Abstract
Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians begins with exuberant praise to the “God of all comfort who comforts us in all our affliction.” Many today suffer affliction and seek comfort in the words of this God. In the biblical psalms of lament, there is much with which they can resonate. Indeed, these poems can not only provide words for “those without words” but can also offer a model of how to compose one’s own lament to God. This latter possibility was tried in an empirical study with Zulu women who had experienced the trauma of sexual abuse. They learned to use the model of biblical laments to compose and perform their own poems. Certain features of biblical lament (regaining one’s voice, establishing a sense of justice, and rekindling hope for life going forward) are vital parts of the healing process, in line with Judith Herman’s model of trauma therapy. Thus, the author suggests that the use of poetry, in the form of biblical lament, can contribute to the healing of those who have suffered trauma.
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Notes
“Suffering” is a broad term that includes ongoing pain from an affliction, whereas “trauma” refers to an event with defined limits. However, the effects of trauma are ongoing suffering, and lament seeks to help those who experience ongoing pain (such as from a physical illness) as well as the effects of a horrific event (such as rape).
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version of the Bible (ESV).
Apart from the advantages of using the genre of poetry to help trauma sufferers (as discussed in this section), Lee (2008) makes the more general observation that “insights from the study of oral tradition in biblical studies have been applied to narrative texts, yet insufficiently tapped for biblical poetry as it stands” (p. 35).
Van der Kolk and Van der Hart (1995, p. 178) give the example of a Holocaust survivor who was encouraged to imagine a flower growing in the “place of horror” in Auschwitz.
See also Caruth 2016, p. 26.
Villanueva (2008) objects to an over-emphasis on the petition element within lament, claiming that this has “reduced their force” (p. 253). He believes that lament psalms “characteristically give little space to . . . requesting YHWH to act.” Goldingay (2006) agrees, claiming that laments consist mainly of “expressions of pain and protest” (p. 62). Other scholars point out the presence of confession and/or praise as well as petition in psalms of lament. Brueggemann (2008) suggests that penitence may be “a strategic preparation for the petition that follows” (p. 226). Praise may follow the petition if the lamenter anticipates a divine response (Villanueva 2008, p. 228). The praise may be genuine or may be part of the ongoing attempt to persuade YHWH to act.
Jussives are polite imperatives (expressing a wish, a blessing, or a request) in the form “may God . . .” or “let God . . .”
The poet explained this line as follows: Let them lose the wrong idea that I am a loser.
The term “sugar-daddy” usually refers to an older man who offers money or goods to a young woman in exchange for sexual favors.
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Dickie, J.F. Lament as a Contributor to the Healing of Trauma: an Application of Poetry in the Form of Biblical Lament. Pastoral Psychol 68, 145–156 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-018-0851-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-018-0851-z