Part two of two - read Part 1 HERE
TBI is not simply damaging to the brain, it is surely that, but it is more than that; it is a pervasive injury to the whole person. We, humans, are more than robotic physical bodies moving through the day-to-day living of life. We are complex organisms where multiple systems constantly interact, and when one part of the person is injured, the rest of the person suffers too.
According to scripture, we are tripartite beings(1) comprised of Body, Soul, Spirit.
The body is the most visible component of the individual. It is the amazingly intricate mechanism that we use to interact with one another and the world around us. Trauma to this part of a person is most easily seen, either with the naked eye, or medical technology. Thanks to the abilities of talented surgeons and modern medicine, the body can be treated and set on a course of repair and recovery.
In the soul(2) of a person, we find our will, our emotions, and all the cognitive components of our conscious and subconscious selves. While the physical body gives us the ability to move and act upon the things around us, the soul is where the personality, self-awareness, rationality, and sense of the natural world exists. It is the functions that occur within the soul that drive and direct our thinking, motivation, and actions.
The third component of a human being is a part that transcends our physical and cognitive selves. It is this part that the Christian theologian calls the spirit(3). As astounding as the body is, and as profound as the thoughts, emotions, and feelings are, they are temporal and short-lived. It is the spirit that exists and connects us with our Creator, and it is the spirit that is the part of the person that is eternal.
Treatment of the physical component of TBI begins quickly, as soon as the medical team connects with the injured person. The goal of the medical team is to stabilize the wounded person and maintain life. But because TBI effects multiple systems the treatment cannot stop here.
We know that there is damage to the soul and spirit because we observe the responses to our interactions with the wounded individual. We hear the confused and sometimes fearful exclamations and see dysfunctional behaviors. We observe the irritability, frustration, anxiety and hear the emotional roller-coaster they are riding. But there is hope.
The medical treatment of the TBI will continue for some time and will be monitored and adapted under the supervision of competent medical professionals. Men and women who are trained to assess and treat the physical component of the injured person. The treatment of the other two systems must begin as soon as the individual is physically stable, carried out in coordination with the medical team.
As the physician is the authority over the medical treatment of the TBI sufferer, it is the biblical counselor who is trained and equipped to provide care and counseling to the infirmities of the human spirit and soul.
The biblical counselor has learned that everything we need for life and godliness(4) is found in God’s written word, the Bible. And that the Bible is sufficient for the task of nurture and care of the injured soul(5). As a specialist in caring for wounded souls, we know that the ultimate physician is God himself, the person of the Holy Spirit. As biblical counselors, we serve as the hands and voice of this Great Physician. As we sit and read together with the injured, we learn of God’s character and promises(6). We discover His faithfulness(7), His love for us(8), His willingness to do whatever it takes to benefit us(9).
We begin to find hope(10). We listen to the TBI sufferer as they recall the events surrounding the trauma. Together we take the experience apart and look for the good and discard the bad. Instead of dwelling on the traumatic event we look at it through different eyes using the lens of scripture. We acknowledge the truth of what happened and determine the future course.
As a biblical counselor who works with men and women who have survived a brain injury or other traumas, I have seen the damage these conditions cause in the individual and the family. Soulcare ministry to the individual almost always requires spiritual care to the loved ones and family too. Normal life has stopped. A new life is in the process of emerging from the devastation and rubble. Just like earthquake or tornado survivors, there are remnants of the disaster that need to be sorted through. There are old memories, hopes, dreams, and disappointments to address. Countless questions just naturally surface: "Why me?", "Why now?", "Where was God in all this?", "How can this happen to (me)(my child)(my wife)(my husband) ?, "Now what?
Not easy questions to wrestle through. In time, with the comfort, strength, and promises of scripture, we find answers. Answers that come from a rich source of wisdom and truth. A source of comfort and hope grounded in empirical evidence, verified by years of application, with irrefutable results and unshakable testimony. Answers constructed from our understanding of the inerrant Word of God. In the process of healing the whole person struggling with the aftermath of a TBI God will use many tools and instruments from His creation. Talented physicians and medical personnel will tend and care for the physical person. Biblical counselors, pastors, and the church will tend and supply care to the soul and spirit of this person. Perhaps God will even provide a trained companion or Service Dog to tend and care for the person when the professionals go on to help others. I can only pray.
By Francis "Doc" Beeman | March 2019
1. Luke 1:46-47, Hebrews 4:12, 1 Thessalonians 5:23
2. Ezekiel 18:4, Matthew 11:29
3. Job 33:4, Job 32:8, Genesis 2:7, 2 Timothy 4:22
4. 2 Peter 1:3
5. 2 Timothy 3:16
6. Isaiah 41:10
7. Isaiah 40:28-31
8. John 3:16
9. 1 Peter 5:10
10. Psalms 23
Francis "Doc" Beeman resides in the Chicago suburb of Streamwood Illinois where he provides Biblical Counsel and Soul Care to active military, veterans, first responders and their families. "Doc" earned his nickname serving as a Combat Medic in the U.S. Navy. Former professional education includes general and surgical medicine, clinical psychology, neuropsychology, and group & individual therapy. He graduated to Biblical Counseling in 2008 and currentlyserves Fallen Soldier’s March in the Biblical Counseling Network Think Tank.
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