Does God See Me: A Guide to Healing
Dieula M. Previlon explains how to heal trauma as a woman with the help of God.
Does God See Me? by Dieula M. Previlon chronicles her life’s journey while exploring trauma healing with the help of God. Dieula has made it her life’s work to be able to offer women all over the world freedom by healing their trauma.
Her main question examined throughout the book is its namesake: “Does God see me?” One particular person from the Bible that Dieula resonates with and who was important in her healing journey is Hagar. Hagar gave Dieula a sense of hope again and potrays as a motherly figure to not only her, but to those she has helped heal as well.
Dieula is a professional in trauma recovery and uses her expertise, experience with helping women, and her own life story to share how healing trauma and faith in God go hand in hand. Jesus’ ministry on earth was largely providing healing and giving new life. Dieula goes into detail about the traumas she has faced herself and her journey with Christianity throughout the book, demonstrating how God set her on this journey to help other women.
She outlines three main steps in healing trauma: understanding the trauma, facing the trauma, and finding freedom from the trauma. She also explains that trauma can be caused by a single event or a series of events that tear victims apart and leave them debilitated. She notes that an individual’s responses to trauma is unique and won’t be the same for everyone. Grief, shame, domestic violence, sexual abuse, abandonment, and racial trauma are some examples of trauma Dieula explores.
In the book, she outlines practices that are important for healing trauma, including intentionality, time with God, journaling, perseverance, patience, self-care, and community support. This along with help from professional counselors, spiritual directors, or life coaches can create healing. She also discusses the technical aspects and characteristics of trauma, exploring how other factors such as PTSD and addiction can be caused by trauma.
Dieula encourages that healing is necessary as it enables individuals to accomplish their life missions, which is done on the other side of pain or with an awareness of how the pain is impacting our lives. An important part of healing is being open to the process of healing and removing barriers, and allowing oneself time and space to heal is critical.
Zuri Primos is an Intern for Hope Magazine. She is a student at Dillard University and the Editor-in-chief of the Dillard University student paper, the Courtbouillon.