Trauma, Brain Science, and Ministry, with Lori Andrews (Podcast Ep 011)

My podcast guest this week is Lori Andrews, Ed.D. She and I talk about trauma, its effect on the brain, and how to use this information as we lead through challenging times.

Topics include:

• How can we help people cope with the constant flow of low-to-moderate-level trauma?
• The value of consistency in worship services.
• How to help kids prepare for children’s services.
• The neurobiological benefits of corporate worship.

Here are a couple quotes:

• “The more I learn about the brain, the more the Word of God comes alive.”
• “A drained vessel can’t give anything to anybody else. So how do you help yourself stay full so you can help other people through the process?”
• “Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly.” (Her answer to the lightning round question, “What’s the best piece of ministry advice you’ve ever received?”)

For her doctoral work, Lori researched what students with emotional or behavioral problems had in common prior to being identified as special needs. No surprise – chronic trauma and broken family systems. She now applies this work, along with her training in neurobiology, to help educators and other leaders identify and help people overcome their trauma. Dr. Andrews works for the Baldwin Park USD, and she has spent many years in small-church ministry.

(Note: We’ve moved from the weekly schedule we used for the first ten episodes to a bi-weekly schedule for upcoming episodes.)