Learning to Travel Light

If you’re familiar with the song “Bag Lady,” by Erykah Badu, chances are you can also identify with the song, of a woman who is in danger of missing her bus because she is carrying too many bags.

Emotional baggage can cause you to miss out on blessings when your “bus” comes in. We can become so burdened with a gigantic host of problems that we collapse under the painful weight of the past or the dull ache of future fears. We need to learn how to cast off our emotional baggage and travel light so that we are more prepared to go wherever it is that God’s hand will take us.

One excellent book to instruct you in the art of traveling light is The Trauma Zone: Trusting God for Emotional Healing  [Lift Every Voice], by R. Dandridge Collins, PhD. Dr. Collins, who is trained in counseling psychology and pastoral psychology, and owns the Pastoral Counseling Network, says that people who have experienced various levels of emotional pain are not fully living in the present but, rather, in the “Trauma Zone,” a place where the goal is reduced to daily (or even hourly) survival—surviving one more slight from a family member, friend or co-worker, one more flashback to a painful memory, or one more drink, hit, calorie-laden meal or anonymous sexual partner to unsuccessfully numb our pain.

Dr. Collins discusses psychological principles of the Trauma Zone that keep us emotionally paralyzed and details patient case studies and passages from the Bible that show how people overcame internal struggles through relationship with God. These range from Jesus blocking temptation from the devil to use his God-given strengths for personal gain, to Jonah who, in fear, did not want to follow through on God’s command and ultimately found himself facing the prospect of death in the ocean, inside a large whale. Prayer to God and a renewed commitment to God’s desires for his life turned his situation around.

In addition to the stories, Dr. Collins provides homework, self-reflection exercises for overcoming each way that emotional trauma can cause a person to shut down. He also offers powerful prayers that can be used repeatedly to gain strength in challenging situations. Prayer topics include gaining strength to face fears, putting painful memories of the past to rest, and silencing destructive thoughts. Additionally, appendices provide a list of relevant self-help organizations, recommended books to read, and guidelines for choosing a "support person"--someone to whom you can turn to with problems and get the inspiration you need to overcome them. This comprehensive book is a cool drink of water to a thirsting sufferer.