The General Secretary of the Bible Society of Ghana (BSG), Rev. Dr Enoch Aryee-Atta has urged faith-based organisations and humanitarian institutions to offer help to traumatized people in their communities.
He said several people in the country and the world at large are going through one traumatic experience or the other due to socio-cultural challenges, fold up of businesses, economic recession, loss of loved ones, the COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating effects on humans in the working environment.
“Trauma is a painful experience in life that causes deep and lasting suffering and explained that it is a response to a deeply distressing event that burdens an individual’s ability to cope with life”, he said.
Rev. Dr Enoch Aryee-Atta made the call at the maiden National Community of Trauma Healing Conference in Accra, under the theme “Dealing with Generational Trauma: The Church Perspective”.
He said traumatic feelings can cause helplessness and diminish a person’s sense of wellbeing and ability to cope with emotional disorders which consequently leads to fear, sadness guilt, anger, grief, anxiety, depression, among others.
According to him, some people can recover quickly from the support of family and friends while others will suffer additional complications including depression, anxiety, alcohol and drug abuse, sleep disorders and the inability to concentrate on work and the shattering of one’s faith.
It is for these reasons that the Bible Society of Ghana trauma healing programme is reaching out to persons experiencing trauma not to give up but take firm control over their lives.
“Trauma victims goes through three stages as part of the healing process namely safety and stability, remembering and grieving and restoring relationship”, he said and explained that recovering from trauma involves the ability to successfully live in the present without being overwhelmed by thoughts and feelings from the past.
“Over the past six years, the BSG has expanded its trauma healing programmes to many audiences including churches, humanitarian organizations among others to empower them to offer support to persons who are traumatised.
For her part, the Vice President BSG, Mrs Matilda Amissah – Arthur called on faith-based institutions to initiate steps to help persons in the traumatized mood to enable them to regain back their normal life and also feel a sense of belonging in the society.
Former Presiding Bishop, Methodist Church Ghana, Most Rev. Titus Awotwi Pratt urged the clergy to come to the aid of traumatized persons through counselling, adding that it is the best method to bring them back to their normal lives.
Source: Ben LARYEA/Contributor
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