Trauma healing through oral Bible translation techniques and the book of Ruth: Giving women the language, model and permission to share their trauma.

Introduction

This article presents the idea of using oral Bible translation internalization techniques not only in translation, but in the area of Scripture Engagement, and in particular, trauma healing. Initially, the paper discusses the key component of oral Bible translation, which is internalization, and different internalization techniques that are used to help people experience the meaning of a Scriptural passage. Based on the author’s personal experience, the paper then describes how to run a Scripture Engagement retreat for women, based on the book of Ruth, and how such retreats can help women to process their own trauma. At the outset, the team used the OBT internalization techniques in translating the biblical book of Ruth into oral Russian. One of the women on the translation team had recently lost her husband and realized that through internalizing the book of Ruth, she had found inner healing. Using the internalization techniques in studying the book of Ruth helps people open up and connect the story with their own life and circumstances. The team then had the idea to run a retreat for women based on the book of Ruth using the same OBT internalization techniques for this Scripture Engagement event.

Oral Bible Translation

Oral Bible translation is a method of translation used for oral preference peoples (communities which prioritize oral over written communication). The Seed Company (2019, 34) highlights the strong resemblance between OBT and written translation, noting that the primary distinction lies in the extensive internalization process involved in OBT during the initial draft preparation. They point out that internalization—including early-stage quality exegesis—is a crucial step in creating the most natural translation. The following is a description of the process of internalization by the Seed Company (2019, 2): “Within an OBT context, internalization is a form of exegesis designed to equip the translation teams with a good understanding of what a particular passage meant to the original audience and how to communicate that meaning in their current context. Internalization is not rote word-for-word memorisation. Instead, the process is intended to help the translators understand a passage so well they can repeat its meaning (1) clearly in their language, (2) in an order that respects the uniqueness of the language but retains all the material content, and (3) as naturally as if they themselves had experienced the biblical text first hand.”

This internalization occurs across various levels, including the book, chapter, and passage, and is achieved through activities such as discussion, memory-building activities, relevant exegesis, and the development of key terms and concepts. Toler (2020, 115), in his discussion of internalization, concludes that this process is the essential factor in achieving naturalness in oral translation.

Internalization Techniques

An OBT team works as a group of translators helped by a translation advisor (TA). The translation team is led by the TA through several exercises, in order for the translators to become familiar with the biblical passage. These exercises are designed to assist the translator to engage with the passage, actively involving their senses and analytic abilities (Frost, 2022). The point is to make mind-body connections between the text and personal experience. Activities may include visuals, kinesthetics, random objects, familiar spaces, sound cues, and discourse analysis. Multimedia combinations are also useful, such as adding sound effects to visuals, or using objects and moving them around dynamically. The more senses are involved, the more effective the associations the translation team can make. It is important to select the internalization techniques that will best help the translation team to make the passage their own. The number and nature of activities need to be chosen according to cultural conventions and the learning preferences of the team members. Some teams internalize with one or two activities, while some teams require more. Some activities may work better in different cultures, or with different personalities, and even with different genres. Some passages also work better with certain techniques than others. A passage with a lot of dialogue is ideal for sound cues, but this may not be effective for remembering a list.

One example of such an activity is a guided imagination exercise where the translators are encouraged to create vivid mental pictures of what is happening in the passage. Other examples are visual activities, including storyboarding (a series of sketches), or sketching a scene, or using cards with drawn symbols (the latter can be helpful with lists). Dramatization using multiple characters can also help the team to get actively involved and internalize the passage effectively. Sometimes groups use freeze-frame moments to capture scenes, which involves making single gestures or statues to express certain points in the narrative, “freezing” the action. In another technique, people can choose objects in the room to represent different moments or characters in the story. People involved in memory competitions often use memory palaces to help them remember large sequences of numbers or pictures. A memory palace is based on a familiar layout of a building, and each item to be remembered is connected to a particular item in this building. The items are then remembered in order by walking back through the building. Other ideas include retelling the story from the viewpoint of one of the characters. Stahl (2020, 4) suggests another exercise at this stage: discussing the Most Important Thing (MIT) in the passage or section, in order to help the translators focus on what is prominent in the text and prevent them from going off on a tangent. It is important to assess after the first draft whether the intended audience can identify the MIT from the retelling.

