By Pat Van Den Heuvel, BCC
Chaplain Pat Van Den Heuvel found the book, “Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope,” by Sister Joan Chittister, OSB, helpful in mental health ministry. In the haiku poems below, Ms. Van Den Heuvel passes on gems she gleaned from the book.
| Struggle with Mental Illness | Hope with a Path |
| 1. CHANGE happens too fast Knocking the wind out of me Not seen or wanted |
CONVERSION means what Being aware of options Chose to be open |
| 2. ISOLATION hides Understanding escapes me Alone in the struggle |
INDEPENDENT How Reaching out despite feelings Bondage no more |
| 3. DARKNESS overwhelms Wrestling the soul’s spirit Heart is cracked open |
FAITH believes in truth Trusting a Higher Power Brightens up the way |
| 4. FEAR paralyzes Apprehending the future Stuck in the present |
COURAGE is fear-less Saying “God Give Me Guts” helps “Liquid “ courage does not |
| 5. POWERLESSNESS steals Hoping no longer is despair PLEASE do not go there |
SURRENDER with peace Giving in not up is Huge Freedom’s power trip |
| 6. VINCIBILITY fragile Exposing hurtful baggage Cripples inner child |
LIMITATIONS How Defining your boundaries Helps to keep you safe |
| 7. EXHAUSTION from nerves Suffering anxiety Sleep is depleted |
ENDURANCE sustains Persevering not running Relax in the pace |
| 8. SCARRED and injured Shaming is so damaging Illness is rampant |
TRANSFORMATION”S here Scarring can produce wisdom Tough lesson to learn |
Note from Pat: When I worked in behavioral health for 10 years as a chaplain, one of the most helpful spirituality groups was what we called the “hope group.”
Using Sister Joan’s book, I simply would invite the patients to share their struggles. Then I would number a board 1-8 under the title called “Struggle” and show the downward spiral that we can all relate to. After landing at the bottom with a “Scar,” the option was given to create a “Hope” column. Once again I numbered 1-8 on the “Hope” side, actually comparing the one side with the other. Patients were free to draw their own conclusions about where they were presently and where they would like to go with “hope.” That’s it in a nutshell without all the fun and laughter and drama and sometimes tears, shared by all. The reason that this article is in haiku is because I thought it would be the easiest way to condense Sr. Joan’s book (I was wrong!). In the actual “hope group,” I used just the first words from both columns and proceeded from there.
Pat Van Den Heuvel of Two Harbors, MN, was in the U.S. Air Force for 22 years, before working 10 years as a chaplain at Miller Dwan Medical Center, Essentia, in Duluth, MN. She retired recently. She reports that in 2012 Tim Serban, disaster spiritual care volunteer lead, recruited her to deploy to New Jersey as part of the Disaster Spiritual Care Team of the American Red Cross Team following Hurricane Sandy’s devastation.
