed and whole, the traumatized person can more easily heal the physical, mental, and emotional effects of their trauma. The experiential activities offered in this training include the uses of meditation, guided imagery, therapeutic art, and cultural, and traditional practices and celebrations that closely resemble ancient Shamanic practices. These include the retrieval of soul parts that have since the time of the trauma remained trapped in a nonordinary reality. The cutting of energy cords connecting the traumatized person to the scene of the trauma, and the cleansing of the energetic space surrounding the person, of any remaining fragments of traumatic energy, are taught in the Trauma Recovery Certification training and are experienced by each training participant.
3. Reflection: Reflection, the third step in the Model, is a process of continual movement between the right and left hemispheres. This crossover process is done to encourage movement across the hemispheres and thus strengthen the Corpus Callosum and increase this large band of nerves’ ability to regain this function that has been interfered with by the trauma. Cross-Over process is done through reflection and journal writing, and thus moves information across the hemispheres, strengthening the Corpus Callosum and the abilities of both hemispheres. Students in the Trauma Recovery Certification training are asked to reflect on the product produced during their experiential activity. They are, for example, invited to journal their interpretation of the symbolic meanings of the images that appeared in their guided meditation or in their therapeutic art. It is theorized that in doing so, they make cognitive sense for the left hemisphere, of the soulful experiences that occurred in the right hemisphere.
4. Integration: In the fourth step of the application of this model, participants are asked to speak about their experiences and the feelings that resulted from their engagement in the first three steps of the process. By speaking, and thus relying on the skills of the left hemisphere, participants are more able to ground the right hemisphere’s soulful experience in ordinary reality and complete the process of integrating the experience.
During the Trauma Recovery Certification training, students learn to consistently apply Simington’s Four-Part Model both during individual client sessions and when facilitating group sessions for trauma clients. As a process of learning to apply the Four-Part Model within the context of this experiential training, students become personally engaged in the application of each strategy they will upon graduation become qualified to guide for another. This personal engagement in the healing strategies is designed in support of the belief that a therapeutic helper can bring another along the healing journey only as far as he or she has already come.
Concerns Related to the Application of Simington’s Four-Part Model
The Trauma Recovery Certification training builds upon a spiritual framework, and while Osterman Fieser and Rogers-Seidl (1991) found that the essence of human beings is spiritual regardless of whether or how they express their spirituality, on occasion a student will have difficulty applying the spiritually based strategies taught in this training into the psychological practices previously learned. Other students sometimes hold concerns about how to implement spiritually focused trauma therapy with clients. These concerns tend to surface during the first module of this training and lessen as the students advance their knowledge of the impact of trauma on the human spirit and gain confidence in applications of the practices during the final module of their training.
Evaluation of the Trauma Recovery Certification Training
Qualitative Results
To date, at least four master’s degree theses have reported the positive results of the Trauma Recovery Certification training (Hutton Aldcorn, 2014; Isberg Tink, 2015; Mearon, 2017; Stewart, 2012). Using narrative inquiry, Mearon (2017) interviewed Métis women who had experienced spiritual distress resulting from their traumatic life events, desiring to identify if spiritual interventions had been a part of their trauma healing. As a coresearcher, Mearon (2017) reported, “My soul responded to the spiritual aspects of the Trauma Recovery therapy” (p. 134). “I experienced a profound healing and a movement toward spiritual awakening and transformation during my Trauma Recovery therapy training” (p. 139).
Stewart (2012) also conducted a narrative study with the specific intention of discovering the impact the soul retrieval process had on four women who had experienced soul retrieval during the Trauma Recovery Certification training. Stewart reported that her findings indicated both immediate and long-term effects of the soul retrievals experienced during the Trauma Recovery Certification training.
The content and form analysis of the co-researchers’ soul retrieval experiences indicates that the soul retrieval journeys during the Trauma Recovery Certification Program were of great significance to all co-researchers’ later development. . . . Soul retrieval helped the co-researchers to revisit the traumas of their past within a safe and supportive environment. With the recovery of each little piece of their younger selves, they were able to reclaim their personal power, heal their souls, and rebuild their self-confidence and their past memories. (p. 125)
“With every little soul piece recovered, they became more visible, discovered their voices, and built the courage to engage actively with the outside world” (Stewart, 2012, p.129).
Stewart (2012) noted that a major long-term effect of the soul retrievals was a positive change in her coresearches’ relationships. “By doing soul healing during the Trauma Recovery Certification training, all subjects were more able to be compassionate and truly present to themselves and to members of their families, friends and the people within their professional circles” (p. 129).
