Shutdown and Sexual Trauma Prevention:
Genesis 6-11: Noah and The Ark
Abstract
Academicians, theologians, and local churches been unable to form healthy conversations to protect children and families from sexual trauma. This article proposes that one reason may be a neurological phenomenon called polyvagal shutdown. The snapshot of Noah and the Ark ending with the assault by his son Ham uses numerous literary devices to prevent shutdown. These literary devices: storytelling in the forest, euphemism, and metaphor assist by lowering anxiety to process sexual health and safety content for children. In order to restore these Biblical literary devices to prevent shutdown and increase learning, this article examines Biblical Hebrew meanings of terms in the Westminster Leningrad Codex, the most ancient complete Hebrew Old Testament, (WLC). A Key Vocabulary and Biblical Index of Sexual Health terms are included.
Introduction
After 40 years of educating faith-based families on health and safety, I believe the barrier to effective communication is neither cultural nor theological, but rather phenomenological. The reason for the absence of Biblical health and safety theory in academia, theology, and the local church very well may point to a phenomenon called trauma shutdown. This involuntary neurological process may be behind the reason academicians, theology scholastics, and pastors cannot meaningfully communicate the first Gospel message of the Bible, sexual health and safety for children. Well-intentioned Biblical language scholars experiencing shutdown of the polyvagal system mistranslated most sexual health passages in the Bible. This is not meant to blame academics, shutdown occurs as an automatic nervous system response. Please see the Key Vocabulary for full treatment of polyvagal shutdown. Much more quantitative research on shutdown and faith-based content is needed to test this hypothesis.
The book of Genesis is a masterclass on health and safety education. The Genesis author uses numerous techniques to lower anxiety, build trust, and prevent shutdown for parents and children. Some of the literary devices used are: storytelling in nature, repetition, metaphor, and euphemism.
The six days of Creation in Genesis 1 present like an artist showcasing chromatic storyboards for children. If parents use the forest as “container” for teaching children about health and safety, this too assists to prevent shutdown. Nature has intrinsic health benefits, including anxiety regulation. Please see Key Vocabulary for Nature Immersion and the Creation Walk. Chapter 2 then repeats these beautiful snapshots to reinforce the teaching objectives in age-appropriate ways.
Critics have taken pleasure in assuming the repetition of the creation story in chapter 2 was a failed attempt by multiple editors and authors of Genesis over 3500 years. The repetition of the chapter 2 creation account can also be viewed as a brilliant use of repetition for the teaching and learning of children ages 1-5. Specifically for small children, repetition emphasizes key ideas building emotional impact. By enhancing memory formation vast neural networks form making themes clearer and more powerful. Repetition helps children learn new words connecting key concepts. Dr. Susan Ledger states, “Repetition also aids learning from different perspectives and elements of the experience. https://www.firstfiveyears.org.au/early-learning/why-repetitive-reading-helps-your-child Metaphors using stunning chromatic images like the garden, tree of life, and the snake appropriately teach children ages 1-5 wiring trillions of neuroconnections daily. The flood and ark of Genesis 6-8 paint poignant pictures of God saving humankind. Chapter 9 and the snapshot of Noah’s intoxication with assault then uses euphemism for children ages 6-11 to prevent shutdown and ensure sexual safety.
Genesis chapters 6-11 feature the epic snapshot of Noah and the Ark. Again, this is an excellent treatment of a delicate sexual health subject, safety within families, using literary devices called metaphor and euphemism. The ark is a clear image of God’s love for the family. In addition to perhaps the most memorable snapshot in the Bible, the Genesis author uses euphemism to teach about sexual contact within families.This shutdown prevention device, defined as the exchange of a harsh term for a more gentle word, can decrease the triggering of shutdown by using kind, indirect language to reframe sensitive matters. This can help families to be more comfortable discussing delicate topics like sexual touch with family members. The technique, coined by Shea, sometimes called “shame attenuation,” allows for a less traumatic conversation of direct content. One example can be seen in Biblical sexual health narratives using the phrase, “uncovering the nakedness of”. (Leviticus 18 and Deuteronomy 23) Rather than the term for sexual contact between family members, the author of Genesis uses a softer nuance, perhaps for younger ears. Instead of the difficult term, incest, the Genesis author uses the phrase, “covering or uncovering the nakedness of” found in Leviticus 18 and Deuteronomy 23. This may help families lower potential threat in these conversations and increase learning. Please see Key Vocabulary and the Bible Index on Sexual Health terms for full treatment. https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.ajp.157.9.1535?mobileUi=0#:~:text=The second pillar, uncovering suicidal questions you ask.”
The Ark may be one of the most well-known and beloved snapshots of God redeeming humankind in the Bible. A benevolent Creator God knew before the foundations of the world that our children would need this health and safety content. The average age of the first-time porn viewer and victim of sexual abuse is 9 years old.
Decline From Intimacy with God
64H. Sexual Safety Decline, chah-LAWL (Gen 6:1) Strong, h2490
When human beings began (chah-LAWL) to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them….
