The Practice of Biblical Lament as a Means toward Facilitating Authenticity and Psychological Well-Being (original) (raw)
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The importance of lament in pastoral ministry: Biblical basis and some applications
Verbum et Ecclesia, 2019
Lament is little understood or practised in most contemporary church communities. However, in today’s world of increasing trauma, this means of grace is much needed. In this article, after providing a biblical basis for lament, focus is given to practical applications of lament in various communities. The studies included refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi living in Cape Town, ‘discipleship groups’ in two townships of Cape Town and an AIDS-support group near Pietermaritzburg. The empirical studies use biblical literature (mainly psalms of lament) either to provide a voice for those who battle to express their pain or to provide a model for sufferers to compose their own laments. Results show that biblical lament can help the individual find healing (social, physiological and spiritual), promote a more socially aware community and help church members gain a better understanding of the nature of the Christian life and the character of God. Consequently, it is highly recommended that those who seek to help trauma-sufferers consider the importance of lament in their ministries. As they then put the theory into practice, those who for so long have felt isolated or misunderstood in the Church will find solace and find healing for their pain.
Lament as a contributor to the healing of trauma: an application of the form of biblical poetry
Pastoral Psychology, 2018
Biblical poetry, in particular the psalms of lament, provides a model of how composing one's own lament and performing it to God can be a positive element in healing the effects of trauma. In an empirical study, Zulu youth who had experienced various forms of trauma, learned to use the model of biblical psalms of lament to compose their own laments. The process of regaining agency, establishing a sense of justice (with an appeal for the perpetrator of the hurt to be punished), and a rekindling of hope for life going forward, all elements of biblical lament, are also vital parts of the healing process. Thus it is suggested that the use of poetry, in the form of biblical lament, can contribute to the healing of those who have suffered trauma.
The Intersection of Biblical Lament and Psychotherapy in the Healing of Trauma Memories
Old Testament Essays, 2019
A study of biblical lament psalms can help present-day sufferers express their own pain to God, and this can result in personal, social, and biological healing. In this empirical study, Zulu "pain-bearers" first studied Psalms 3 and 13 and then wrote and performed their own laments, using the biblical laments as a model. The use of poetic form is shown to have advantages over narrative therapy approaches. The empirical compositions and performances fit with the insights gained from cognitive psychotherapy approaches as well as the therapeutic steps proposed by Judith Herman. Moreover, apart from facilitating healing of the soul and interpersonal relations, the research insights of Cozolino and others suggest that lament can stimulate the biological healing of the brain, allowing for the healthy processing of the trauma memories.
African Youth Engage With Psalms of Lament To Find Their Own Voice of Lament
Journal of Theology for Southern Africa, 2018
The biblical psalms of personal lament show certain characteristics which can assist African youth struggling with various issues to voice their own laments. In this empirical study, “pain-bearers” from various sectors in South Africa (refugees, AIDS-sufferers, and members of the LGBT community) participated in short workshops where they studied Psalms 3 and 13. They then composed their own laments using features of biblical lament: complaints, petitions, requests for justice, and an honest expression of their mood (often oscillating between negative and positive statements). Analysis of the lament compositions shows they include the elements considered essential by trauma-therapists (establishing safety, reconstructing the trauma-story, and restoring connections with one’s community), and lament-researchers (restoring the voice of a subject, providing a sense of justice, and connecting with God), and could result in biological healing, a possible application of the work of neuro-researchers. Thus one can posit that the expression of lament could promote wholeness for sufferers.
A Winnicottian Approach to Biblical Lament: Developing a True Self in the Midst of Suffering
Journal of Psychology and Theology
There is a growing awareness within Christian scholarship and practice that the biblical theology and practice of lament is not outdated but rather of vital importance for the health of the church in how it relates to God, others, and the self. What this article seeks to explore in a fresh way is why lament is so important by examining how the practice of it achieves the health that is so desperately needed. At the heart of this exploration is a rereading of the biblical lament tradition through the pioneering work of Object Relations Theory psychiatrist Donald Winnicott. A key aspect of Winnicott’s work was how the “true self” develops, and it is his work around this subject that is used here to enable exploration of how lament may achieve the development of the true self, rather than a “false self” in the life of those lamenting. It is intended that this will throw fresh light on the theology and practice of lament as well as giving new impetus to Christian communities to consider...