Since the soul retrievals, Mabel has found a spirituality that is “so much more comfortable and freeing” for her. She has also been able to develop a better relationship with her children and extended family, and reports having become a more compassionate and competent pastoral care professional. (pp. 122-123)In the last two years Robin’s life has changed in small but profound ways. Her relationships with her close family, and particularly with her husband, have become much closer and more rewarding. She is more attentive to and supportive of friends who are in difficult situations. (p. 123)
Stewart (2012) concludes that as a result of the soul retrievals experienced during their Trauma Recovery Training, her coresearchers are “illuminating the darkness and depression around them” (p. 129).
Course evaluation comments (Taking Flight International, n.d.) indicated similar levels of satisfaction with the process and with the product they had received during the training as those reported by Mearon (2017) and Stewart (2012).
I appreciate and better understand the whole notion of healing the soul first and then move from there. With plenty of guided imagery and education and art participation, it was a most convincing theory. This will enhance my counselling. (Taking Flight International, n.d., para. 5)
“One of the important things for me about this training was learning the value of, and how to use the Four-Part Model for Healing Trauma” (Taking Flight International, n.d., para. 14). “The program changed my life. The art work and imagery, the use of the elements, everything was healing and life-giving” (para. 16).
Testimonials from Trauma Recovery Certification training graduates, from various cultures, professions, and walks of life, are published in Setting the Captive Free (Simington, 2010, pp. 208-210).
Dr. Jane Simington’s Trauma Recovery Certification is an excellent program. The training gave me the opportunity to heal from deeply rooted trauma and provided me with the necessary skills and tools to work effectively with groups. Healing from a spiritual perspective is definitely most rewarding and beneficial. (Kawennakatste, BSW, RSW, Director, Healing Drum Society, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories)After I participated in Dr. Jane Simington’s workshops and training sessions, I became more confident when facilitating healing circles and assisting people who were experiencing trauma or crisis. I now utilize Jane’s intervention skills and healing practices in my own life, and also in the work I do with others. There has been a very positive ripple effect from the first healing circle that I did with Jane, one that now extends to the men, women and children of all ages with whom I work. (Roberta Whiskeyjack, BA, Trauma and Addictions Counselor, Saddle Lake Community Wellness Coordinator, Saddle Lake First Nations, Alberta)It has been an honor to receive both soul healing and training from Dr. Jane. I am now fully alive, purposefully walking on my life’s path. The Universe sings your praises, Dr. Jane, and so do I. (Maria Hutton Aldcorn, Life Transitions Counselor and Facilitator, Nampa, Alberta)I have benefitted from Jane’s work both personally and professionally. Her insights and gifts have allowed me to heal from past trauma and have shown me the way to reach personal heights that I had never before imagined. I am so grateful for my own healing, as it is this healing that has opened the way for me to be with others as they, too, move quickly into their own deep healing experiences. Jane’s work is spiritually guided, and contributes to the healing of all, as we remember our path of Oneness. (Suzanne Prince Gette, MSW, RSW, Grief and Trauma Specialist, First Nation’s Communities, Manitoba)I had the opportunity to participate in the Trauma Recovery Certification training offered by Dr. Jane Simington. Even though I had previously done some inner healing, I found that this training touched me deeply. It helped to set me free and gave me the hope that I could do more such work—not only for myself, but for others as well. (Fr. Bill Stang, OMI, Diocese Keewatin and Le Pas, Manitoba)Dr. Jane Simington gently took me from a lifetime of trauma and brokenness on a journey into my childhood, a journey that quickly, genuinely and profoundly healed me. I was able to cut and slice the toxic ties that kept me shackled to my soul pain. I have since discovered the tremendous liberation of the Light, and the sustaining peace and joy that I find in my own inner soul. Thank you, Jane. (Linda Pearce, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Featured on the award-winning video Healing Soul Pain)The work that I have done with Dr. Jane Simington in trauma recovery has helped me to finally understand myself and the intricate nature of the role that trauma has played in my life. Finally, someone has helped me. Professionally I am now better able to assist the clients that come into my office, something that I had always wanted to do, but did not have the required knowledge or skills to do so. Jane offers very valuable knowledge and expertise—both, long overdue. (Violet Soosay, First Nations, Samson Cree, Hobbema, Alberta)Teacher, mentor, healer and friend—Jane became, for me, all of these and more when I participated in the Trauma Recovery Certification program. Today I am more present, and my spirit is soaring. I am living a richer life because of the healing I experienced while educating myself to become a better professional. During this training I acquired the theory of trauma, and I also experienced the healing power of ceremony, music, creativity, art, meditation, Spirit and the gifts of nature. It is with gratitude for Jane’s work that I now facilitate workshops in my own community, sharing the knowledge, and offering to others the opportunities for healing from life’s trauma. (Lynn Pack, RSW, Home Support Supervisor, City of Grande Prairie, Alberta)As a counselor who works with severely traumatized human beings, I became aware that my clients were not reaching their desired level of healing. Dr. Jane Simington’s Trauma Recovery Certification program assisted me in healing from my own soul pain and transformed my professional counseling skills and abilities to help me work with others as they delve into their deepest pain. I have witnessed healing miracles as people take huge steps forward. I am so grateful for the teachings from Dr. Simington. (Rhonda Loewen Hutchinson, RSW, CTSS, MADEM (c), Trauma Consultant, First Nation Communities, British Columbia)
Quantitative Results
Quantitative data were collected on the final day of the Trauma Recovery Certification training from the last 215 students who attended this training. The results, as shown in the table below, indicate a high level of satisfaction with the education received and with the personal healing experienced.