Trauma Healing

Although the retreat team does not advertise trauma healing as part of the description of the Ruth weekend, in many ways, this is in fact what is happening during the retreat. The book of Ruth emerged out of a context of trauma in ancient Israel and ministers to those affected by the realities of traumatic violence in the modern world. Frechette and Boase (2016, 13) claim, “When biblical scholars employ trauma hermeneutics to explore texts that have emerged out of contexts of trauma, they attend to the historical realities of traumatic violence and the disruptive and enduring impacts of those events on individuals and communities.” Becker (2014, 26) comments, “Ancient texts provide cultural reservoirs in which coping with pain, fear, wounding, guilt and shame is collected and expressed.” Ballaban (2014, 10) also recommends using tragic biblical narratives to mirror and comfort those who live in the modern world and experience trauma. These stories help people to normalize and process their experience, find a spiritual dimension within it, and to express their story so that they can share it with others.

The Ruth retreat uses drama both as a technique of internalization and a channel of trauma healing. In his chapter in Cathy Malchiodi’s Expressive Therapies, Landy (2005) explores drama therapy as a therapeutic approach that uses theatrical techniques, including role-play and performance, to achieve therapeutic goals. Jennings and Minde (1993, 18) share that drama therapy enables the participants to express and experience emotions that cannot be expressed another way. They say, “Through the structure of theatre plays, rituals and myths, we are able to engage with dominant symbols and archetypes which link our inner and outer world experience….[This] allows us to come face-to-face with the unfaceable; to look at our own darkness and the shadows of others in a variety of constellations” (Jennings and Minde 1993, 27). Dickie (2020, 193) describes her experience of performing the book of Ruth as a pathway toward trauma healing with women in Africa. In her study, two groups in South Africa present a performance of the book of Ruth to three audiences, and at points in the performance a jester questions the audience as to their thoughts on the characters’ motivations or emotions. The audience has a role of its own, influencing the way the performance develops, and each performance of the text is unique. The results were overwhelmingly positive with one performer saying (Dickie 2022, 23), “I arrived at this seminar with a tortured heart. I was ready to leave my husband. But during these teachings, my life changed. I learned to love human beings more, whatever their nature. Today my home life is restored.” Another participant commented, “I thank the Lord for what he did for me during the seminar on Ruth. Before coming, I had lost two nephews. My heart was broken. I was not at peace. I had insomnia, but the Lord consoled me through the experience of Naomi.”

Dickie used the same technique among children growing up in South African townships (2021, 1), who have experienced poverty and violence. A group of grade 7 learners and a group of adults from a Bible study group met weekly to learn the story of Ruth and to find their way to express it in three performances. It was clear that through this experience the actors grew in self-confidence and self-esteem. Dickie particularly recommends the story of Ruth (2021, 3) because it addresses several different crises such as the loss of a husband and sons, hunger, childlessness, moving home, and being a foreigner. Harmelink (2021, 1) comments, “The book of Ruth—or perhaps we should say the story of Naomi—has many profound human dimensions: suffering famine and death, being widows, refugees, foreigners and migrants in other lands. The story is also about love and companionship, God’s provision and protection, faith and anticipation, following traditions, caring for the foreigner, celebrating marriage, birth, and family.” Chard (2026, 17) says, “For pastoral practitioners working with bereaved individuals, displaced communities, and survivors of collective rupture, Ruth offers both permission and pattern.” The text of Ruth also has some ambiguities, in that there is little description by the author of motives and emotions (Dickie 2021, 2), leaving the audience free to ponder the possible feelings of the characters and draw on their own experience to do so. The performance of the story is helpful in allowing the audience to interact with the emotions in the story, in a way that is not possible when simply reading a text (Dickie 2021, 6). Performance also involves the body, senses and emotions, which means the story is more easily remembered and the performance draws in the audience (Dickie 2021, 7). For the actors, performing a story, including using costumes and props, helps create capacity for empathy for the characters in the story, and in turn this gives them the possibility to consider responses to their own trauma. Landy (2005, 91) helpfully says that “Drama is also created in the service of healing” and “The point of healing through drama is that in playing out the chaos of our inner lives and outer realities, a new order emerges” (Landy 2005, 114).

As well as drama, the Ruth retreat also uses the mode of storytelling to facilitate trauma healing. Stahl’s article (2017) explores the transformative power of oral Bible storytelling to foster personal and communal healing. Stories are told to help make sense of confusing or troubling questions and storytelling can help individuals and communities to find resolution and healing. A person who has experienced trauma may build unhealthy pathways or gaps between the factual and emotional processing parts of their brain, which can lead to anxiety and the repetition of negative messages. In this article, Stahl shares how a biblical storytelling workshop in South Asia based on the biblical book of Ruth helped women to reconcile with their mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law. Stahl says, “As people learn the Bible stories and grow in their faith, they reflect on their own lives, discovering lingering pain, previously unrecognized successes, unresolved conflicts, and the shame from their own poor choices.” Trauma fragments our stories and our experience, and storytelling is one pathway to discovery.

