80. Roots To Addiction: Trauma And The World's Subtle Messages

Welcome to episode #80!

In this episode, Matt and Braden follow up on last week with two more roots to addiction: trauma and the impact of the world's subtle messaging.

There are various kinds of trauma
10/10 traumas - Identifying what the biggest traumas in our lives are usually doesn't take too long. Abuse that we've endured, tragedies, or some other big event will stand out. However, there are other kinds of trauma too.

2/10 traumas - Little bothersome events that are repeated over and over again in our lives can start to add up to create a trauma response that may go unrecognized. This could be accumulated disappointments or rejection, a derogatory name that you're called for years, or a variety of other things.

NEGLECT - MRI scans show that blunt-force trauma has a similar impact on our brains as neglect does.

Identifying trauma's impact
Even if we know we've experienced trauma in our lives, we often aren't aware of the scope of its impact on our lives. Addiction and trauma is so closely tied together - and actually identifying the reason for addictive behaviour often exposes unrecognized trauma. When you stop to think and pray about why you keep going back to your sin or behaviour of choice, God might reveal to you a connection between your behaviour and some trauma.

If you find yourself in a mode of fighting people, fleeing situations, or experiencing frightened feelings when certain topics come up or situations arise, there might be trauma that you can identify in those moments. If we continue in a trauma response, the need to escape feels overwhelming so we will find things like sexual immorality to escape into.

Ask God to reveal to you where you have trauma responses and what they may be connected it.

How has the world shaped your view on sex?
There are so many views that the world has on sex that are subliminally implanted into our minds. These might have to be exposed by God or another person sharing a truth that feels uneasy compared to our current way of thinking.

The world tells us that it's good and virtuous to pursue our desires. God though, says to lay down our desires and pursue Him. The Bible never instructs us to pursue desire, pleasure, or blessing for ourselves, but rather it says to delight in Him so that He can give you the desires of your heart in better ways than we could ever experience ourselves.

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Resources
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Podcast Hosts
BRADEN HAFNER
Braden is the Regional Director in Alberta for FamilyLife Canada. He has been married for 12 years to his wife Kristen, and they live in Edmonton, Alberta. He is passionate about seeing marriages grow and thrive, and helping couples move to a deeper oneness with one another and with God. FamilyLife Canada has a variety of resources and events to help you and your spouse take your marriage to the next level. See what would benefit you at www.familylifecanada.com

MATT CLINE
Matt and his wife Louise raise their little guys, David and Oliver, in Edmonton, Alberta. He is honored to do what he can to tackle the epidemic of pornography and sexual perversion in every way possible. Seeing lives and marriages get free and experience the love of God in profound ways is what drives him every day. He leads Restored Ministries, is a certified speaker and coach for the John Maxwell Team, and formerly played hockey in the WHL and for Hockey Canada. You can visit www.restoredministries.ca.