Quantitative Evaluation Results From Most Recent Graduates.
Question 1: I learned about trauma and its effects on human functioning.
Question 2: I gained skills that will assist me in helping others who are experiencing trauma.
Question 3: The methods I learned and used during this training allowed me to do some of my own healing.
| Question 1 | Question 2 | Question 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Count | 215 | 214 | 210 |
| Mean | 4.81 | 4.77 | 4.73 |
| Median | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Mode | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Standard deviation | 0.4695 | 0.5702 | 0.5850 |
Note. Rated on a scale from 5 to 0, with 5 = strongly agree.
Discussion of the Findings
Research demonstrates that those who experience PTSD seek interventions that are wholistic in nature and which address their spiritual and soul concerns. The qualitative and quantitative evaluation results indicate that the Trauma Recovery Certification training, built upon a model that first addressed the needs of the human spirit, prior to meeting the physical, mental and emotional effects of trauma, and which uses the Four-Part Model of Healing, to appeal to both hemispheres and integrate them, appear to have provided the professionals who responded to this evaluation the knowledge and skills they sought. Results also appear to demonstrate that the process the training participants engaged in allowed them to attain some personal healing.
Future Research Direction
Over the past 26 months, students of the Trauma Recovery Certification training have completed pre- and postmeasures of the PCL5. The PCL5, developed by Weathers et al. (2013) is a 20-item check list based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) criteria for the diagnosis of PTSD. Obtaining and analyzing this data will supplement the qualitative data collected from course evaluations and allow for a fuller determination of the personal healing experienced by the course participants.
Conclusion
Carl Jung (1959) noted that woundedness often seeks to advance healing through efforts to help others. Many who come into the Trauma Recovery Certification training describe themselves as “wounded healers.” Hillman (1996) observed that people come into psychotherapy not only to relieve the pain of their traumatic symptoms but also to also find a personal story that honors their soul. Through the application of the Four-Part Model of Healing, participants in the Trauma Recovery Certification training are in a unique position to claim the fullness of their story. Being able to experience the fullness of one’s story from the deepest of pain to the deepest of healing is of great value to a wounded healer. Once that fullness is experienced and related to compassionate and caring others, it is believed that the wounded healer would likely be more able to use their experiences of pain and healing to assist a wounded other to also attain wholeness.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Barnes P. M., Bloom B., Nahin R. L. (2008). Complementary and alternative medicine use among adults and children: United States. National Health Statistics Reports, 12, 1-23.
British Psychological Society. (2013). Where is language located in the brain? There are two sides to this story. Research Digest. Retrieved from https://digest.bps.org.uk/2013/11/19/where-is-language-located-in-the-brain-there-are-two-sides-to-this-story/
Carey L. (2006). Expressive and creative art methods for trauma survivors. London, England: Jessica Kingsley.
Carson V. B. (Ed.). (1989). Spiritual dimensions of nursing practice. Philadelphia, PA: W. B. Saunders.
Currie J. M., Drescher K., Harris J. I. (2014). Spiritual functioning among Veterans seeking residential treatment for PTSD: A matched control group study. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 1, 3-15.
Currie J. M., Holland J. M., Drescher K. D. (2015). Spirituality factors in the prediction of outcomes of PTSD treatment for US Military Veterans. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 2(28), 57-64.
Davis M. T., Mulvaney-Day N., Larson M. J., Hoover R., Mauch D. (2014). Complementary and alternative medicine among veterans and military personnel: A synthesis of population surveys. Medical Care, 52(12 Suppl. 5), S83-S90.
Engels-Smith J. (2014). The mystery and magic of power animals. Sedona Journal of Emergency Medicine, 23, 100-101.