Pastoral Psychology, 2019
Biblical poetry, in particular the psalms of lament, provides a model of how composing one's own lament and performing it to God can be a positive element in healing the effects of trauma. In an empirical study, Zulu youth who had experienced various forms of trauma, learned to use the model of biblical psalms of lament to compose their own laments. The process of regaining agency, establishing a sense of justice (with an appeal for the perpetrator of the hurt to be punished), and a rekindling of hope for life going forward, all elements of biblical lament, are also vital parts of the healing process. Thus it is suggested that the use of poetry, in the form of biblical lament, can contribute to the healing of those who have suffered trauma.
LAMENT: THE BIBLICAL LANGUAGE OF TRAUMA
2015
This article will claim that biblical lament expressed in corporate worship is uniquely fitted to provide therapeutic benefit for trauma victims. First, the pervasiveness of traumatic experience will be explored and established. Second, the contemporary church’s neglect of lament will be explored and established. Third, the Lament Psalms and the book of Lamentations will be explored and examined with attention given to contents, structures, and backgrounds that confirm these texts as the “biblical language of trauma.” Fourth and finally, the therapeutic benefits of lament will be examined in the light of trauma recovery theory and pastoral theology. The terms victim and survivor will be used interchangeably since each term represents an aspect of traumatic experience. (Individuals are wounded, shaken, and disoriented – victimized; but in the waves of aftermath, existence often becomes survival.) Originally published in Cultural Encounters, Volume 11, Number 1, Winter 2015, pp. 50-68.
Examples of Contemporary Laments (Based on Biblical Laments), Illustrating Theological Insights
Scriptura, 2018
Many of us do not see God in our suffering as a result of our notions of who God is and how God interacts with us. But a study of the psalms of lament can help us bring all our emotions – those emanating from pain, frustration, faith, and a need for revenge – to God. In this article, examples are given of lament poems composed by young Zulu 'pain-bearers', after they had come to understand the language of biblical lament, as seen in three psalms. A careful review of these lament psalms gave insight to the participants as to who God is and how we can approach God. They also noted that in the Bible suffering was part of the normal human condition. By composing their own personal laments, the young people were able to process their pain better, and gain a sense of agency, being able to tell their stories and be heard with respect and compassion. Introduction Many of us have naive notions about who God is and of how God interacts with us, and consequently we do not see God in our suffering. In this study, 'pain-bearers' were encouraged to explore God in their suffering, through participating in a workshop where they were given a brief review of some psalms of lament, and then encouraged to write their own laments, following ideas they gained from the biblical pattern. The participants were Zulu youth from the Pietermaritzburg area, and included young women who are part of an AIDS support group, and young men and women from the local LGBT support group. During the workshop (conducted over two days, for three hours per day, for each group separately), they studied Psalms 3 and 13 (personal biblical laments), as well as Psalm 55 (a communal lament). They noted that the biblical poems included complaints (sometimes in the form of rhetorical questions), requests for justice to be done to the perpetrator, expressions of trust, and petitions, and these different forms were often intermingled, revealing the heart of the speaker. The young people then used these ideas to compose their own personal laments, speaking into their particular situations. A few examples follow, with complaints highlighted in grey, expressions of trust in bold, and requests (for justice or other) in italics. Thereafter, a review is made of lament studies in recent years, to place these empirical examples within the frame of the theory of biblical lament.
Becoming Ruth or the lamenting psalmist -finding hope in pain
Conspectus, 2023
The need for trauma-healing has significantly increased recently, and new innovative and costeffective ways must be found to help sufferers, particularly those in economically-challenged areas. In this study, literature trauma theory is applied, using the biblical story of Ruth and some lament psalms, to help sufferers find a measure of healing. It was found that engaging with the emotions experienced by the characters in the biblical text enabled sufferers to express their own pain and to identify with the way God interacted with the biblical characters. The approach also provided a creative interaction with the text which participants enjoyed. In these days of increasing emotional challenge, it is a means worth exploring in various contexts and using relevant biblical texts.
Relating Prayer and Pain: Psychological Analysis and Lamentations Research
Tyndale Bulletin, 2010
Psychological approaches to biblical texts have gained currency, particularly in lament literature. One notes, however, an increasing interest in the intersections between Lamentations and psychological analysis as well. Upon a survey of literature, one quickly realises no singular methodology prevails: scholars have applied to Lamentations the insights of Kübler-Ross’ grief process as well as the insights of John Archer, Yorick Spiegel, Sigmund Freud and the perspectives of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Whilst useful in identifying and assessing pain in the poetry, these approaches undervalue the crucial indicators of prayer in Lamentations. These indicators press research to the fecund field of the psychology of prayer. This essay exposes diverse applications of psychological approaches to the book, presents an analysis of both the benefits and limitations of this research and then relates prayer and pain in its poetry by exploring the connections between Lamentations and...