PTSD & Psalm Twenty-Three: Coming Up out of PTSDs Trench will draw you into the very essence of post-traumatic stress disorder. Robert Scholten does this through vivid word pictures and clarity of writing that touch hearts and minds. Roberts passion and compassion for veterans and families struggling with PTSD opens new avenues of understanding for a very misunderstood reality of life. Robert survived Vietnam without a scratch as a gunner on a Duster attached to the 173rd Infantry Airborne. However, he was unaware of an internal wound. He left Vietnam, but Vietnam never left him. His journey through PTSD will amaze you. Robert buried everything negative about Vietnam. He never talked about the bloodshed. It was imprisoned under lock and key deep in his soul, never to see the light of day. Nearly forty years after his tour of Vietnam, Robert fell prey to PTSD. In November of 2007, Robert was admitted into the Lexington, Kentucky, VAs six-week, clinical, in-house PTSD rehabilitation program. He remains under their care. Up from that experience, and through the years since, he has felt compelled to bear his soul in hopes of assisting other PTSD sufferers, and those who care about them.

Prepare for a journey unlike any other as you step into the darkened realms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. In Psalm 25 & PTSD, war veteran Robert Scholten does the unthinkable by giving readers access into hidden chambers of his life, which was forever changed by the Vietnam War. Robert analyzes each passage of Psalm 25 in relation to his struggles with PTSD, and his vivid word pictures will keep readers captivated along his passage through a seemingly hopeless domain without exits. Psalm 25 & PTSD is an unforgettable experience of hope for PTSD sufferers and those who love them. 'Scholten's book pulls readers into the very pitfalls of combat veterans. It is a must read for veterans with PTSD and anyone attempting to understand them.' —Sgt. David McCray, Section Chief, C Btry 4th/60th Arty & E-41st Arty, First Field Force Vietnam-1971 'The dilemma of being a good soldier and a godly man is a lesson for every veteran. Giving voice to recollections of his time in country, Robert bares his soul, challenging each of us to serve our country and each other.' —Robert B. Woolley M.D. Psychiatrist, Clinical PTSD Department, Veterans Affairs Hospital, Lexington, Kentucky

We live in a broken world full of challenges, failures, and disappointments. As life continues, many unknowns lie before us that can weigh us down, inflicting wounds that often get buried or ignored. We have been created to thrive in our relationships with God, our family, our neighbors and ourselves. By knowing that God is our Good Shepherd, understanding the identity that we have as his precious sheep, we can find rest and healing in our souls. Through this humble book, Healing Through Psalm 23, may God comfort you who are suffering, who are in pain, who need forgiveness; may you know God, walk confidently and grow into the maturity of coming alongside others in their journey of healing.