Fletcher C. E., Mitchinson A. R., Trumble E. L., Hinshaw D. B., Dusek J. A. (2014). Perspectives of providers and administrators in the Veterans Health Administration regarding complementary and alternative medicine. Medical Care, 52(12 Suppl. 5), S91-S96.
Harner M. (1980). The way of the shaman. New York, NY: Harper Collins.
Hillman J. (1996). The soul’s code: In search of character and calling. New York, NY: Random House.
Hourani L., William J., Forman-Hoffman V., Lane M. E., Weimer B., Bray R. M. (2012). Influence of spirituality on depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicidal activity in active duty personnel. Depression Research and Treatment, Article ID 425462.
Hutton Aldcorn M. (2014). Brokenness infused in a mother’s heart: The art of living with the sacredness of life (Unpublished master’s thesis). University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Ingerman S. (1994). Welcome home. New York, NY: Harper Collins.
Ingerman S., Wasserman H. (2010). Awakening to the spirit world. The shamanic path of direct revelation. Boulder, CO: Sounds True.
Isberg Tink J. (2015). Catching toxic tears: How is the sacred feminine affected in therapists counseling sexual abuse survivors? (Unpublished master’s thesis). University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Jung C. G. (1959). The psychology of the transference: The practice of psychotherapy (Bollingen Series). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Jung C. G. (1973). Four archetypes. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Kain K. (Ed.). (2007). Somatic experiencing: Healing trauma. Boulder, CO: Foundation for Human Enrichment.
Kalsched D. (2013). Trauma and the soul: A psycho-spiritual approach to human development and its interruptions. New York, NY: Routledge.
Kharitidi O. (1996). Entering the circle: Ancient secrets of Siberian wisdom discovered by a Russian psychiatrist. San Francisco, CA: Harper Collins.
Lanius R. (2004). The nature of traumatic memories: A 4-T FMRI functional connectivity analysis. American Journal of Psychiatry, 161, 36-44.
Lanius R. A., Vermetten E., Loewenstein R. J., Brand B., Schmahl C., Bremner J. D., Spiegel D. (2010). Emotion modulation in PTSD: Clinical neurobiological evidence for a dissociative subtype. American Journal of Psychiatry, 167, 640-647.
Levine P. (1997). Waking the tiger: Healing trauma. Berkley, CA: North Atlantic Books.
Levine P. (2005). Healing trauma: A pioneering program for restoring the wisdom of your body. Boulder, CO: Sounds True.
Maguen S., Litz B. (2012). Moral injury in veterans of war. PTSD Research Quarterly. 23, 1-6.
Maslow A. (1954). Motivation and personality. New York, NY: Harper & Row.
Mearon J. (2017). Searching for threads of spiritual growth interwoven into trauma healing (Unpublished master’s thesis). University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Osterman Fieser K., Rogers-Seidl F. F. (1991). Spiritual distress. In Rogers-Seidl F. F. (Ed.), Geriatric nursing care plans (pp. 83-87). St. Louis, MO: Mosby Year Book.
Pugh M. (1994). Somatic art therapy: Healing body, mind, and spirit (Unpublished thesis). Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA.
Pugh M. (2004). Spiraling into wholeness: A practical guide for healing using creativity and body wisdom (Unpublished dissertation). University of Creation Spirituality, Oakland, CA.
Rothschild B. (2000). The body remembers: The psychophysiology of trauma and trauma treatment. New York, NY: W. W. Norton.
Scaer R. (2001). The body bears the burden: Trauma, dissociation and disease. Philadelphia, PA: Haworth Press.
Scaer R. (2005). Trauma spectrum: Hidden wounds and human resiliency. New York, NY: W. W. Norton.
Schore A. (2008). Paradigm shift: The right brain and the relational unconscious. Psychologist-Psychoanalyst, 28(3), 20-26.
Schuman D. (2016). Veterans’ experiences using complementary and alternative medicine for posttraumatic stress: A qualitative interpretative meta-synthesis. Social Work in Public Health, 31(2), 83-97.
Simington J. (1999). Listening to soul pain [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.takingflightbooks.com/product/listening-to-soul-pain/
Simington J. (2000). Healing the soul pain of trauma. Keynote address presented at the International Healers’ Conference, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Simington J. (2004). Ethics for an evolving spirituality. In Storch J. L., Rodney P., Starzomski R. (Eds.), Toward a moral horizon: Nursing ethics for leadership and practice (pp. 465-484). Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Simington J. (2006). Healing soul pain [DVD]. Retrieved from Taking Flight Books website: http://www.takingflightbooks.com/product/healing-soul-pain-video-dvd/
Simington J. (2010). Setting the captive free. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada: Taking Flight Books.
