Finding Wholeness: Healing Dissociation and Shame through Faith and Soul-Care
Title: Finding Wholeness: Healing Dissociation and Shame through Faith and Soul-Care
Introduction
In a world that often tells us to push past pain and "keep it together," many Christians quietly struggle with internal fragmentation—dissociation, emotional numbness, and lingering shame. These inner realities are not signs of spiritual failure, but indicators of deeper wounds that need gentle, Christ-centered healing.
Books like Boundaries for the Soul by Alison Cook and Kimberly Miller and The Soul of Shame by Dr. Curt Thompson offer powerful frameworks for understanding these struggles in light of God’s redemptive love. Together with Scripture, they paint a hopeful picture: God not only sees our hidden pain but invites us into a journey of integration and renewal.
Understanding Dissociation Through a Soul-Care Lens
In Boundaries for the Soul, Cook and Miller apply Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy within a Christian worldview. They describe how parts of our soul—such as the inner critic, the protector, or the wounded child—develop in response to life’s traumas or ongoing emotional stress. These parts may seem disruptive, but they are often trying to help us survive.
This fragmentation is a form of dissociation—a psychological coping mechanism where certain parts of our soul become detached or “exiled” to protect us from overwhelming pain. The authors assure readers that even these parts are not sinful in themselves, but in need of guidance and grace. With the Holy Spirit as the “compassionate Counselor,” we can invite Christ into the inner rooms we’ve closed off for years.
Biblical Reflection: Psalm 34:18
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Scripture acknowledges the reality of a fractured inner life and meets it with the nearness of God. The Lord is not distant from our internal pain; He is present, willing to bring restoration.
The Power of Shame and Its Cure
Dr. Curt Thompson, a psychiatrist and practicing Christian, explores the neurological and spiritual dimensions of shame in The Soul of Shame. He defines shame as the emotional weapon used by evil to corrupt our identity and relationships. It tells us: “You are not enough,” “You don’t belong,” or “You are too broken.”
Shame isolates. It leads to hiding—just like Adam and Eve in the Garden (Genesis 3:7-10). But God’s response to their shame was not rejection. He pursued them, asking, “Where are you?”—not out of condemnation, but as an invitation to reconnect and restore.
Biblical Reflection: Hebrews 12:2
“...For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame…”
Jesus didn’t just carry our sin—He bore our shame. On the cross, He broke the power of the enemy’s oldest lie: that we are unworthy of love. In doing so, He opened the door for us to live unashamed, fully known, and fully loved.
Moving Toward Integration and Healing
Both Boundaries for the Soul and The Soul of Shame emphasize that healing is not about "getting rid" of parts of ourselves but inviting all parts into the light of God’s love. This is the path toward integration—where our once-splintered soul becomes whole.
We can begin by:
Naming and acknowledging the parts of us that feel afraid, critical, or wounded.
Listening to these parts with curiosity rather than judgment.
Inviting Jesus into those spaces, trusting in His capacity to heal what we cannot fix on our own.
Biblical Reflection: Romans 12:2
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
This renewal is not a one-time event, but a daily, grace-filled process. With God's help, we can unlearn shame-based patterns and replace them with truth, love, and connection.
Conclusion: Wholeness Is Possible
You are not alone in your experience of dissociation or shame. God’s desire is not just to forgive you, but to restore you—to bring your fragmented soul into wholeness. The journey is not always easy, but with spiritual tools, wise guides, and God’s presence, it is deeply possible.
As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 3:18:
“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory…”
Even in our brokenness, we are being transformed.
Andrew Siefers MA LPC-S is a faith based Biblically minded counselor in Collin County Texas located conveniently off of State Hwy 380 and near the Dallas North Tollway. Being in this location he is able to serve the communities of North Texas that these roads reach into Aubrey, Celina, Sherman, Anna, McKinney, Allen, Plano, Frisco, The Colony, Lewisville, and Prosper. His hope is that each individual that he spends time will will further their understanding of what it means to pursue a life that has an eternal destination that finds peace in Biblical understanding, faith based psychological principles, and interpersonal neurobiology. Please feel free to learn more about him through his professional counseling session offerings located at www.myrootedsoul.com.