What to do when hope seems lost
by Genstacia Bull
A serious accident, a sudden death or sexual assault can cause Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PSTD, left untreated, can leave a person in a cycle of hopelessness and defeat.
A popular solution seems to be transcendental meditation (TM) which is a veiled form of Hinduism. The marketing for TM claims to be a religiously neutral method of relaxation and rejuvenation.
The person is required to say a mantra out loud this is a ‘special’ word, usually meaningless. It is repeated until each utterance runs into the next and sounds like a continuous hum. When it reaches that stage, the gods and spirits are invoked.
Repeating a mantra invocation means that the spirits begin their activities in the life of the initiate. This simply opens the door to deeper problems even suicidal thoughts.
Let’s look at productive ways to overcome hopelessness:
##1 Reach out
Helping someone when we are hurting is not easy. Yet it is an effective way of taking the focus from ourselves.
We do not need to have arrived at a place of complete wholeness to reach out to some one in worse place. Reaching out brings a sense of fulfilment when we bring joy to someone else. Navel gazing only makes us more introverted and self centred.
There was a time I was facing homelessness. In the midst of that traumatic experience I shared housing resources acquired with others who did not have the same information.
As we help others, we attract help for ourselves.
##2 Connect
There is a strong tendency to withdraw from society and isolate ourselves when we feel hopeless. The loneliness becomes a catalyst for deeper depths of despair.
Join a support group. There are several meet up groups for different interests online. It takes courage to start socialising again but people in those groups are also looking for companionships.
Learning a new skill is another way to connect back with society. An advance swimming course or taking up a new language can be a good way to reconnect with the world as well spring new life into your soul.
##3 Speak up!
Hopelessness comes from negative thought patterns. The antidote to that are biblical affirmations. Speaking the words of God, the Supreme being not a being within ourselves as TM suggests, has the power to transform despair into hope.
I have proved it. There was a period I was recovering from an operation, and was in excruciating pain. That was a hopeless season for me. I decided to read out a set of affirmations on the hour every hour.
Is that extreme? It depends on the level of our desperation. Speaking out loud took my mind off the pain. Biblical meditation is not like TM. It does not empty the mind, leaving it prone to demonic attack. There is nothing hidden or secret about it. Beware of anything that claims to reach your ‘inner self’ by way of secret or complex means.
References:
Christianity Today & Christian Doctrine.net
Genstacia Bull works in project management and is a freelance writer. Her work has been published in several magazines including Ten2Teen, V2V Insider, and she has written devotionals for Penned from the Heart.
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