Rebekah Benimoff
Photo courtesy of BFA Photography
Rebekah and her husband Roger live in Dallas with their two sons. Roger is a retired Army chaplain whose memoir Faith Under Fire (Crown 2009) focuses on how his time in Iraq challenged his faith and marriage as he struggled with PTSD and Compassion Fatigue upon his return home. Rebekah contributed the “spouse and family perspective” to their book. (Read more about her journey at http://www.redbookmag.com/health-wellness/ptsd-after-iraq .) Rebekah works for The Coalition To Salute America’s Heroes, and blogs at www.ladiesbydesign.com and www.faithdeployed.com.
Read an interview with Rebekah here.
More about Rebekah:
- Army chaplain and wife cope with PTSD
- In the Teeth of Suffering (an excerpt from Faith Deployed by Rebekah)
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Did you attend a PTSD support group? How did you survive other than prayer? Did you have a plan to leave your husband and if so what was it?
Dawn,
To answer your questions, no, I did not have a PTSD support group. I did have a small group of trusted friends that I asked to pray, and one person that I confided in some. I was very careful with what details I shared, though. I felt strongly that this was a time where I needed to rely heavily on the Lord and not take well meant “advice” from friends or family. Only God knew my husband’s heart and only God could see the future, so I felt that he was the only One qualified to give me direction. At times I wanted to leave my husband, but I had an encounter with God that convinced me to stick it out no matter how hard it was. If you want to read about that part of my journey, here is a link:
http://www.redbookmag.com/health-wellness/ptsd-after-iraq
The Lord has been in the process of healing my husband, myself and our family for over three years now. It has been a journey. Helaing takes time, but God is faithful!! Please feel free to contact me with any questions.