Sokreaksa S. Himm was a member of a large family in Siem Reap City, Cambodia when the country fell to the Khmer Rouge on April 17, 1975. Forced to join the exodus to the jungle villages, the whole family was marched to a grave and killed, one by one. Young Reaksa, gravely wounded, was covered by the bodies of his brothers and sisters. In time, he escaped the Killing Fields and fled to a Thai refugee camp. He eventually made his way to Canada and attended Tyndale University, graduating with a Bachelor of Religious Studies degree in 1993. Continuing his studies, he earned a Master of Arts in Christian Education (Providence Theological Seminary, 1996) and a Doctor of Psychology (Southern California University, 2004). He was awarded an honourary doctorate from Providence Theological Seminary in 2007. He is the author of The Tears of my Soul, which describes his journey to freedom, faith, and purpose, and After the Heavy Rain, which tells of his journey of forgiveness and reconciliation to the people who killed his family. In his book, Shepherd of My Soul he describes his journey from the deep dark valley of his life to recovery. As an ex-PTSD sufferer, life after a major loss is a matter of learning how to cope with emotional and psychological crises and traumas. The more he learns about his own emotional and psychological crises the more he becomes aware of his need to depend on the sufficient grace of the Good Shepherd. A moving and profoundly insightful meditation on Psalm 23 by one who journeyed through the terrible valley of the shadow of death in the Killing Fields, where he witnessed and barely escaped the cruel slaughter of his father, mother, and siblings, emerging as a broken and deeply wounded orphan. Anyone who has read this story in the author's Tears of My Soul (Monarch 2003) and After the Heavy Rain (2007 Monarch) will be stirred and spiritually nourished in reading this book. I highly recommend it. Dr. Jonathan Bonk, Research Professor of Mission You will treasure insights that will lift you from our own shallowness, into deeper regions of a life where accompanying grace both nurtured and liberated. Dr. Brian C Stiller, Global Ambassador, the World Evangelical Alliance This is the story of how God's love rescued and resuscitated an orphan of genocide. It will give anyone who has felt broken by trauma hope they can recover too. Dr. Grant Mullen, Author of Emotionally Free Reaksa's own life and pain-- an account which he generously shares with us in the hope that we too will discover a Shepherd of our soul when we face our deepest sorrows and trauma. It invites us to face our pains in the light of Psalm 23, and in doing so, is a gift to us all. Dr. Brian Harris, Former Principal, Vose Seminary, Perth Australia; Director AVENIR Leadership Institute Sokreaksa (Reaksa) Himm was a member of a large family in Siem Reap City, Cambodia when the country fell to the Khmer Rouge on April 17, 1975. Forced to join the exodus to the jungle villages, the whole family was marched to a mass grave and killed, one by one. Young Reaksa, gravely wounded, was covered by the bodies of his brothers and sisters. Life after a major loss is a matter of learning how to cope with emotional and psychological crises and traumas. The more he learns about his own emotional and psychological crises, the more he becomes aware of his need to depend on the sufficient grace of the Good Shepherd.

The Lord is My Shepherd; A 12 Step Journey through Psalm 23 is a recovery workbook and bible study. David's personal pronouns in Psalm 23 draws us in to experience God's loving care as our Good Shepherd. We fall in love with Jesus as we come to see ourselves as his beloved sheep. Within the safety of this intimate relationship we take an honest look at ourselves, our thoughts, our behaviors, our feelings, and our problems. The 12 Steps and Pslam 23 when studied together provide the perfect material for this comprehensive recovery process. Whether it's recovery from alcohol and other drug use/abuse, codependency, mental health disorders, process addictions, trauma, or pain from your past, the material is appropriate and designed to heal. Each week includes a wellness recovery action plan and relapse prevention material. It's as if Psalm 23 and The 12 Steps were meant to be studied together. Every line in David's poem is studied for 4 weeks along with one of the 12 Steps. Because there are 12 lines in Psalm 23 and 12 Steps, the material takes us through a 12 month journey. There's no better way to work the 12 Steps than to be guided, comforted, and restored by the Lord as your Shepherd. It's a beautiful recovery journey that will pleasantly surprise you at every turn. As a Licensed Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor with over 20 years experience I can attest to the positive value of this material. Churches, homeless shelters, sober living recovery homes, counseling centers, therapists and individuals use this recovery workbook and bible study resulting in the life-changing knowledge that "He restores my soul."

The bestselling guide to the healing wisdom of the Twenty-Third Psalm—from the beloved author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People. “A book worthy of attention from people of all faiths.” —The Dallas Morning News Rabbi Harold Kushner has found that the simple, beautiful verses of perhaps the most memorable and cherished chapter of the Bible—full of honesty and optimism—have an almost magical power to comfort and calm—and to change your life. The psalm does not pretend that life is ever easy, but it offers a masterful guide to living in the world with faith and courage. Drawing on over forty years of his own thinking, on other biblical scholars, and on history, Kushner gracefully demonstrates how this sustaining work can help us cope with every aspect of life, from mundane jealousies to the death of a loved one to unimaginable tragedies of global proportions.

Shares uplifting advice about the virtues of forgiveness, offering strategic and biblically based advice on how to achieve peace and personal fulfillment by letting go of past wrongs.