Mennonite Weekly Review

AKRON, Pa. — Through facts, photographs and stories, Carolyn Holderread Heggen described the trauma created by war.

Carolyn Holderread Heggen speaks at Akron Mennonite Church.

Heggen, a psychotherapist specializing in trauma recovery and a member of Albany (Ore.) Mennonite Church, led several sessions of Akron Mennonite Church’s adult summer Bible school sessions July 25-28.

Participants learned about the psychological and spiritual wounding that soldiers experience in the military, and what peace church people can do to help them find healing and redemption.

In her presentations, “Healing the Wounds of War,” she included much of the content she uses in workshops across the country by the same name.

After preaching the morning sermon — “Who’s Invited to Your Party?” — based on Luke 14:12-23, Heggen presented five sessions dealing with the following topics: “The Reality Behind the Myth/The High Cost of Combat,” “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Altered Identity,” “The Wounds of Combat,” “The Healing Journey for Veterans” and “The Redemptive Community.”

Between 120 and 150 people attended each of the three evening sessions.

Each evening, before Heggen began her presentation, people from the congregation told of their experiences with family members who chose to serve in the military. They described the pain, trauma and family crises that ensued and how they dealt with them.

Heggen presented extensive research on what happens to American soldiers during boot camp and in combat and from her many conversations with wounded veterans. Participants learned how those who plan and execute U.S. wars deceive recruits and hide realities from the public. Heggen helped those attending her sessions understand the sense of loss that psychologically and spiritually wounded veterans feel after returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

She argued that peace church people are uniquely equipped to offer healing and hope to the increasing number of returning seriously wounded soldiers.

Throughout her five sessions Heggen reminded the audience that psychology alone cannot bring the real healing wounded soldiers crave. What can help them find full healing is the spiritual component that people of faith — perhaps especially Mennonites — can offer them, she said.

Heggen led participants to examine and understand the effects of trauma and to consider ways that Christian peacemakers can become agents of compassion for those suffering from the trauma of participation in war.