Navigating Trauma Responses and Self-Care

In her lecture “Biblical Narratives of Trauma: Paths to Spiritual and Psychological Restoration,” Thema Bryant-Davis, associate professor of psychology at Pepperdine University and ordained minister, speaks about interpersonal trauma—its complex effects, themes of recovery, and post-traumatic growth—and considers it through a unique Biblical lens.

The Fuller Symposium on the Integration of Psychology and Theology is the annual conference held by the School of Psychology. The 2020 conference, “Holistic Healing and Wellness: Mind, Body, and Spirit,” featured Thema Bryant-Davis, associate professor of psychology at Pepperdine University and ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Her lectures, and the faculty and student responses to each, explored contemplative practices and their transformative impact, interpersonal trauma and recovery, and the holistic approach of womanist psychology.