There is an old preacher joke that is all too true. A pastor says to his doctor, “I think I may be paranoid; I feel like someone’s out to get me.” The doctor says, “You’re not paranoid, pastor; I know some of your church members and they are out to get you.”
When I surrendered to preach at age 17, I had no idea of the great blessings and the great battles that lay ahead for me. As a pastor’s son, I saw my father’s constant stress from the demands of the pastorate until he was finally hospitalized for mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion. I thought that it would be different for me. It wasn’t. Even though there is no greater privilege than serving God as a shepherd of His sheep, the reality is that most shepherds have wounds from their sheep. Sheep stink, they are a lot of trouble, and they bite! Very few pastors don’t have war stories, battle scars, and trauma.
pastoral post-traumatic stress and PTSD
When I say “pastoral post-traumatic stress,” one immediately thinks of PTSD. What many pastors experience is no different than classic PTSD. Think about what PTSD is. PTSD, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, is the most common response to trauma. PTSD is a set of reactions or responses that can occur after going through a traumatic experience. It’s not the trauma event, but the reactions, or symptoms, that come afterwards to the person who has gone through the trauma.
Some of the symptoms of PTSD are:
Re-living the trauma with unwanted memories, nightmares, and/or flashbacks.
Intense reactions like heart palpitations or difficulty breathing when reminded of the event.
Avoiding activities, places, people, thoughts, or feelings that bring memories of the trauma.
Negative thoughts and feelings such as fear, anger, or guilt; or feeling numb and flat.
Blaming and constantly casting blame on self or others for what happened.
Feeling cut-off from friends and family, loss of interest in daily activities..
Trouble sleeping or concentrating.
On edge, hyper-alert, irritable, easily startled, constantly on the lookout for danger.
pastoral post-traumatic stress
and ptsd risk factors by profession
When we think of PTSD, we don’t usually think of pastors. We think of soldiers, policemen, firefighters, E.R. workers, and first responders. These professions, indeed, have high risk factors for PTSD. Soldiers in battle have a 30% risk of PTSD, police have a 10% risk, firefighters have a 20% risk, E.R. workers have a 17% risk, and first responders have a 15-30% risk.
When people who go through a trauma are able to talk to a counselor soon afterwards, the rate of PTSD goes down, which is why police officers have a low risk of PTSD and soldiers in battle have a high risk.
But what about pastoring a church? No one would think that being a pastor is an at-risk profession for PTSD, not like a soldier, policeman, or fire fighter. But according to a study at Danielsen Institute at Boston University of pastors across denominations, 35% of clergy met the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis. According to that study at least, serving as a pastor is the highest risk profession for developing PTSD. Many pastors and former pastors do have the symptoms of PTSD and suffer from Pastoral Post-Traumatic Stress without realizing it.
Why Do Pastors Have A High Risk Of PTSD?
PASTORS ARE REGULARLY EXPOSED TO TRAUMA
Either by ministering to people who have suffered trauma and hearing the terrible details, or by personally witnessing trauma (clergy are often are at the hospital or the bedside or at the scene when people die, sometimes in terrible ways.
PASTORS HAVE A HIGH-STRESS CAREER
The world of a pastor is one of unrealistic expectations, high criticism, and low-to-no support system. That is volatile formula. Studies have shown that high stress increases the risk of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and mood and sleep disturbances.
PASTORS HAVE LITTLE-TO-NO SUPPORT SYSTEMS
Most high-stress professions have support systems that provide counseling for stress and trauma. Churches do not. They expect the pastor to be their support system, but pastors are on their own. Church members would see a pastor’s need of counseling as a weakness perhaps requiring termination. If the pastor were to secretly see a counselor, it would be out of pocket, which most can’t afford.
Could My Pastor Have
pastoral post-traumatic stress?
Here are some signs that your pastor could have Pastoral Post-Traumatic Stress:
Avoids or pulls away from family, friends, or church members.
Becomes unusually anxious when asked for an unexpected meeting.
Alert to potential danger from church leaders or members; sees imaginary threats.
Hyper-sensitive to criticism, complaints; unusually defensive, guarded.
Trouble sleeping, nightmares.
Lethargy or trouble doing day-to-day tasks.
Distracted, distant, forgetful.
Depressed, angry, on edge.
Negative, pessimistic, self-absorbed.
Self-destructive behavior.
Chronic pain.
Emotions seem flat or complaints of feeling emotionally numb.
How To Protect Your Pastor From
Pastoral post-traumatic stress
PROVIDE MONTHLY COUNSELING
As a part of the pastor’s benefit package, your church should pay for a monthly appointment with a Licensed Professional Counselor who is a Christian and understands pastoral stress. Some denominations provide this for pastors at no to little cost. Our counseling center, SoulCare Counseling in Colleyville, Texas, is a perfect place for pastors to get counseling. As a retired pastor and pastor’s wife, we founded SoulCare Counseling to be a Christian counseling center. All of our counselors are born-again, Bible believing Christians who love pastors.
HELP YOUR PASTOR AND PASTOR’S WIFE KNOW THE SYMPTOMS OF PTSD
Unless they know the signs of PTSD, the first response of a pastor and wife to the symptoms will be guilt and shame, and they will try to hide it rather than deal with it.
GIVE THE PASTOR TIME OFF AFTER A TRAUMA
If the pastor has dealt with a traumatic event in his ministry or the life of the church, give an extra week or two to process it. Take some of the stress off of your pastor in this time. Why? Because, do you want a sharp or dull tool? Pastors who have experienced trauma and healed are sharpened by the experience and now better able to minister to those going through the same thing. But pastors who remain in their trauma are like a dull axe, no use to anyone.
If you are a pastor, and think you might be struggling with PTSD, or if you think your pastor might be struggling with PTSD, we can help. I encourage you read about trauma therapy, and reach out to us at SoulCare Counseling to schedule a free thirty-minute consultation with one of our Christian counselors.
Dr. Mark Riley is the co-founder and executive director of SoulCare Counseling. He holds Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees, and is retired from 44 years as a pastor. He is the husband of Dr. Bernis Riley.