In Times of Crisis S. Ann Johnson Let me take you with me to a place that even now I can hear and see again so well. To a time when all I can hear are the sounds of spent shells landing on the metal roof above me. A time when all I see are flashes of green light as shots fly past the slanted windows. A time when I hear a wife begging her husband not to dash out into the gunfire to find their seven children, not knowing if all the little ones (including my sister) have had time to run. A time when all I can say is, “Save us, Jesus; save us, Jesus.” A time when I sneak out the back door to see something I was never supposed to see—a valley full of fire with everything burning. I know men are dying and the two armies fired heavy artillery into the night. I dress my little sister as a boy, hiding her hair with a handkerchief. I hide my own figure with a baggy t-shirt and prepare for the worst. Imagine us hiding under the bed and covering the ends with a sheet. We play a game of hide and seek that is not a game. How many hours has it been? How many times have we hidden? I realize in my 18year-old head that no person in the world outside of this place knows what is happening to us. How could they know? How could they know? The very essence of becoming a missionary/expatriate Christian worker can entail a high degree of physical risk. Yet, the mental health risk is rarely spoken of in Christian circles. Mental health struggles are often dismissed as weakness and a result of inward spiritual struggles. Yet, as Robert Grant points out in his article, “Trauma in Missionary Life”, “Overseas missionaries can be peppered with years of direct experience with an exposure to crime, psychological intimidation, military and terrorist threats, kidnappings, armed coercion, torture, rape and murder. Repeated robberies and home invasions by burglars, soldiers, and terrorists are also not uncommon. Similarly, daily conditions characterized by destitution, oppression, disease, and domestic (as well as street) violence can wear down even the most dedicated of missionaries” (Grant, 1995). With such physical risks involved in a commitment to overseas service, should it really be so surprising that severe mental
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health risks could be connected to them? The answer must be no. We need to better understand post-traumatic stress and its effects on families and their interpersonal relationships. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is of crucial importance to me and my family. In October 2002, my family was completely surrounded and caught in the crossfire between battling rebel and governmental forces in northern Cote d’Ivoire. Along with this experience came the very real possibility of death, being taken hostage, and rape. Our electricity and water lines were cut by the rebels. People in leadership on the international school campus where we lived realized we would not survive long without some sort of aid. After leaking the news to the international press, we were finally evacuated by the French military after we had spent a week being confined to our compound. In retrospect, every individual who was there likely experienced some degree of PTSD. Since this experience, I have been curious about its impact. How does this disorder, even in the minimal form that I experienced, affect my relationships? How could it potentially affect my continued work in overseas ministry?
What is Post-traumatic Stress? Post-traumatic stress stems directly from a trauma experience. This can be defined as a severe life experience that can completely overwhelm a person. Figley, in his book Psychiatric Disorders, defines trauma as “an emotional state of discomfort and stress resulting from memories of an extraordinary, catastrophic experience which shatters the survivor’s sense of invulnerability.” He defines traumatic stress as “a set of conscious and unconscious activities and emotions associated with dealing with the stressors of the catastrophe and its immediate aftermath” (Miller, 1996). He adds that this often is coupled with the problem of not being able to process the event or incorporate it into one's worldview or belief system. Many researchers believe another type of stress disorder called complex post-traumatic stress disorder is linked with trauma. It stems from continual and repetitious exposure to
