Trauma Informed Theology
Building Trauma-Informed Worshipping Communities
Bringing trauma-informed understanding into Christian theology, pastoral care and worship.
Trauma affects how people experience themselves, their relationships, their faith and their place within Christian communities. Yet its impact is not always recognised or understood, and well-intentioned pastoral responses can sometimes deepen distress rather than offer the care and support people need.
Trauma-informed theology brings psychological understanding of trauma into conversation with Christian theology and pastoral practice. It asks how our understanding of God, our interpretation of Scripture, our practices of worship and our relationships within the church can respond more thoughtfully to the experiences of trauma survivors.
This website brings together research, theological reflection and practical resources to help Christian worshipping communities become more trauma-informed. It also offers training and opportunities for pastoral leaders and professionals to develop their understanding and practice.
Joanna Naomi Douglas
Joanna Naomi Douglas is a practising Christian, PhD researcher and speaker working at the intersection of trauma, theology and pastoral practice. Her doctoral research explores the experiences of Christian trauma survivors living with trauma-related dissociative disorders and how their experiences can inform a trauma-informed theological and therapeutic framework for pastoral practice in Christian worshipping communities.
Through her research, writing and training, Joanna seeks to bridge the gap between theological scholarship, psychological understandings of trauma, safeguarding practice and the lived experiences of trauma survivors. Her work explores how Christian theology, worship and pastoral care can respond more thoughtfully to trauma, helping worshipping communities develop more compassionate, informed and responsible approaches to care.
Joanna is passionate about equipping Christian communities and pastoral leaders to engage with trauma in ways that take both the complexity of trauma and the importance of faith seriously.