The teaching learning theory of Genesis thus far looks like this: chapters 1-5 paint stunning images for small children about sexual health with kind, positive images. The decline of sexual safety begins in Genesis 6 with judgment for global sexual nihilism. Please see Key Vocabulary for full treatment of nihilism. Chapters 6-11 then assist children with boundaries for sexual health. This may be thought of as education about coercive sexuality and sexual contact within families. Chapters 1-5 teach foundational principles and chapters 6-11 frame boundaries preventing abuse.
The decline from sexual health and safety begins with the Hebrew word, chah-LAWL (Strong, h2490). This word, chah-LAWL, is at times an untranslatable “trigger word” indicating a decline in sexual health and safety throughout the Bible. Chah-LAWL means to profane, defile, pollute, desecrate, to begin, to defile oneself sexually, to wound, to pierce. The majority of uses for the Hebrew word, chah-LAWL, connect to the decline of intimacy with God. It can mean “to begin”, but also appears as a term introducing the decline of sexual health and safety. Chah-LAWL as a word signaling decline to healthy sexuality, adds clarity to the flood snapshot of Genesis 6-9. Please see all the uses of chah-LAWL in the Biblical Index at 64H. Sexual Safety Decline, chah-LAWL (Gen 6:1) Strong, h2490. Click on the scripture citation in parentheses and the Strong concordance number and you will be hyperlinked to the Blue Letter Bible for greater clarity and verification.
When human beings began(chah-LAWL) to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.” (Genesis 6:1)
The passage does not make clear sense without the translation of chah-LAWL as decline of sexual health. Why would God lament the mortality of his finest creation and exterminate the human race without cause? The reason for global judgment? The loss of intimacy with God and decline to sexual violence.
The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown. (Genesis 6:4)
This translation struggles. The term Nephilim, נְּפִלִים, pronounced nuh-fih-LEEM is a Hebrew word meaning “to fall upon, attack, bully, tyrant, or apostate”. (Strong, H5303) The Greek Old Testament text uses the term gigantes, γίγαντες, pronounced GEE-gan-tes. The gigantes were Greek mythological snake-footed giants. When the Hellenic heaven deity, Uranus, was butchered, the gigantes were born from his high velocity blood spatter. (Mussies, 2021). The most ancient Greek origin stories cite Uranus’ wife, Gaia, as his incestuous mother. Hesiod states in the Theogony that Gaia, the mother-wife of Uranus, coerced Cronus to castrate her husband/son for imprisoning her children. Cronus ambushed his father by violently castrating then throwing the gore into the sea. Aphrodite, goddess of love, lust, and reproduction, came forth from the bloody foam of Uranus’ amputated genitalia. (Hesiod Theogony). Perhaps the Greek translators purposely used the back story of the gigantes? Could it be that Uranus’ incestuous relationship with his mother adds depth to the sexual nihilism snapshot climaxing with the incestuous encounter of Ham and his mother?
The term in Genesis 6:4 for “went to the daughters of humans”, BO, always means coercive intercourse in Genesis. Please see Biblical Index for full treatment of BO. The translation, heroes, too is unfortunate and can also mean, “warrior tyrants”. An Arabic equivalent for heroes, جَبَّارً , means one who acts proudly, magnifies himself, or an audacious bold-tyrant (Strong, H1368). Men of renown may not reflect the intention of the Genesis author, but rather may mean, “arrogant tyrants with infamously bad reputations.”
The Book of Enoch is a non-canonical ancient Near East text dating from 200 BCE to 100 AD which gives helpful insight into this text.
And it came to pass that the children of men had multiplied in those days and were born unto them beautiful and comely daughters. And the angels, the children of heav- en, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: ‘Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men and beget us children… ’ [They] took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go unto them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught tyrants… And there arose much godlessness, and they com- mitted fornication, and they were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways (Enoch Book 6.1-2, Rogers, p. 24).
The NIV translation uses words like “going into”, “beautiful women”, and “marriage to heroes of renown”. These terms seem to craft a romantic narrative, perhaps? Enoch sets the tone for a more accurate translation based on context and language study. Enoch uses the words “lusted”, “defile”, “charms and enchantments” meaning perhaps the use of sorcery, “tyrants”, “godlessness”, “fornication”, and “corrupt”. These unhealthy sexuality descriptors are dramatically different than the NIV’s Hallmark romance movie rendition. Enoch’s translation aligns more closely with the Hebrew text.
The following reflection is a translation based on Hebrew textual analysis and the Enoch source. The alternate translation appears without italics so the reader can compare the (NIV) text with the proposed translation.
“When (sexual health and safety declined, chah-LAWL) among human beings on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and married any of them they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not (fight) with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years. (Sexual predators coerced) the daughters of humans and impregnated them. They were (arrogant tyrants with infamously bad reputations).” (Genesis 6:1-4)
The reader may note that chah-LAWL, decline to unhealthy sexuality, of verse one can connect to form an inclusio with verse four, “sexual predators coerced.”This proposed translation not only connects more closely to the version of Enoch but seems to make a coherent transition to the next section.
