Преодоление травматического опыта. Православный взгляд

A presentation by Hieromonk Prokopiy (Pashchenko) at a seminar on pastoral care for military personnel and their families, held at the Danilov Monastery in Pereslavl-Zalessky. How does faith help one survive and preserve one's humanity after combat? Father Herman's story: GRU special forces, captivity, the collapse of the "boar personality" – and the discovery of faith as the only way out. Critique of "quick" methods (EMDR/EMDR): without reflection and moral assessment, trauma does not go away, but is driven deeper. The danger of delayed relapse. The connection between military ethics, asceticism, and the teachings of Russian physiologists (Pavlov, Ukhtomsky, Bernstein). The idea of ​​subjectivity: a person is not a sum of reflexes, but an individual with meaning. Academician Ukhtomsky's dominant: a pathological source of excitation cannot be suppressed head-on; it can only be overlaid by another, healthy dominant. Examples: the diaries of Archpriest Sergius Srebryansky (during the Russo-Japanese War), the book "Death and Life," the memoirs of camp prisoners, and the nun Ambrosia (Oberucheva). The main problem is "visual thinking": images of the past "burn into" the consciousness. Salvation lies in words, names, and the naming of pain. Translating images into meaning reduces amygdala activity. Inhibition skills. Daily "training" that forms a new dominant. Prayer and the Psalter as a restructuring of neural connections: not "other people's words," but a life-saving stereotype in a critical situation. On guilt: one must not devalue or "dehumanize" the enemy. Help lies not in absolving guilt through "authority," but in honest analysis, repentance, and prayer for the fallen. Post-traumatic growth is not an end, but a beginning. When the present begins to heal the past. Key point: Trauma is overcome not by "erasing" memories, but by encountering meaning. A person heals when they find a foothold in Eternity, regain the ability to see the image of God in others, and develop positive habits. * Social media and links to Fr. Prokopy's materials: https://taplink.cc/oprokopy