On Your Hope-Filled Perspective Podcast, we’ve been doing the Sacred Scar Story Series, in conjunction with the release of my new book Sacred Scars: Resting in God’s Promise That Your Past is Not Wasted. In this series, I’m talking with real people, who have gone through real painful trials, and yet are able to share the faithfulness of God to bring beauty for their ashes in the form of sacred scars. In chapter four of Sacred Scars, entitled “Feel It To Heal It,” Lisa Saruga shares her story of a devastating experience when she was a college student. She shared a bit of her story on a recent episode of the podcast, so I hope you’ll listen in How to Navigate Healing and Trust After Being a Victim of a Violent Crime – Episode 275, and then read her story in the book. I’ve asked her to share more with you here, from her perspective as a mental health clinician.
You Have to Feel to Heal
By Lisa Saruga
We often hear that people will get over trauma in time, but this is not a true statement. I learned this the hard way when, thirty-five years after being the victim of a violent crime, my cold case was reopened. The masked man I had decided to never think about had been identified. By this time, I had been a counselor and trauma therapist for decades. I knew all about PTSD and the effects of trauma on victim-survivors. Although I had an intellectual understanding, I had never walked through my own healing process. I thought I had gotten over it. I was wrong.
Confronting Unprocessed Emotions
After the attack, I had avoided counseling, packed my memories up into a box and stored them in the back of my mind. I hadn’t thought about the incident in years. The problem with this approach is that the memories and emotions were perfectly preserved like old photographs stored in a box. When I learned that my cold case was to be reopened, it was as if someone had opened that box of memories, scattered them on the floor before me and said, “Here you go. Relive this experience like it just happened.”
It was as if I were eighteen again and the incident was fresh. My old wounds revealed that they were still open and festering. I began to shake and cry as the memories and emotions flooded my body. I experienced flashbacks, nightmares, and emotional distress that I thought would never happen again. I could remember every detail of my trauma, including what I wore, what I could smell, his voice, and more. My intellectual understanding of PTSD did not make me immune to the experience.
Walking Through Trauma with God’s Help
The hard truth of trauma is that we do not get over it. The only path to healing is through. The Bible doesn’t tell us that we will get over trauma, but Jesus assures us that we will not walk through difficult times alone. Psalm 23:4 says, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” The psalmist didn’t say I will avoid the darkest valley because God is with me, he said I will walk through it with the help of God.
I realized that I had not done the hard work that is required for healing. I began counseling with a godly psychologist. While it was not easy to face my unprocessed emotions, I had to feel them in order to heal them. I journaled throughout this process using my RAW Journaling techniques, which you can download at LisaSaruga.com. This process allowed me to express my anger, fear, hurt, desperation, and other emotions I had avoided for so long. It also demonstrated the very real ways that God was with me on my healing journey. Because life seemed upside down and inside out, I journaled in white ink on black paper. It seemed cathartic to write in this inside out manner. Over time, this practice became a dialogue with God. I faced my emotions, and He provided healing insight from the Word. Together we wrote a brighter future onto those darker pages of life.
Trusting God Through Your Healing Journey
If you have wounds that have not yet healed into scars, I want to encourage you. Deciding to process difficult emotions can be scary, but God will be with you. At times, I cried out to God and told Him I was angry and confused—sometimes my anger was directed at God. Don’t be afraid to share this with Him. He knows your heart and can handle your honesty. He will not leave or forsake you (see Hebrews 13:5). He won’t reject you.
I may never get over what happened to me; I did get through with the help of Jesus, and I can tell you that my sacred scar is now a beautiful reminder of how Jesus healed my wounds. My prayer for you is that you trust in God as you step into the process of healing. Trust that He won’t let you fall into the miry pit of hopelessness. May He carry you through and heal your wounds.
For more encouragement, pick up a copy of Sacred Scars: Resting in God’s Promise That Your Past Is Not Wasted.
Does time really heal wounds? @LisaSaruga learned the hard way that healing takes more. Discover how she walked through her past with God's help in her powerful story. Share on X Struggling to heal from past wounds? @LisaSaruga ’s story reveals the truth about facing trauma and finding support through God. Read how faith helped her heal. Share on X
About Lisa Saruga
Lisa is a licensed professional counselor, keynote speaker, author, and legal and ethical specialist. She specializes in therapy for victims of sexual violence. Her own story resulted in the reopening of her thirty-five-year cold case, when someone finally reported the identity of the man who wore a ski mask when he assaulted Lisa as a freshman in college. The man was never arrested because of archaic laws and loopholes that protect perpetrators over victims. Lisa regularly meets with legislators to advocate for laws to protect victims of sexual violence. She believes that, although God doesn’t purpose for us to experience trauma, he can use every event in our lives for his purposes.
Connect with Lisa: Website / Facebook / Instagram / X/Twitter
Sacred Scars: Resting in God’s Promise that Your Pain is Not Wasted
Now Available!
We all endure trials, pain, and hardship in this life. Too often we believe these experiences disqualify us from being useful to God. But the truth is, your past pain and brokenness serve as preparation for what God wants to do in and through you – if you will surrender to and trust him.
Just as Jesus’s scars didn’t disappear after his resurrection, our emotional or physical scars tell our story and lend credence to our testimony of God’s love and power. If you are ready to turn your past pain into present comfort and future hope, let Dr. Bengtson be your compassionate guide.
Find out more and order here: Sacred Scars
