29 - Joyful Sorrow – Finding Hope in the Darkness of Grief and Trauma with Julie Busler

<p><strong>Join us for a conversation with Julie Busler about mental illness amidst loss and grief. </strong>Julie shares her story of how loss and trauma impacted her mental health and caused her to become suicidal. As a missionary overseas, she was hospitalized in a Turkish psychiatric ward due to her suicidal ideation.</p><p>Through intense healing from the Lord, medication, and therapy, Julie found hope and joy again. But God didn't heal her entirely of her depression. She has learned how to allow joy and sorrow to coexist in her life. In this episode, Julie shares her testimony of finding hope through the Gospel and how grieving moms can find hope after the loss of a baby.</p><p><strong>In this episode, we discussed:</strong></p><ul> <li>It's okay to struggle even as a Christian</li> <li>What to do about intrusive thoughts even if they initially seem innocent</li> <li>How to get help and tell someone that you're struggling</li> <li>PTSD and how the loss of a baby is traumatic</li> <li>What is trauma and how does it affect our mind and body?</li> <li>Amygdala hijack and its impact on us</li> <li>Unhealthy coping mechanisms in grief</li> <li>The importance of allowing yourself to grieve</li> <li>Why is it so easy for us to pretend we are okay?</li> <li>Allowing Jesus to use our pain and struggles to help others</li> <li>Science and faith (and why therapy and medicine can be good things)</li> <li>Cognitive distortions and how they impact our thinking</li> <li>Letting God use our weakness and humanity for His glory</li> </ul><p><strong>EPISODE SHOW NOTES, FULL TRANSCRIPT, &amp; FREE PDF HOPE GUIDE:</strong><br>www.bridgetscradles.com/post/episode29</p><p><strong>CRADLED IN HOPE PODCAST WEBSITE:</strong><br>Sign up here to receive email updates and hope-filled resources<br>www.bridgetscradles.com/podcast</p><p><strong>CRADLED IN HOPE FACEBOOK COMMUNITY FOR GRIEVING MOMS:</strong><br>www.facebook.com/groups/cradledinhope</p><p><strong>FOLLOW BRIDGET'S CRADLES</strong><br>www.facebook.com/bridgetscradles<b