The Lord saw how great the (sexual nihilism, RA, רע) of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only (sexual violence, RA, רע) all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the ` animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. (Genesis 6:5-8)
Sexual Nihilism, Evil
The cause for terminating the human race? Loss of spiritual intimacy leading to sexual nihilism. This decline of sexual health snapshot starting in Genesis 6:1-8 forms a thematic inclusio with the assault of Noah’s wife by her son Ham in Genesis 9:21-25. Sexual nihilism underlies the philosophy that sexuality has no values and nothing can be truthfully known or communicated. Nihilism connects with extreme pessimism and radical skepticism condemning existence. A sexual nihilist then may have no boundaries, no loyalties, no purpose, and present a “nothing matters” destructive pattern in sexual relationships (Pratt, 2021). Global sexual nihilism as sexual violence seems to be a more just judgment for the flood sequence of Genesis 6-9.
The word for wickedness and evil, RA, רע in Genesis 6:5 is the same word used in the Genesis creation snapshot of 2:17 (Strong, H7451). Evil, RA, in Genesis 2:17 forms the one boundary statement God draws for humankind, “You must not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of God and Evil (RA) for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, according to von Rad (1967), means omniscience, to be like God in knowledge. Perhaps another possible translation may be, “You must not exchange intimacy with coercion, for when you do, relationships certainly die.” What immediately follows this boundary is the coercive temptation of the snake against Adam and Eve in Genesis 3, Cain’s premeditated murder of his brother in Genesis 4, and the sexual assault snapshots of Genesis 6-9. Reverse engineer each of these events, and loss of intimacy with God began the movement from sexual health to nihilism and abuse. The idea of evil in the first 11 chapters of Genesis has a clear connection to coercion and loss of intimacy with God.
Covenant as Intimacy of Relationship
Chapters 9 and 10 end with the inclusio of the Noah snapshot. The ark builder and family survive the holocaust of flood.
Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil (RA, רע) from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. “God blessed Noah and his sons saying to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase, and fill the earth.’” (Genesis 8:20)
The Creator reconciles distance with humankind through the intimacy of forgiveness. This scene mirrors the covering of sexual shame in Genesis 3:21 where a sacrificial life is exchanged for the pain and trauma of unhealthy sexuality. The result? Forgiveness is granted and shame covered by the grace of benevolent Creator-God.
The repetition of the “be fruitful and increase” sexual health phrase of Genesis 8:20 mirrors the first blessing of God in Genesis for humans reconnecting to the big picture of sexual health. The word for covenant, meaning intimate relationship, buh-REETH, appears seven times in chapter 9. Seven is a perfect number in Hebrew numerology and the author may be emphasizing God’s comprehensive compassion toward humans. The Creator once again takes responsibility for the distance of humankind with the intimacy of reconciliation.
Immediately after the “be fruitful and increase” sexual health reconciliation snap shot, the story picks up the sexual abuse theme from the introduction of chapter 6. This forms a literary inclusio.
The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the whole earth.
Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their fa ther’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked.
When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, he said,
“Cursed be Canaan!
The lowest of slaves
will he be to his brothers.”
He also said,
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem!
May Canaan be the slave of Shem.
May God extend Japheth’s territory;
may Japheth live in the tents of Shem,
and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.”
After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 29 Noah lived a total of 950 years, and then he died. (Genesis 9:18-29)
So, English translators propose that God eternally cursed Canaan because his father, Ham, saw his nude grandfather, Noah, blacked out from a drunken binge-drinking bender. A more accurate version leans on another Hebrew literary device called euphemism. Today, incest is a difficult topic not spoken of lightly. So it was with the Biblical writers. In Leviticus 18 laws prohibiting sexual intercourse between family members appear. Each time the word for incest occurs, a Hebrew euphemism softens the conversation, perhaps protecting young ears. The words for incest are “to uncover the nakedness of” beginning with Leviticus 18:6. The literal translation of this Hebrew verse is “Oh man, oh man, do not come near to any of your blood relatives to uncover the nakedness, I am the Lord.”
The prohibitions which follow Leviticus 18:6 address uncovering the nakedness of or sexual contact with one’s mother, stepmother, sister, granddaughter, half-sister, aunt, uncle’s wife, daughter-in-law, and sister-in-law. Ham’s sexual assault of his biological mother seems to be a better explanation for the curse against the offspring of mother and son, Canaan. The territory belonging to Canaan, along with its inhabitants, will be a source of pain and conflict for the family of Israel throughout the Old Testament to the present. The negative undertone of the Land of Canaan may connect to the incestuous assault of Ham against his mother.
