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Dr. Dan Collins - THE TRAUMA ZONE Handout

Many people struggle with emotional trauma and don’t even know it.  As a psychologist and minister with over 30 years experience, I have observed that when people understand how trauma works they bounce back much more quickly.  The Trauma Zone teaches readers to transform emotional pain into peace by trusting God, understanding how trauma works, and learning to overcome the impact of overwhelming experiences.

This book grows out of my extensive research and successful treatment of men and women who have been paralyzed by Post-traumatic Stress. I have discovered that trauma has five distinctive characteristics that, if properly understood, can provide relief from trauma’s grip. In a nutshell, trauma is an experience that saps your strength and gives you the impression that you:

• Can’t cope with your emotions (you don’t effectively manage feelings, you either over react to problems, or you shut down when emotional challenges are presented),
• Can’t move (you remain stagnant, there is a lack of life progress, you sabotage your success through procrastination),
• Can’t see (you don’t cope with reality, so you avoid painful emotions, you become like the ostrich with his head in the sand),
• Can’t learn (you repeat mistakes, you slide into addictions, problems don’t get solved effectively- many relationships fail in this stage),
• Can't tell time (you live in the past, events that happened keep replaying in your mind. nightmares, flashbacks, and intrusive thoughts are commonplace).

Each “can’t” represents what I refer to as a “trauma station.” When you put these five trauma stations together, it forms what I call The Trauma Zone. The good news is that once the pain is identified, biblical principles can be applied and healing can begin. The Trauma Zone has exit signs! This book is dedicated to helping survivors find the exit signs from the trauma that plagues them.

Example- Tina- 57 year old trauma survivor who went from prostitute to pastor

• Molested as a little girl and gang raped as a teenager
• She became hardened, joined a female gang, and even  became a street walker
• As a young adult found the Lord but never dealt with her trauma
• Had a stroke which her physician felt was a result of unresolved stress and she was referred to me
• Her trauma taught her to live in the past. Her healing taught her to live in the present.
• Made a complete recovery, received certification as an addictions counselor, registered in graduate school & received a  3.8GPA first semester

R. Dandridge Collins, Ph D.
Contact Info: Pastoral Counseling Network
210 W. Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, Pa 19103
215-790-9718        email:  drdan19@comcast.net

For a more extensive discussion of this subject in Web TV and radio interviews with Dr. Dan go to www.bonniestjohn.com.

We offer this article on a nonexclusive basis. You may reprint or repost this material as long as Bonnie St. John's name and contact information is included: Bonnie St. John, 212.663.1671, http://www.bonniestjohn.com

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