Pastorale traumaberading vir kapingslagoffers: enkele Randfonteinse AGS-lidmate as steekproef

• Main Author: Pretorius, Gerrit Johan
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: Victims of crimes; Pastoral counseling; Carjacking; Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/4921

M.A. === Hijacking has become so prevalent that the South African Police Service created a separate division to attend to these priority crimes, The Crime Information Analysis Centre. This division coordinates statistics and information and analyse factors leading to crime in order to plan a strategy to prevent it. The reasons for the multiplication of hijacking can be found in economic benefits, urbanization, dehumanization, inefficiency of law enforcement, the role of syndicates, security mechanisms in cars, and the ready availability of weapons. Few subjects are as relevant as trauma counseling, with few South Africans who have not experienced at some stage a crisis, shock or trauma due to crime, violent deaths, hijackings, rape, molesting and abuse, murder of farmers, and HIV and Aids. Trauma counseling is the professional treatment of a person experiencing problems, through constructive growth in faith and renewal, based on the atonement with God through Christ. It is important that the Bible be utilised in Christian counseling as the Spirit of God speaks through it. The counselor can help the traumatized patient by giving them the 12 opportunity to communicate their pain, anguish, fright, terror and anger in an honest way to God. Healing occurs when the traumatized find a (new) reason to live, through faith in the goodness of God. The counselor does not teach positive thinking but rather the truth of the Word of God instead of wrong thought processes and perceptions. In the end the client is taught to find meaning in their lives in the midst of tragic events and crises. With the help of God they are enabled top look back at what happened in the trauma and to realize that it makes sense. Even though Christians do not always understand God’s meaning with what He allows in their lives, they learn to trust Him. When they learn to look at their lives through God’s eyes, they realize the limitations of their own vision. Even pain has a purpose and can be the cause of growth and a sharper focus. It reminds us of the need to trust in God so that hijacking is not the end of life but the beginning of a new life.