Genesis 6-10 ends with the genealogy of Noah, the ark maker’s family. The Noah snap shot transitions with reconciliation and reconnection to the big picture of sexual health in chapters 1-5. Noah’s family is blessed by God. The Creator repeats the command for human beings to be “fruitful and increase,” connecting with the opening passages of the Bible. Genesis 1-5 paints the picture for foundation of sexual health and Genesis 6-11 illustrates boundaries protecting families from abuse. Now humankind has awareness of not only the intimacy of sexual health from Genesis 1-5, but clarity on the decline to sexual trauma of Genesis 6-11. When humans move away from intimacy with God and one another, sexuality trends toward coercion, violence, and nihilism. When humans engage God intimately, sexual health appears spiritual, beautiful, balanced, pleasurable, compassionate, and reconciliatory.
The genius of the Genesis author can be seen in the incest snapshot of Ham and his mother. After Ham discloses the assault against their mother to his brothers, Shem and Japheth, the text states that,
Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked.
When the brothers took a garment and covered the nakedness of their father, they faced the other way so they would not see this tragic scene. The connection to Leviticus 18 and Deuteronomy 23 link the euphemistic nakedness of the father to incest prohibitions. However, the way in which this scene frames is remarkable.
In Genesis 9:23 the phrase “covering the nakedness” is used perhaps to show that Noah’s sons attempted to protect their mother and recover her from this sexual trauma while she and her husband lay intoxicated.
The phrase “covering the nakedness” is also used by the prophets Ezekiel and Hosea. Ezekiel speaks to the people of Israel about their relapse to unhealthy sexuality, specifically referencing Canaan, the incestuous offspring of Ham and his mother. Ezekiel paints vivid images of Israel’s neglect and abuse. Then, after Israel’s dehumanizing participation in sex trafficking, Ezekiel forecasts a benevolent Father-God will spread the corner of his garment over her and cover the abuse. This may mirror the covering of Adam and Eve’s shame of Genesis 3:21.
Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered (kah-SAH) your naked body (ehr-VAH). I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign LORD, and you became mine.
Hosea too cites this phrase, recovering unhealthy sexuality or covering the nakedness of. Israel normalized serial sex trafficking throughout its history. Hosea’s list of charges impresses: the dehumanizing gaze of a sex trafficker, adultery between breasts, compulsion for sex trade clientele obsessing over sex-service payment, immersion in the sexeconomy of Baal’s sacred sex trade, and loss of intimacy with God. The result of her addictive compulsions? The inability to recover from unhealthy sexuality:
“Therefore, I will take away my grain when it ripens, and my new wine when it is ready. I will take back my wool and my linen, intended to cover (kah-SAH) her naked body (ehr-VAH).
The covering of the naked body,(kah-SAH and ehr-VAH) carries the meaning of safety, protection, and recovery from abuse.
One of the first images of sexual trauma in Scripture is a euphemism highlighting the care and compassion of God for survivors of incest. Perhaps exchanging a traumatic erotic image with a gentler phrase like “recovering” prevents shutdown in parents and children?
Key Vocabulary
Euphemism: The term euphemism is composed of two Greek words, eu meaning well and pheme, meaning to speak. Euphemisms decrease trauma shutdown by using gentle, indirect language to reframe sensitive matters. This can help families to be more comfortable discussing delicate topics. The technique, sometimes called “shame attenuation,” allows for a less traumatic conversation of direct sexual content. One example can be seen in Biblical sexual health narratives using the phrase, “uncovering the nakedness of”. Rather than using the phrase, “sexual contact between family members,” the writer of Genesis uses a softer nuance, perhaps for younger ears. (Leviticus 18 and Deuteronomy 23) This may help families decrease potential shame in these conversations and increase learning.
How euphemisms decrease shame
- Softens harsh realities: Euphemisms replace blunt words with gentler ones. For example, saying someone “passed away” instead of “died” reduces the immediate shock and discomfort.
- Encourages truthfulness: By creating a less confrontational atmosphere, euphemisms can encourage a hesitant person to share the truth, such as using “missed work unexpectedly” instead of “called in sick” to ask about absenteeism. In the same way “uncover the nakedness of” is a euphemism lowering shame to prevent sexual contact within families.
You must not do as they do in Egypt (possible incest), where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices.
“ ‘No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations (uncover the nakedness of). I am the LORD.
Intimacy with God: The 7 intimacies of Creation are: Spiritual, beauty of the created order, rest, pleasure, compassionate presence, reconciliation, and sexually healthy intimacy. (Genesis 1-4) The insular cortex located in the pre frontal cortex is responsible for intimacy in relationships and associating people, places, things, sights, sounds, and smells. Intimacy is essential to bring a dissociated state to an associated state. We call this associated state, “online”.
Nature Immersion: The Creation Walk- Nature Immersion: The Creation Walk is an evidence-based therapeutic exercise founded on Scripture and the life of Christ.
Nature Immersion reflects a health and wellness initiative called Forest Bathing. Forest Therapy, founded by Amos Clifford, of the Association for Nature and Forest Therapy, is the next generation of this treatment. Nature Immersion builds upon this evidence-based research using Scripture and prayer for faith based participants.
