# Your Lord Has Not Forsaken You | Trauma Series Introduction **Author:** Sarah Sultan **Series:** Trauma: Your Lord Has Not Forsaken You **Published:** 2019-02-03 **YouTube:** https://youtu.be/OMQtt8v3q1c **URL:** https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/your-lord-has-not-forsaken-you-trauma-series-introduction **Topics:** Psychology & Mental Health, Trauma ## Description Najwa Awad, LSCW-C and Sarah Sultan, LPC, LMHC give an introduction to their series, Trauma: Your Lord Has Not Forsaken You, and discuss the unique framework through which they connect clinical and spiritual psychology for a holistic recovery process. Explore the series here. ## Transcript **[0:01]** In the introduction, we started off by talking about how normal trauma actually is, right? How common it is, and how a lot of people don't realize the vast number of people who've experienced trauma **[0:17]** and that they don't realize that what they personally have experienced could fall under the umbrella of trauma too. So kind of bringing that out there. And one of the main things that we talk about is our framework, right? Yes, which I totally love. And I don't know if anybody else has the same framework. **[0:34]** So, you know, with trauma, first people were talking about just focusing on the mind. And then we went into a few decades of also focusing on how it impacts the body. But there isn't still that connection to spirituality, especially like Islamic psychology and that part. **[0:52]** So for us to bring those two together and talk about how we break down each chapter in terms of a case study, exploring the unhealthy way of thinking, and then going into the theory. And then the practical tips are meant to be Islamic. They're meant to help people focus on their mind. **[1:11]** Also, and the spiritual part as well. So that was one of the major goals that we had is for it to be completely comprehensive and holistic. Right, right. Like looking at the person as a whole, right? That if you change the mind, that helps to change the heart, that helps to impact the soul, **[1:30]** but that the body is a component in that as well. And we include like ayat and hadith, like verses from the Quran and sayings of the Prophet ﷺ in each chapter to allow us to reflect on how they apply to our thought process and our journey in healing. **[1:45]** And then one of the things that's really unique about our approach is we came up with the adduha, right? The adduha approach. Najwa was the one who thought of this in terms of applying surat adduha and the way that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is talking to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in this surah. **[2:02]** And so it's a very unique and really, I find it very like an empowering and very validating approach in terms of when you consider the way Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is talking to the Prophet ﷺ, it validates us as like holistic people, right? **[2:20]** And all the different parts of us that need to heal and need to be worked on as we go through a journey where we're struggling through something, right? Yeah, and I really like how simple it is. You know, when we look online and you start to explore Islamic psychology, **[2:35]** the writings can be very dense and you know, I've been a clinician for a long time, you have been also. Reading it is very complicated. It's very, very hard to understand. And so one day I was driving, I was like, you know, Allah just show me an easy way for us to link psychology and trauma. **[2:54]** And I was like, surat adduha is the perfect example and it's so easy for people to understand, you know. And it really hits trauma from a clinical perspective on all different levels. And so we are so happy for people to be able to see that throughout the series. **[3:12]** Yeah, and again, it provides like that sense of validation, right? That, okay, if Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is reinforcing these concepts for the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as you know, in order to comfort him, then you walking into a clinician's office or you picking up and reading these series of articles and everything **[3:31]** to work on healing yourself from this framework, the intention is to bring you closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And when it's done through the framework of something that's based on the words of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, then it makes you, there's nothing better, right? There's no better approach than to use the approach that like the highest example is the one of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. **[3:50]** And to use that approach, we're really excited about that and really honored that we could present that. Alhamdulillah. ## Other Episodes in "Trauma: Your Lord Has Not Forsaken You" - [How Can I Ever Trust Again?