Roots and Triggers – Inner Healing – illustration

Ken Fish shares the story of a woman who grew up during the Lebanese Civil War to illustrate the concepts of roots and triggers in the context of inner healing.

• Root: The woman’s root was the trauma she experienced during the Lebanese Civil War. This included the constant sounds of explosions and gunfire and the fear of car bombs. Though these events were not specifically directed at her, they caused significant psychological and emotional damage. These early experiences laid a foundation of trauma in her life, which was very damaging.
• Trigger: Years later, the woman experienced a trigger event when she and her husband were near the finish line of the Boston Marathon bombing. This event reawakened the trauma from her childhood in Lebanon. The bombing acted as a trigger that set off the issues related to the root trauma.

Following the Boston Marathon bombing, the woman developed fibromyalgia, characterized by pain throughout her body3…. According to Ken Fish, this is an example of how a root of trauma can manifest in physical symptoms when activated by a trigger.

Ken Fish explains that trauma is cumulative in its effect. A root is laid down early in life, and although it may seemingly have no immediate impact, it can be activated later in life by a trigger. This trigger event can be many years after the root cause is laid down and when they occur, people often do not connect the two. In this instance, the Lebanese Civil War was the root, and the Boston Marathon bombing was the trigger.

This example emphasizes that inner healing often involves addressing not only current issues but also the underlying roots of past trauma. In this case, healing involved addressing the root trauma from her childhood in Lebanon, and the trigger of the Boston Marathon bombing. After they prayed, the woman experienced relief from her pain and numbness. This example shows how inner healing can address not only emotional and mental issues, but can also have a physical effect.

• Title: Healing of Past Hurts
• Speaker: Ken Fish
• Start time: 11:53
• End time: 15:47

Orbis Ministries – Link to Ken Fish’s Ministry material.