Simington J. (2013a). Through soul’s eyes: Reinventing a life of joy and promise. Edmonton, Alberts, Canada: Taking Flight Books.
Simington J. (2013b). Trauma and dissociation: Neurological and spiritual perspectives. Journal of Psychology & Psychotherapy, 3(3).
Simington J. (2014). Trauma recovery certification handbook (1st ed.). Edmonton, Alberta, Canada: Taking Flight International.
Simington J. (2018). A soulful approach to dissociation resulting from trauma, Journal of Religious Studies and Theology, 37, 116-122.
Stewart K. (2012). Trauma, dissociation and the journey to soul healing (Unpublished master’s thesis). University of Alberta campus, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Retrieved from https://era.library.ualberta.ca/items/1bbc990a-d92e-41e0-83d0-c5725ff36f7d/view/43d0a993-c8f4-409c-b527-f5d2705e20de/Stewart_Karin_2012_MPS.pdf
Stoll R. (1989). The essence of spirituality. In Carson V. B. (Ed.), Spiritual dimensions of nursing practice (pp. 4-23). Philadelphia, PA: W. B. Saunders.
Stonechild B. (2016). The knowledge seeker: Embracing indigenous spirituality. Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada: University of Regina Press.
Taking Flight International. (n.d.). Student reviews trauma recovery. Retrieved from http://takingflightinternational.com/education/education-intro/student-reviews/student-reviews-trauma-recovery/
Tedlock B. (2005). The woman in the shaman’s body. New York, NY: Bantam Books.
Teicher M. H. (2000). Wounds that time won’t heal. The neurobiology of child abuse. Cerebrum. Retrieved from http://www.dana.org/Cerebrum/2000/Wounds_That_Time_Won%E2%80%99t_Heal__The_Neurobiology_of_Child_Abuse/
Wahbeh H., Senders N. D., Neuendorf M. S., Cayton J. (2014). Complementary and alternative medicine for post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms: A systemic review. Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 19, 161-175.
Wahbeh H., Shainsky L., Weaver A., Engels-Smith J. (2017). Shamanic healing for veterans with PTSD. Explore, 13, 207-217.
Weathers F. W., Litz B. T., Keane T. M., Palmieri P. A., Marx B. P., Schnurr P. P. (2013). The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5—Standard [Measurement instrument]. Available from http://www.ptsd.va.gov/
Biographies
Jane Ann Simington, PhD, is the owner of Taking Flight International Corporation and the developer of the Trauma Recovery, Grief Support, and Suicide Intervention Certification Programs, all of which have been granted accreditation by the Canadian Council of Professional Certifications (CCPC Global). As a therapist and professor, she combines her professional background and education in both nursing and psychology, with her own experiences of healing from grief and trauma to help and heal people across cultures. She is a prolific author, having written more than 100 articles, published both in print and online. She has written endorsements and forwards, and chapters in professional textbooks, and has authored two books, Journey to the Sacred: Mending a Fractured Soul and Through Soul’s Eyes: Reinventing a Life of Joy and Promise, both of which have been published in several languages. Her work is featured in two award-winning films, Listening to Soul Pain and Healing Soul Pain. Known as the “Woman of Hope,” she has been honored with scholarships and numerous awards, including being named by the YWCA as a Woman of Distinction for Health and Medicine and awarded by Global Television as a Woman of Vision.
Cite article
Cite article
Cite article
OR
Download to reference manager
If you have citation software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice
Information, rights and permissions
Information
Published In
Article first published online: May 7, 2019
Issue published: January 2023
Keywords
Authors
Metrics and citations
Metrics
Journals metrics
This article was published in Journal of Humanistic Psychology.
View All Journal MetricsArticle usage*
Total views and downloads: 686
*Article usage tracking started in December 2016
Articles citing this one
Receive email alerts when this article is cited
Web of Science: 0
Crossref: 1
- Soul Retrieval Following Trauma
Figures and tables
Figures & Media
Tables
View Options
View options
PDF/EPUB
View PDF/EPUBAccess options
If you have access to journal content via a personal subscription, university, library, employer or society, select from the options below:
I am signed in as:
View my profileSign out
I can access personal subscriptions, purchases, paired institutional access and free tools such as favourite journals, email alerts and saved searches.
loading institutional access options
AHP members can access this journal content using society membership credentials.
AHP members can access this journal content using society membership credentials.
Alternatively, view purchase options below:
Purchase 24 hour online access to view and download content.
Access journal content via a DeepDyve subscription or find out more about this option.
