Safety as the Foundation of Healing: Insights from Scripture and Neuroscience on How to Heal from Childhood Trauma

Before we can regulate, relate, or even reason—we need to feel safe. That’s not just emotional language or therapeutic talk; it’s something Scripture has long pointed to. Time and again, God meets His people not with urgency, but with presence. Not with pressure, but with peace and security. 

Trauma, especially in early life, disrupts that sense of safety. Many of us grew up learning how to protect ourselves before we ever learned how to rest. Whether it was chaos at home, rejection, neglect, or violence, the result was the same: our bodies learned to stay on high alert. Our minds became watchtowers. Our reactions became reflexes. 

But Scripture is clear: God’s healing often begins with His nearness—not with a command to change. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Psalm 23:4). That sense of withness—being seen, known, and not left alone—is the foundation of safety. And it’s where healing starts (Thompson, 2010). 

As we talked about in the first two posts, trauma often wires the brain to stay in survival mode—keeping the fear center (the amygdala) overactive and the reasoning center (the prefrontal cortex) under-engaged. But what we only began to touch on is this: the shift out of survival doesn’t happen through effort or explanation—it happens through safety. When we consistently experience presence, trust, and gentle repetition, our brains begin to unlearn danger and relearn connection. Today, neuroscience is confirming what Scripture has shown all along: we are designed to heal in the context of relationship. 

Christian psychiatrist Curt Thompson writes that we are people created to feel “seen, soothed, safe, and secure.” He echoes the heart of God, who has always invited His people into stillness before transformation. “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength…” (Isaiah 30:15). 

God is the perfect example of a safe and secure relationship because He is not only fully attuned to our hearts—able to perceive every hidden fear, every silent cry, and every unspoken need—but He is also infinitely able to meet those needs. Unlike any human relationship, God’s understanding is complete, and His love unfailing. He knows us intimately, yet welcomes us without judgment, offering rest for our weary souls and shelter for our fragile hearts. In Him, we find a refuge where safety is not just a feeling but a steadfast reality, because His presence never wavers, and His care never fails. As Psalm 34:18 assures us, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” In God, our nervous systems can finally begin to settle, knowing that the One who reads us perfectly is also the One who holds us securely. 

Too often, especially in Christian circles, we rush people toward spiritual solutions—prayer, trust, surrender—without creating the conditions for spiritual healing. The solutions themselves are true and good and necessary, but when someone has never experienced safety in relationships, especially with authority figures, even the idea of trusting God as Father can feel unreachable. Before a person can rest in God’s love, there may need to be healing from what love has looked like in the past. Before they can hear God as gentle, they may need repair from voices that used Scripture to wound instead of restore. These aren’t excuses—they're roadblocks that Jesus desires to gently remove. 

That’s why healing isn’t a demand—it’s a process. And Jesus modeled it perfectly. He didn’t pressure people into change. He stayed with them. He saw the woman at the well in her shame and isolation—and offered her dignity before correction. He didn’t just tolerate the woman caught in adultery; He knelt down into her humiliation, positioned Himself between her and her accusers, and waited. In a moment when she expected condemnation, He gave her safety. He gave her space. Only after the crowd had dispersed and she was no longer in danger did He say, “Go and sin no more.” His correction came after compassion—and because of that, it could be received. 

This isn’t weakness. It’s wisdom. God doesn’t shout us into healing—He leads us into it. 

Research supports what the Spirit already reveals: that safety isn’t optional for transformation—it’s foundational. Studies by Teicher & Samson (2016) and Davidson & McEwen (2012) show that chronic stress or early trauma changes how the brain functions. But they also show that healing becomes possible when we experience consistent, attuned (someone being able to “read” our needs), and safe relationships. 

That’s not just therapy—it’s discipleship. Paul wrote, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). When we help create a space of safety, we are doing more than being kind—we are helping one another retrain our brains to receive comfort, calm, and connection.  And as believers, we hold to this truth: God doesn’t wait for us to be calm to be close. He comes near in our chaos, and He stays. 

So if healing feels far away and you're wondering how to heal from childhood trauma, this is where the journey begins—not with striving but with safety. Start by asking: Where do I feel safe? Who sees me without fixing me? Where am I reminded that God is near, even when my nervous system still says I’m in danger? This is also where Scripture speaks a deeper truth that trauma survivors may need most: even when we don’t feel safe, we are still held. Paul writes in Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 

Sometimes, we can't turn off the alarm bells in our bodies—but the peace of God can still guard us. Not because our nervous system always believes we’re safe, but because our spirit knows Who is with us. That peace doesn’t ignore danger—it surrounds us in it. It’s not the absence of fear, but the presence of Someone greater than fear. 

So we pursue healing through embodied safety and spiritual security. We regulate our nervous systems and root our hearts in Christ. One does not cancel out the other. Both are gifts from God. 

The road to healing is paved with trust, and it starts at the first mile marker: safety.

---

References

Thompson, C. (2010). Anatomy of the soul: Surprising connections between neuroscience and spiritual practices that can transform your life and relationships. Tyndale House Publishers. 

Teicher, M. H., & Samson, J. A. (2016). Annual research review: Enduring neurobiological effects of childhood abuse and neglect. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 57(3), 241–266. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12507