From Ira Kapitonova in Kyiv (Day 390):
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Psalm 90:14
Sometimes I get overwhelmed when I think about the post-war consequences we will have to deal with. Dealing with trauma is one of them. Unfortunately, it is often overlooked as psychological problems are not as easily visible as physical ones.
Those who suffered at the hands of the invaders, those worried sick for their loved ones in the occupied territories, those waiting for their loved ones who are fighting on the frontlines, those whose lives have been uprooted, those who have lost a friend or a loved one, and even those who are thousands of miles away from the combat zone but those who follow the news, care, and pray – we all have been traumatized by this war. And healing from this trauma will take years, so we must start praying for it now.
The other day, I read about soldiers who needed to be admitted to a mental health institution to deal with PTSD. I think it was the first report that openly spoke about this problem, which is especially sensitive in a society that doesn’t think much about mental care (one of the Soviet legacies). Having gone through hell, many soldiers suffer from nightmares, flashbacks, insomnia, and fear of crowds. These symptoms might not surface while the soldier is still on the front lines, yet they consume their whole being once they can relax in more peaceful surroundings. After WWII, researchers discovered that trauma may affect future generations, even children who haven’t been born yet. My only comfort is in knowing that God can heal, and He alone can break this trauma-passing chain. I cry out to Him to show His mercy.
I also came across an article about a support group organized by the wives of husbands serving on the front. It was started by a woman whose husband has been fighting against the invaders since 2015. She realized she could facilitate support groups for women with similar experiences to help them feel seen and understood. They have a few groups running on a regular basis, including separate groups for the wives whose husbands were killed, have been taken captive, or are considered missing-in-action. These women do their best to support their families, children, and husbands, but oftentimes they are the ones who desperately need support. May the Lord be near to them, and may they feel His presence and cast their burdens on Him.
May the Lord bring healing to all the people traumatized by this war. May He grant wisdom and sensitivity to those working with the traumatized. May every hurting heart see the loving God who is able to sympathize with their weaknesses yet can work all things together for the good of those who love Him.
Voice of Ukraine 
4 responses to “3/21/2023 – Treating the invisible wounds”
Amen!
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“Do you remember that bit of rabbit, Mr. Frodo?” Sam said. “And our place under the warm bank…?”
“No, I’m afraid not, Sam,” said Frodo. “At least, I know that such things happened, but I cannot see them. No taste of food, no feel of water, no sound of wind, no memory of tree or grass or flower, no image of moon or star are left to me.”
(Lord of the Rings by J.R.R.Tolkien, veteran of WWI and WWII)
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“I thought you were going to enjoy the Shire, for years and years!”
“I thought so too once. But I have been too deeply hurt, Sam. I tried to save the Shire, and it has been saved, but not for me. It must often be so, Sam, when things are in danger: someone has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them.”
(Lord of the Rings by J.R.R.Tolkien, veteran of WWI and WWII)
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“Bambi yearned to just lay himself down here, to stretch himself out and not to move a finger. He just could not go any further. His head hurt, there was a buzzing in his ears, his nerves were quivering and his fever began to shake him. His eyes went dim. There was nothing more inside him than the yearning for rest and a vague astonishment at how his life had suddenly been interrupted and altered, at how he had once used to go through the forest in good health and without injury … just that morning … just an hour earlier … it seemed to him now like the happiness of a distant time that had long since vanished…
his wounds healed more quickly and he could feel how his strength was coming back to him.
He had been saved. But he still did not leave his chamber. He would only come out at night and take a few steps around, but in the daytime he would remain quietly in his bed. It was only now, when his body was feeling no more pain, that Bambi realized all that had happened to him, he was able to think once more, and a feeling of great horror arose within him, his character had been shattered. He was not able to simply wipe it away, not able to stand up and run about as he had before. He lay there and felt many emotions, alternately disgusted, ashamed, astonished, disheartened, sonetimes full of melancholy, sometimes full of happiness.”
(Bambi: a life in the woods (chapter 22), by Felix Salten, 1923)
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