Evan and Jenny Owens started Reboot Recovery in 2010 in their living room and now they are supporting thousands of veterans and first responders from around the world. Reboot Recovery is a peer lead, faith-based curriculum that helps people overcome trauma. Small groups are often hosted by a local church, or on military bases and offered to the community.
Jenny’s work with veterans at the Department of Defence lead her to host home groups where veterans can talk about the intersection of their trauma experience and their faith. This simple act of opening her home to listen and love has led her and her husband, Evan on a journey to developing and leading reboot Recovery.
Listen in as Evan shares about the beginning of Reboot and how in supporting people’s trauma and recovery journey the church steps into one of the greatest evangelistic opportunities of our time.
Reboot recovery programs are group curriculums that are based on a proven process and led by trained peer facilitators. (20:10)
- Reboot is a great fit as an on-ramp and off-ramp of other treatment modalities.
- On-ramp = those who are not yet in treatment or more specialized/clinical care
- Off-ramp = when clinical support/treatment is no longer an option.
Supports for churches and those who want to become trainers (22:15)
- Trauma also impacts the soul as well as the spirit, and body
- Volunteers are able
- A conversation about trauma without addressing the spiritual wounds of that trauma is an incomplete conversation. And if the church doesn’t continue to have a voice in this conversation is missing the greatest evangelistic opportunity of our time.
- “You can’t find community in a counsellors’ office”
The difference between the trauma that military experience and first responders experience to that of my neighbour or friend (29:05)
- Trauma is overcome when we gather together to reframe the trauma from being something that is permanently detrimental to something that can be recycled.
- Military and first-responders have a greater degree of pride, guilt and shame.
- Military groups have engaged more men, general trauma group has more women engagement
- The general population has struggles more with abandonment, neglect and mistrust. A lot fewer available specialized services.
Top 3 way churches can support those who have experienced trauma? (36:30)
1, Be a safe person. People need safety, stability and support.
“Safe people lead with grace and follow with the truth”
2. Avoid fostering mountain and valleys mindsets, but create environments of stability and celebrate progress.
3. Start talking about trauma and struggle.
CONNECT WITH REBOOT
- Reboot recovery podcast
- Rebootrecovery.com
- Socials: Reboot Facebook Page/ Instagram
CONNECT WITH HOPE MADE STRONG
Join the Church Mental Health Facebook Group! In the Facebook group, we chat about how to care for others, what are your challenges as well as share tons of resources. This is a great community of pastors, clinicians, and those with lived experience and we want to get to know you.