The use of biblical narrative is an important resource in the practice of pastoral care and counselling. In this paper, which draws on the psychology of resilience as well as recent work on trauma and resilience hermeneutics, it is argued that the Joseph novella can be a useful resource for helping people to develop resilience in their journey of recovery from substance abuse. Joseph’s experiences of complex family relationships, abandonment, betrayal, estrangement, and imprisonment are deeply resonant with the experiences of many who have been caught up in addiction. This is the story of an individual who displays resilience in the face of repeated trauma and reversals of fortune, and it provides a rich resource for people in recovery to reflect on their own experience and develop skills for resilience as they learn to live lives free of alcohol and drugs.
Marion L. S. Carson (Thu,) studied this question.
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