This month of April marks the central festival of the Christian faith, which is the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, or Easter. Easter Sunday this year is celebrated on Sunday, April 4 by the western Church (following the Gregorian calendar), but in the eastern Church (which follows the older Julian calendar), Easter will be celebrated on Sunday, May 2. The formula which the western Church uses to calculate the date for Easter each year is this: Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon (sometimes called the Paschal moon) after the vernal equinox, or the first day of spring (How Is Easter Determined? (timeanddate.com). For western Christians, Easter can be as early as March 22 (not seen since 1818) or as late as April 25 (not seen since 1943). For Christ’s people, Easter is much more than a one-day event; it is an entire season and goes on for 50 days, culminating with the festival of Pentecost, which celebrates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2 ESV - The Coming of the Holy Spirit - When - Bible Gateway).

In this Easter season, I want to share with you PTSD vs. PTG. What’s that? We are all familiar with PTSD, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The National Institute of Mental Health defines PTSD as a “disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event” (NIMH » Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (nih.gov). Military personnel can and do suffer from this after experiencing the trauma of war, but PTSD can afflict lots of other people in many different circumstances in life. There can be great suffering, mental and physical anguish that accompanies PTSD, not only for the individual but for his or her family members and friends. Identification and treatment of PTSD is available for those who need it through doctors and mental health providers.

Last month, I learned about PTG, or Post-Traumatic Growth – something that I was not familiar with. So what is PTG? It is the “positive psychological change that some individuals experience after a life crisis or traumatic event. Post-traumatic growth doesn’t deny deep distress, but rather posits that adversity can unintentionally yield changes in understanding oneself, others, and the world. Post-traumatic growth can, in fact, co-exist with post-traumatic stress disorder” (Post-Traumatic Growth | Psychology Today). As I learned, the key in shifting from a PTSD mindset to a PTG mindset is asking the question, “What is life-giving in tragic situations?” In the midst of tragic situations, deep pain, and loss in life, feelings and emotions are often incredibly raw. It can be hard to find a sense of direction; just getting through the day is about all a person can do. How do we move from the suffering/coping/hurting of PTSD to the resiliency/overcoming/growing of PTG? It takes time and help from helpers and encouragers who can reframe our thinking and feeling. It also takes a willingness to see our life situation differently.

I am seeing all kinds of connections between PTSD vs. PTG and the message of Easter. Not only Jesus, but his disciples and followers had experienced incredible trauma with Jesus’ arrest, trial, scourging, crucifixion, and death. Their world was shattered by what happened to Jesus, and undoubtedly they experienced on some level what we would identify today as PTSD. The violence and brutality, together with the crushing sense of grief and loss, must have been shocking as well as overwhelming. It’s no wonder that the disciples did not believe the report from the women who had first visited Jesus’ tomb on Easter morning (Luke 24:8-12 ESV - And they remembered his words, and - Bible Gateway). The empty tomb, together with the report of the women, who had heard directly from the angel of the Lord, began to shift things for the disciples. Their minds were undoubtedly in a state of turmoil about what all of this meant. It wasn’t until the risen Christ appeared to them, gathered together behind closed and locked doors, that everything changed. It wasn’t until Jesus showed them his hands and feet, still bearing the marks of his crucifixion, that everything was transformed for the disciples (Luke 24:40-41 ESV - And when he had said this, he showed - Bible Gateway). John’s Gospel records that Thomas, one of the twelve disciples, stubbornly refused to believe what the other disciples told him after they had seen the risen Christ face-to-face and in-person. Jesus confronted Thomas and invited him to touch those wounds (John 20:24-29 ESV - Jesus and Thomas - Now Thomas, one of - Bible Gateway.

Maybe there is something for us to learn from Jesus and Thomas in order to move from PTSD to PTG in our own lives. If we are to move forward and find hope, joy, and peace in living once again, we will, like Thomas, need to get close and confront those wounds. It’s very easy to compartmentalize things in life, and lock away what is painful so that we do not put ourselves through more grief and heartache. The truth is that Jesus is more than capable of entering those locked rooms in our lives just as he entered the locked room where those first disciples were gathered in fear. Then as now, Jesus comes, not to condemn, but to bring healing and blessing. In the nail-pierced hands of Jesus, who is risen from the dead and who lives and reigns to all eternity, there is mercy and grace to help in time of need.

As we sing our Alleluias throughout the Easter season, I pray that with the help of our risen Savior we may move from disorder to growth in our lives.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!