Forest Therapy with its Biblically-based counterpart, Nature Immersion, features an age appropriate gentle wander connecting to the image of God in nature. Participants will find this powerful stress management down regulates anxiety establishing prayer with reflection as transformational Christian disciplines. Studies show neurological effects are not only immediate, but also endure from one to 30 days.
Today, Forest Bathing is embraced as a global disease-prevention phenomenon, with many organizations and practitioners offering guided experiences focusing on polyvagal sensory engagement within natural settings. This movement continues to highlight the importance of spending time in nature as a means to promote health and spiritual wholeness.
Over 2000 years ago, Jesus first modeled prayer and reflection in nature. Christ, baptized in the Jordan river by desert prophet, prayed and relied on Scripture while tested in the wilderness, transfigured on mountain summit, and then surrendered to divine will in an olive grove. Jesus then atoned for humankind’s sin by crucifixion on a tree. After three days, Christ rose from death in a garden for grieving loved ones. Do you see connections to the Genesis Creation and the life of Christ?
Scripture reflects the premier pleasure of God at Creation in the forest of Eden. The final scene in the Book of Revelation restores these same beautiful images to post-apocalypse survivors. The forests of Genesis and Revelation both border crystal waters healing humanity broken by trauma. Life-giving light radiates from the Creator of all things without whom only darkness reigns.
Could nature serve as a “container” for the God of Genesis to transform the human heart? In this place of Eden pleasure healing leaves sprout, nurtured by life-giving waters, birthed in light created from the heart of God. Does it seem intuitive that nature is the place where the Gospel was first declared to humankind?
Though the Bible does not teach that nature is deity, the forest does reflect the image of God. Could the Creator of Genesis and Book of Revelation reconnect the broken places of the heart within nature’s beauty?
The Holy Spirit connects to nature. The Spirit first appears in Genesis 1.1-2. The premier task…bring chaos-darkness to light. The beauty of this scene produces the forests to which is given the first commandment in Scripture, “sprout, grow, reproduce.… (Genesis 1:11)
What if the image of God within nature can assist to teach our children about health and safety? Is it possible to connect to the Spirit of God among healing leaves and forest splendor?
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. (Psalm 19:1-4)
Does the Creation still pour forth the speech of God? Do the works of God in nature continue to speak today without words? Could it be nature is the Bible’s container for the Gospel?
Nature as Container:
The Creation Walk is a “container” for sharing the Gospel of Health and Safety to Children. This gentle “wander” connects faith-based parents and children to the God of Creation through His Word. Nature Immersion’s evidence-based techniques lower anxiety allowing the spiritual center of the brain to “come online” providing optimal teaching and learning experience for children.
Shame Attenuation: Shawn Christopher Shea, M.D., first mentioned and developed the concept of shame attenuation.
Key details regarding this concept:
- Origin: It was introduced in 1998 as a specific validity technique within the Chronological Assessment of Suicide Events (CASE Approach) to help clinicians sensitively raise taboo topics, such as suicidal ideation.
- Definition: Shame attenuation involves phrasing narratives in a way that minimizes feelings of embarrassment, preventing autonomic shutdown.
- Application: It is often paired with normalization to create a secure environment for disclosure.
Shea has extensively written about this, including in his book, The Practical Art of Suicide Assessment.
https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.ajp.157.9.1535?mobileUi=0#:~:text=The second pillar, uncovering suicidal,upon the questions you ask.”
Shutdown: PTSD literature has long identified the parasympathetic response to trauma called “shutdown”.
Porge uses the term polyvagal theory to describe this phenomenon in the human system.
Polyvagal shutdown is a state of prefrontal cortex disabling triggered by the dorsal vagal nerve when the body experiences real or perceived threat. This protective mechanism, acts as last resort when fight-or-flight responses are insufficient. It’s characterized by a drop in heart rate, respiration, low energy, dissociation, and feelings of disconnection or numbness.
Polyvagal Theory, developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, outlines a hierarchy of nervous system states:
- Ventral Vagal State: .
This is a state of prefrontal cortex activity is characterized by calm, relaxed breathing, and a sense of connection to oneself and others. - Sympathetic State: .
The fight-or-flight response, triggers by perceived danger followed by increased heart rate, breathing, and alertness. - Dorsal Vagal State (Shutdown): .
When fight-or-flight is not possible, the dorsal vagal nerve activates, leading to shutdown or immobilization.
In dorsal vagal shutdown, the body conserves energy and reduces pain perception by:
- Decreasing heart rate and breathing thus reducing the body’s metabolic demands.
- Dissociation involves a feeling of detachment from the body or surroundings. When sexual trauma triggers shutdown, the brain is unable to process sexual health content.
- Numbness and emotional detachment manifest as a lack of feeling or a sense of disconnection from awareness, compassion, and reason relating to sexual health content.
