Date of Award

3-2015

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Department

Seminary

First Advisor

Tricia Gates Brown

Second Advisor

Laura Simmons

Abstract

This dissertation claims there is a growing inability within American culture, due to continuous technological connectedness and lack of physical community, to move beyond treating the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to actually healing it. I assert that by reestablishing community through storytelling, sufferers can experience deeper healing. Section One defines the nature of PTSD and its symptoms, while incorporating various academic and ministry-related viewpoints. Section Two delineates what has been done to treat PTSD and why simply treating symptoms is not enough. Section Three is the heart of this dissertation and discusses how our current communities and technology cause a disadvantage for the PTSD sufferer, and why I believe storytelling is vital for healing. Section Four is a description of my Track 02 Artifact, a non-fiction book telling my own PTSD story and how telling my story has brought deeper healing to my family and me. Section Five is my Track 02 Artifact specification, a book proposal, and Section Six is a postscript regarding further areas of exploration in the work of storytelling as healing.

Download

Included in

Christianity Commons

Share

COinS