“Deconstruction” has become a bit of a buzzword in Christian circles, but it is in fact not an exclusively “Christian” phenomenon. Deconstruction is a very normal and natural process of unlearning and relearning, which all people all over the world experience at one time or another to various degrees throughout their lives. It is a natural part of human development. As peacebuilders and as Christians, we should embrace this process as an opportunity to mature.

Most therapy is talking. And that’s fine - but using a hammer can be very good as well. Ah, what a sound ceramic makes when it breaks! I would definitely be an artist in another life, another dimension. But in this life, I chose the path of a therapist, and art therapy and using our bodies in the therapeutic process are just as important as talking for holistic healing, especially for people affected by trauma. That’s why I especially love the art of Kintsugi.

At the root of any violent conflict, we can find painful wounds turning us against each other. Whether civil war, racism, toxic polarization, or bullying - unhealed trauma of all types drive us apart. But our pain doesn’t condemn us to more violence. Peace Catalyst’s Mirela Popaja-Hadžić, therapist and trauma awareness trainer, hosted this workshop on principles for healing and transforming trauma as part of transforming our communities.

Several nights ago, I was invited by my dear friend to come to Vratnik, but this time to a local “kafana” (pub) to come and sing Sevdah, a traditional genre of song from Bosnia that usually talks about unrequited love, tragedy, and fallen heroes. I’m a big advocate of in-person therapy, but oftentimes that type of therapy is unavailable or unattainable. So that evening, I decided to offer a different kind of therapy, the kind that sings songs of sorrow and gives permission to even the most hardened of men to experience the emotions of pain.

Christ at the Checkpoint was by far the most impactful conference I’ve ever attended. Nothing can compare to hearing from Palestinian Christians themselves at this particular moment of crisis. Even while these Palestinian Christian leaders affirmed their love for Jewish people and the depth of solidarity they feel from Jewish allies around the world, they spoke with authority and clarity to call western Christians to confront our own anti-Palestinian racism and the underlying Christian Zionism that results in harmful theological and political positions. So what can we do? Here are some resources.

The prevalence of transgenerational trauma in Bosnia and Herzegovina is not well understood or communicated. The older generations, who lived through and survived the war, never received the help needed to heal from that trauma, and this results in mental health issues for the country’s youth that are made even worse by the persistence of ethnically-biased and conflicting narratives. This is all why our intern in Sarajevo is learning from and working with a local organization called Progres as part of her internship with us. Keep reading for more about what she’s learning.

In conflict, being intentional about making the other person feel that they are being treated with dignity is a way to positively transform the situation. In other words, avoid making someone feel humiliated. French author Antoine Sant-Exupéry wrote, “I have no right to say or do anything that diminishes a man in his own eyes. What matters is not what I think of him, but what he thinks of himself. Hurting a man in his dignity is a crime.” So how do we avoid making someone feel humiliated? Read on!

In the increasingly globalized and diversified world we find ourselves in, our psychological tendency to become entrenched in whatever we believe seems to do us more harm than good. So how can we work to challenge this? Here are a couple ideas.

“Making peace,” “resolving conflict,” “building bridges” – whatever you want to call it – is by definition hard. It’s challenging and uncomfortable. There is no way around this. because if it wasn’t, then the conflict wouldn’t exist and the work wouldn’t need to be done. But evidence from psychologists, neuroscientists, professors, and religious leaders point to the fact that doing hard things is good.