- The body conserves energy by reducing activity levels with feelings of fatigue.
- Digestive problems, nausea, or changes in pain perception may occur.
In this work the disabling of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in shutdown, prevents processing of sexual health content.
Biblical Index of Sexual Health and Safety Terms
1-2. Be Fruitful and Increase, pah-RAH rah-BAH (Gen 1:22) Strong, h6509 and h7235
The big picture of sexual health takes shape in Genesis 1-2. Unhealthy sexuality does not exist within these two chapters. All vocabulary and images paint a positive view of human sexuality. The education of little children begins with the sexual health-positive words, “be fruitful and increase” appearing seven times in the book of Genesis (Genesis 1:22, 28; 8:17; 9:1,7; 17:20; 35:11). Seven often occurs as a perfect or complete number in ancient literature, meant to reflect spiritual wholeness. The phrase “be fruitful and increase” first connects to sexually reproducing animals, then Adam and Eve’s family, Noah, and finally the family of Abraham to Joseph. No negative images connect to the “be fruitful and increase” sexual health statements throughout the Bible. This sexual health-positive phrase begins every intimate relationship, called covenant, God made with humankind. All covenants in the Book of Genesis begin with this benevolent mandate, “be fruitful and increase.”
Within Genesis 1-5 the “be fruitful and increase” phrase appears twice. Genesis 1:22 reveals the first declaration of God in the Bible blessing reproduction of the animal kingdom. The second blessing of God directs at humankind: “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28). The first blessing of God to humankind mandates sexual health. No unhealthy sexuality images appear in Genesis 1-2.
The Hebrew word, be fruitful, PRH, פָּרָה, pronounced pa-RAH, occurs 29 times in 28 verses in the Hebrew Old Testament (Strong, H6509). PRH means bearing fruit or offspring. RBH, ,רבה pronounced ra-BAH, meaning “increase,” appears 235 times in 215 verses in the Hebrew Old Testament (Strong, H7235). In the Old Testament, the sexual health-positive terms “be fruitful and increase” always mean producing offspring through sexual reproduction. No negative images connect to this phrase at any place in the Bible. Examples include: “God blessed them and said, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth,’” (Genesis 1:22) and “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground’” (Genesis 1:28).
Jeremiah and Ezekiel’s preaching spanned the catastrophic annihilation of Judah with exile to Babylon in the 6th to 7th centuries BCE. When these prophets preached of hope, their sermons touched the big picture of sexual health with the words “be fruitful and increase.”
New Testament
Thesexual health phrase appears once in the New Testament at Colossians 1:5-6. Paul the Apostle reflects with non-Jewish Christians, connecting the covenants of Genesis with the inclusion of non-Jewish peoples to Christianity.
Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth. (Colossians 1:5-6)
God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase (pah-RAH rah-BAH) in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.”
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase (pah-RAH rah-BAH) in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you—the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground—so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase (pah-RAH rah-BAH) in number on it.”
Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase (pah-RAH rah-BAH) in number and fill the earth.
As for you, be fruitful and increase (pah-RAH rah-BAH) in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it.”
Appears in 15 verses of the WLC, including 10 exact phrases.
5H. Covenant, buh-REETH (Gen 6:18) Strong, h1285
A Biblical covenant is a sacred intimate relationship established by God with humankind, involving promises, obligations, and blessings. Covenant forms a central theme from Genesis to Revelation. Key examples include Noah and the promise of no more global disasters for sexual nihilism, Abraham and territory with identity, The Law of Moses qualifying the people of Israel, the dynastic rule of David, and the New Covenant of transformation through the atonement of Jesus Christ. These divine commitments, founded upon the Hebrew word, buh-REETH, frame God’s plan of sexual health, safety, and redemption, uniting people to Him through faith and intimate relationship through Jesus Christ.
Key Biblical Covenants
- Noahic Covenant (Genesis 9): God promises all living creatures that He will never again destroy the earth by flood, symbolized by the rainbow.
- Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12, 15): God promises Abraham land, numerous descendants, and that all peoples would be blessed through him.
- Mosaic (Sinaitic) Covenant (Exodus 19-24): God gives the Law (including the Ten Commandments) to Israel, promising blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, making them His holy nation.
- Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7): God promises David an eternal dynasty and a perpetual throne, fulfilled in Jesus, the ultimate Son of David.
- New Covenant (Jeremiah 31, Luke 22): Established through Jesus Christ, offering forgiveness of sins, a renewed relationship, and an internal law written on the heart by the Spirit, including both Jews and Gentiles.
Types of Covenants
- Unconditional: God promises to act without requiring specific human action (e.g., Noahic, Davidic, New Covenant).
- Conditional: Requires human faithfulness and obedience to receive blessings (e.g., Mosaic Covenant).
Covenants reveal God’s image, unwavering commitment to the people He loves, and the continuity of His redemptive plan across history, climaxing with intimate relationship with God found in Jesus Christ through His Spirit.
