“Physician, heal thyself.” These are the words of the abusers of Christ we find in the Gospels. Clergy members and faith leaders within our community are tasked with watching over our souls and bringing God into tragic situations. But who helps them? Who heals the healers?
In this five-part documentary series, Reverend Matthew Crebbin meets with faith leaders to discuss trauma and loss from their perspective. Viewing clergy as first and second responders in times of tragedy, these conversations touch on various topics within the realm of trauma care, including how to help a community broken by tragedy as well as how to cope with the trauma personally.
Healing the Healers is a valuable resource for clergy, advocates, social workers and, really, anyone and everyone who would like a better understanding of how trauma effects a community and its leaders. Frankly, I’d never really thought about the pastors and religious leaders who service these communities during times of trauma. I never really saw them as being affected by the circumstances—which is the whole point of the documentary. The people who are standing by and helping families in times of sorrow are fellow humans who have needs, desires, pain and trauma themselves.
As a minister myself, this documentary really hit home. Not only is it extremely educational and packed with wisdom, it’s also deeply stirring. You can clearly sense the passion these men and women of faith have for the communities they serve, and it makes one wonder: How would I handle the same situation in their shoes? How does my own pastor handle the trauma in our community? This is a documentary I didn’t know was needed, but now that I’ve seen it, I understand that it is desperately needed and important. Healing the Healers is an inspiring and heartbreaking rally cry to unite the religious groups within our community to support one another and support our leaders—before, during, and after trauma.
Due to the maturity of the content, Healing the Healers has been awarded the Dove Seal of Approval for Ages 12+.
The Dove Take:
Healing the Healers is a landmark documentary addressing very difficult topics and is sure to be an invaluable resource to clergy and laity alike.