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/how-can-i-ever-trust-again-infographic.md) - ["Why am I so unlovable?"](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/why-am-i-so-unlovable.md) - [Touched by Trauma: "Why Isn't My Iman Stronger?"](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/touched-by-trauma-why-isnt-my-iman-stronger.md) - [Touched by Trauma: "Why Do Bad Things Always Happen to Me?"](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/part-2-touched-by-trauma-why-do-bad-things-always-happen-to-me.md) - [“What Did I Do to Deserve This?” Conquering the Assumptions that Hold You Back](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/what-did-i-do-to-deserve-this-conquering-the-assumptions-that-hold-you-back.md) - [Healing the Community | MASCON 2019](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/healing-the-community.md) - [Touched by Trauma: Your Lord Has Not Left You Alone](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/part-1-touched-by-trauma-your-lord-has-not-left-you-alone.md) - [Coping with Grief: A Spiritual and Psychological Guide](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/coping-with-grief-a-spiritual-and-psychological-guide.md) - [3 Reasons Why You Think the World Is Against You](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/3-reasons-why-you-think-the-world-is-against-you-animation.md) - [Why is Everyone's Life Better than Mine? | Trauma Ep. 9](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/why-is-everyones-life-better-than-mine-trauma-ep-9.md) - [“Why Is Everyone’s Life Better than Mine?” Protecting Yourself from the Dangers of Comparison](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/why-is-everyones-life-better-than-mine.md) - ["How Can I Ever Get Past This?" Reclaiming Your Future After the Abuse Has Ended](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/how-can-i-ever-get-past-this-reclaiming-your-future-after-the-abuse-has-ended.md) - [How Can I Ever Get Past This? | Trauma Ep. 8](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/how-can-i-ever-get-past-this-trauma-ep-8.md) - [“It’s All My Fault”: Quieting and Healing Your Inner Critic](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/its-all-my-fault-quieting-and-healing-your-inner-critic.md) - [I Must Have Done Something Wrong - Is It My Fault? | Trauma Ep. 7](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/i-must-have-done-something-wrong-is-it-my-fault-trauma-ep-7.md) - ["Everything is Falling Apart": Dealing with Unexpected Life Detours](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/everything-is-falling-apart-dealing-with-unexpected-life-detours.md) - [Understanding Traumatic Grief - Najwa Awad | ISNACON 2019](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/grief-as-a-source-of-trauma.md) - [The Impact of Grief on Faith - Sarah Sultan | ISNACON 2019](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/the-impact-of-grief-on-faith.md) - [Everything is Falling Apart | Trauma Ep. 6](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/everything-is-falling-apart-trauma-ep-6.md) - [How Islam Addresses Grief - Dr. Altaf Husain | ISNACON 2019](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/how-islam-addresses-grief.md) - [The Duha Approach: A New Model to Treat Trauma - Najwa Awad | ISNACON 2019](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/the-duha-approach-a-new-model-to-treat-trauma.md) - [The Impact of Trauma on Faith - Sarah Sultan | ISNACON 2019](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/the-impact-of-trauma-on-faith.md) - [Addressing the Topic of Trauma and Faith - Sh. Omar Suleiman | ISNACON 2019](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/addressing-the-topic-of-trauma-and-faith.md) - ["Why Does Allah Hate Me?" Rescripting Negative Self-Talk](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/why-does-allah-hate-me-rescripting-negative-self-talk.md) - [Why Does Allah Hate Me So Much? | Trauma Ep. 5](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/why-does-allah-hate-me-so-much-trauma-ep-5.md) - [How Can I Ever Trust Again? | Trauma Ep. 4](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/how-can-i-ever-trust-again-trauma-ep-4.md) - ["How Can I Ever Trust Again?" Navigating Betrayal](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/how-can-i-ever-trust-again-navigating-betrayal.md) - [Why Bother Living if the Future is Filled with Pain? | Trauma Ep. 3](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/why-bother-living-if-the-future-is-filled-with-pain-trauma-ep-3.md) - ["Why Bother Living if the Future is Filled with Pain?" Reclaiming Our Thoughts](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/why-bother-living-if-the-future-is-filled-with-pain-reclaiming-our-thoughts.md) - [I Should've Gotten Over It by Now | Trauma Ep. 2](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/i-shouldve-gotten-over-it-by-now-trauma-ep-2.md) - [How to Cope with the New Zealand Mosque Shooting Tragedy](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/how-to-cope-with-new-zealand-tragedy-infographic.md) - [How to Cope with the New Zealand Mosque Shooting Tragedy | Trauma Special](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/how-to-cope-with-the-new-zealand-mosque-shooting-tragedy-trauma-special.md) - ["I Should've Gotten Over It by Now": Surviving the Impact of Grief on Faith](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/i-shouldve-gotten-over-it-by-now-surviving-the-impact-of-grief-on-faith.md) - [Why Do Bad Things Only Happen To Me? | Trauma Ep. 1](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/why-do-bad-things-only-happen-to-me-trauma-ep-1.md) - ["Why Do Bad Things Always Happen to Me?" Breaking the Cycles of Negativity](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/why-do-bad-things-always-happen-to-me-breaking-the-cycles-of-negativity.md) - [Your Lord Has Not Forsaken You: Addressing the Impact of Trauma on Faith](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trauma/your-lord-has-not-forsaken-you-addressing-the-impact-of-trauma-on-faith.md)