But I will establish my covenant (buh-REETH) with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.
Appearing 284 times in 264 WLC verses
5G. Covenant, dia-THEY-kay (Mat 26:28) Strong, g1242
This is my blood of the covenant (dia-THEY-kay), which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Appearing 33 times in 30 verses of the GNT
Total 317 times in 294 verses of the WLC and GNT
64H. Sexual Safety Decline, chah-LAWL (Gen 6:1) Strong, h2490
The decline from sexual health and safety begins with the Hebrew word, chah-LAWL (Strong, h2490). This term, chah-LAWL, can be an untranslatable “trigger word” indicating a decline in sexual health and safety throughout the Bible. Chah-LAWL means to profane, defile, pollute, desecrate, to begin, to defile oneself sexually, to wound, to pierce. The majority of uses for the Hebrew word, chah-LAWL, connect to the decline of intimacy with God. It can mean “to begin”, but 20 of the 143 times within 132 verses of the WLC, itappears as a term triggering sexual health and safety decline. Chah-LAWL as a word signaling sexual nihilism adds clarity to the ark with flood snapshot of Genesis 6-9.
When human beings began (chah-LAWL) to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them,
Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded (chah-LAWL) to plant a vineyard.
Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father’s bed, onto my couch and defiled (chah-LAWL) it.
“ ‘Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molek, for you must not profane (chah-LAWL) the name of your God. I am the LORD.
“ ‘Do not degrade (chah-LAWL) your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness.
I myself will set my face against him and will cut him off from his people; for by sacrificing his children to Molek, he has defiled my sanctuary and profaned (chah-LAWL) my holy name.
He must not make himself unclean for people related to him by marriage, and so defile (chah-LAWL) himself.
“ ‘If a priest’s daughter defiles (chah-LAWL) herself by becoming a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she must be burned in the fire.
so that he will not defile (chah-LAWL) his offspring among his people. I am the LORD, who makes him holy.’ ”
While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began (chah-LAWL) to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women,
You will be pledged to be married to a woman, but another will take her and rape her. You will build a house, but you will not live in it. You will plant a vineyard, but you will not even begin (chah-LAWL) to enjoy its fruit.
You will become (chah-LAWL) pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”
After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began (chah-LAWL) to subdue him. And his strength left him.
The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (he was the firstborn, but when he defiled (chah-LAWL) his father’s marriage bed, his rights as firstborn were given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel; so he could not be listed in the genealogical record in accordance with his birthright,
…because they had not obeyed my laws but had rejected my decrees and desecrated (chah-LAWL) my Sabbaths, and their eyes lusted after their parents’ idols.
“ ‘As for you, people of Israel, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Go and serve your idols, every one of you! But afterward you will surely listen to me and no longer profane (chah-LAWL) my holy name with your gifts and idols.
You have despised my holy things and desecrated (chah-LAWL) my Sabbaths.
On the very day they sacrificed their children to their idols, they entered my sanctuary and desecrated (chah-LAWL) it. That is what they did in my house.
In addition to all your other detestable practices, you brought foreigners uncircumcised in heart and flesh into my sanctuary, desecrating (chah-LAWL) my temple while you offered me food, fat and blood, and you broke my covenant.
“His armed forces will rise up to desecrate (chah-LAWL) the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation.
Judah has been unfaithful. A detestable thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated (chah-LAWL) the sanctuary the LORD loves by marrying women who worship a foreign god.
20 times in 20 WLC verses
64G. Sexual Safety Decline, bah-DEH-loog-ma (Mat 24:15) Strong, g946
“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation, (bah-DEH-loog-ma)’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—
“His armed forces will rise up to desecrate (chah-LAWL) the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation.
6 times in 6 GNT verses
65. Coercive Sexual Intercourse, BO (Gen 6:4) Strong, h935
BO is a flexible term with a wide range of meaning. Appearing 2,591 times in 2,306 verses of the WLC, BO is used for “going” in many different contexts. When used in sexual snapshots, BO always appears as coercive intercourse in the Book of Genesis.
The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went (BO) to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.
He slept (BO) with Hagar, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.
The next day the older daughter said to the younger, “Last night I slept with my father. Let’s get him to drink wine again tonight, and you go in (BO) and sleep with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.”
But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with (BO) his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother.
Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her by the roadside and said, “Come now (BO), let me sleep with you.” “And what will you give me to sleep with (BO) you?” she asked.
Appears 29 times in 29 WLC verses in sexual contexts
66. Sexual Nihilism, Evil, RA (Gen 6:5) Strong, h7451
Sexual nihilism is the philosophy that sexuality has no values and nothing can be truthfully known or communicated. Nihilism connects with extreme pessimism and radical skepticism condemning existence. A true nihilist believes in nothing, has no loyalties, and whose purpose and impulse is to destroy. Nihilism is associated with Friedrich Nietzsche who projected its destructive effects would undermine moral, religious, and metaphysical convictions thus creating the greatest crisis in human history. In the 20th century, nihilistic value destruction, and purposelessness have preoccupied arts and media. By the end of the 20th century, existential despair transitioned to indifference, as seen in increased suicide statistics across all age groups, school shootings without national prevention policies, and increasing opioid fatalities. A sexual nihilist would then have no sexual boundaries, no loyalties, no purpose, and present a destructive pattern in sexual relationships (Pratt, 2021).
