The author coined the term Theophostic Ministry. As a pastoral counselor Dr. Edward was discouraged with how little people changed or were freed from their emotional pain even after many sessions of counseling. Then he discovered an effective way to minister in his counseling. It was God-centered and God-directed. Yes. I recommend this book because I know it works. For me, this one is personal. Not too often do we have something major happen to us and then find out about it in another context. Usually we read about it first.

Many years ago I was healed and set free of emotional pain I had carried for two decades. A short time later I was visiting with a friend who is a Theophostic counselor for her church when she explained the process to me. She said that during their church’s Theophostic Ministry sessions, a couple of people will pray in a separate room while the counselor is praying with, and guiding, the person in need of healing. They ask God to reveal the source of the person’s emotional pain. The counselor acts more like a facilitator than a counselor. After my friend told me about this unusual way of counseling, where the counselor does not suggest what might have happened–instead, God becomes the source, my interest was piqued. I decided to buy this book because it intrigued me, and because I knew this was something important. Basically, I wanted to know more.

Like in the Theophostic approach, my healing came through seeking, prayer, heavenly therapy, then peace and thankfulness. I had prayed for healing a few weeks before but not knowing if it was possible. Then it came about while I was walking and praying in solitude. God ministered to my inner being in a profound way. A week or two later I noticed I no longer carried a weight of silent heaviness. Theo (God) + Phos – (Light) is a winning combination.  God reveals or shows the emotional damage sustained; He then ministers to the wound and identifies the lies the person has believed about self. This works well because God is the counselor and the healer. He knows more about the person than they do!

PTSD washes over Bonnie Gray under the guise of panic attacks caused by repressed memories.  The author takes us on a journey as she rediscovers the child within her that was crippled, submerged, and restrained even though her faith in God was strong and vibrant. This is a book that takes you deep inside the soul. The interesting thing, to me, is how Bonnie experiences these flashbacks during the period of writing a spiritual book about quiet time alone with God, spiritual whitespace, and as a result she ends up with a much different book than she had originally anticipated. This book serves as a reminder of how God becomes an initiator of change in ways we do not anticipate.  She shows how God helps us find hope and freedom while walking through the valley of tears. For her, PTSD was the result of trauma-induced emotional damage. Throughout her life, she had learned to trust only herself and God. It was up to her to make it and thrive. Survival. She did what she had to do and became a very successful person, good at what she did, the classic bright overcomer. But the little girl remained trapped. This is a book of discovery. I especially appreciate Gray’s insights as she shares her therapist’s wise use of questions, ones that she resists . . . at first, as he seeks to guide her to a place of kindly facing herself and the wounds that have damaged her inner person. This is a spiritual book about the healing of damaged emotions.