The LORD saw how great the wickedness (RA) of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil (RA) all the time.
The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil (RA) from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.
Now the people of Sodom were wicked (RA) and were sinning greatly against the LORD.
Esau then realized how displeasing (RA) the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac;
But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked (RA) in the LORD’s sight; so the LORD put him to death.
and slanders her and gives her a bad (RA) name, saying, “I married this woman, but when I approached her, I did not find proof of her virginity,”
They shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver and give them to the young woman’s father, because this man has given an Israelite virgin a bad (RA) name. She shall continue to be his wife; he must not divorce her as long as he lives.
…she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has done an outrageous thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father’s house. You must purge the evil (RA) from among you.
If a man is found sleeping with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil (RA) from Israel.
…you shall take both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death—the young woman because she was in a town and did not scream for help, and the man because he violated another man’s wife. You must purge the evil (RA) from among you.
The Israelites did evil (RA) in the eyes of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.
Again the Israelites did evil (RA) in the eyes of the LORD. They served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites and the gods of the Philistines. And because the Israelites forsook the LORD and no longer served him,
“This is what the LORD says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity (RA) on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight.’”
So Solomon did evil (RA) in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done.
They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sought omens and sold themselves to do evil (RA) in the eyes of the LORD, arousing his anger.
And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen something horrible: They commit adultery and live a lie. They strengthen the hands of evildoers (RA), so that not one of them turns from their wickedness. They are all like Sodom to me; the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”
Appearing 16 times in 16 WLC unhealthy sexuality verses
6-7. Recover Unhealthy Sexuality, kah-SAH ehr-VAH (Gen 9:23) h3680 and h6172
Perhaps one of the most beautiful images in Scripture reflecting the image of God in redemption is the phrase, kah-SAH ehr-VAH, recovering sexual trauma. Genesis 9:23 is a snapshot intended to protect children from sexual contact within families. After surviving global sexual nihilism, Noah and his family plant a vineyard. Perhaps as a teaching piece on intoxication and regulating sexual neuro pathways, the text states that Noah got drunk. The daughters of Lot would also intoxicate their father to commit incest with their unconscious parent. (Genesis 19:30-38) While passed out from a drunken bender, Ham, his son, sees the nakedness of his father. This phrase mirrors examct wording from Leviticus 18, prohibiting sexual contact within families. Leviticus 18 uses the phrase “uncovering the nakedness of” as a euphemism for incestuous sexual contact. In Genesis 9:23 the phrase “covering the nakedness” is used perhaps to show that Noah’s sons attempted to protect their mother and recover her from this sexual trauma while she and her husband lay intoxicated.
The phrase covering the nakedness of is also used in Ezekiel and Hosea. Ezekiel speaks to the people of Israel about their relapse to unhealthy sexuality, specifically referencing Canaan, the incestuous offspring of Ham and his mother. Ezekiel paints vivid images of Israel’s neglect and abuse. Then, after Israel’s willful participation in sex trafficking, a benevolent Father-God spreads the corner of his garment over her and covers the abuse. This may mirror the covering of Adam and Eve’s shame of Genesis 3:21.
Hosea too cites this phrase, recovering unhealthy sexuality or covering the nakedness of. Israel normalized sex trafficking numerous times throughout her history. Hosea’s menu impresses: the dehumanizing gaze of a sex trafficker, adultery between breasts, compulsion for sex trade clientele obsessing for their payment of services, immersion in the religious sexeconomy of Baal’s sacred sex trade, and loss of intimacy with God. The results of her addictive compulsions, the inability to recover from unhealthy sexuality:
“Therefore, I will take away my grain when it ripens, and my new wine when it is ready. I will take back my wool and my linen, intended to cover (kah-SAH) her naked body (ehr-VAH).
The covering of the naked body,(kah-SAH and ehr-VAH) carries the meaning of safety, protection, and recovery from abuse.
One of the first images of sexual abuse in Scripture is a euphemism highlighting the care and compassion of God for survivors of incest. Perhaps exchanging a traumatic erotic image with a gentler phrase like “recovering” prevents shutdown in parents and children?
But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered (kah-SAH) their father’s naked body (ehr-VAH). Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked.
Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered (kah-SAH) your naked body (ehr-VAH). I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign LORD, and you became mine.
“Therefore, I will take away my grain when it ripens, and my new wine when it is ready. I will take back my wool and my linen, intended to cover (kah-SAH) her naked body (ehr-VAH).
3 times in 3 WLC verses
Hope Experience 