Harriet Hill’s article (2014) examines the significant role that creative arts—such as storytelling, music, drama, and visual expression—can play in the healing of trauma, particularly within cross-cultural and community-based environments. She posits that trauma encompasses not only psychological aspects but also profound emotional and social dimensions, necessitating approaches that extend beyond mere verbal or clinical interventions. Hill points out that artistic expression enables individuals and communities to process their pain in nonverbal ways, making it particularly effective in cultures where open discussions about trauma may be challenging or taboo. The arts facilitate the externalization of experiences, help restore a sense of identity, and aid in rebuilding community ties. Furthermore, the article underscores the importance of participatory methods, like in the women’s retreats, where participants take an active role in creating art instead of merely receiving assistance. This method promotes empowerment, resilience, and collective healing. Hill references examples from mission and humanitarian settings, illustrating how the incorporation of the arts into trauma care can foster deeper and more sustainable recovery. Stulman agrees that “Music, literature, poetry, drama, story-telling and other artistic expressions sustain us at the worst of times” (2014, 182).

Another significant factor is the community nature of the Ruth retreat weekend. In Russia, healing in community is particularly relevant during this time of death and suffering brought about by the Russian–Ukrainian war. In the spring of 2026, a retreat was held for twenty Altai women, the majority of whom, it turned out, had lost a husband, son, or nephew during the last year. Ndunde (2025) describes how when a person is wounded, their natural reaction is to hide and feel shame. Wounds in the dark fester and do not heal, but healing can begin when another person is ready to listen. Healing is a social and communal process that takes place in safe places where people talk, listen, and pray together. In these settings, wounds are identified, shame is faced, and identity is transformed in communion with Christ and the community. God created humans to live in communities, and in communities, God is present with his people. Christ is the invisible group member who listens first, fully comprehends, and provides restoration. Herman (1992, 117) states, “The solidarity of a group provides the strongest protection against terror and despair, and the strongest antidote to traumatic experience. Trauma isolates; the group re-creates a sense of belonging. Trauma shames and stigmatizes; the group bears witness and affirms. Trauma degrades the victim; the group exalts her. Trauma dehumanizes the victim; the group restores her humanity.” Lengelle and Meijers (2009, 67–68) emphasize the importance of a safe and enriching place to deal with trauma, where relationships are based on respect, openness, and trust. They say (2009, 68), “Such an environment is created by putting guidelines in place with regards to confidentiality and ensuring that the feedback provided is supportive and insightful.”

Trauma Healing in a Muslim Context

Several of the retreats were run in a Muslim environment, and one with all Muslim participants. It is informative to understand how trauma healing functions within a Muslim context. Hammer’s (2022) article examines how Muslim women artists use visual art and creative expression to represent, process, and respond to experiences of domestic violence and trauma. It centers on an exhibition featuring Muslim women’s work, treating art not just as representation but as a form of witnessing and healing. Hanania (2018) describes culturally informed art therapy (in this case traditional embroidery) as a therapeutic tool for Syrian refugee women in Canada to help process trauma and loss and to help them find a sense of belonging in a new environment. Isfahani (2008) presents a case study of a young refugee woman (“Hanna”) who participated in art therapy at a day center. The study explores how art helped her process trauma related to war, displacement, and loss. These case studies and research focus mostly on how visual art is particularly effective in trauma healing among Muslim women and communities, especially visual art that is traditional in their home contexts. Hammad et al.'s (2020) article examines how a culturally and faith-informed group therapy program—called Hand of Hope—was developed and tested to support Muslim (particularly Middle Eastern and North African) women affected by the Grenfell Tower fire. The Hand of Hope activities were culturally grounded, and included oral storytelling (hikaya) to help the participants deal with trauma. Qur’anic stories sharing about coping with trauma and grief were woven into the informal conversation by the group facilitators.

Components of the Retreat

Here is an example timetable of such a retreat with an explanation of our activities:

Friday

The retreat normally begins on a Friday afternoon or evening in a retreat center. After getting to know each other in an informal way (using games or fun activities), the group begins internalizing the book of Ruth by listening to the whole book (in the local language or the language of wider communication). The group then acts out the book of Ruth as they remember it—here it is important to encourage group participation and to use various props and costumes to make it lifelike. The group then discusses together five questions: what did you like about the story, what did you not like about the story, what did you learn about God, what did you learn about humans, and what can you apply in your own life. The participants are encouraged to freely share their thoughts and feelings about their reactions to hearing and acting out the story of Ruth.

If there is time after dinner, the team might organize the activity “Map of Dreams.” In this activity there is paper and a large variety of stickers provided, which the participants use to create their own map of dreams and wishes for their life. Each participant has a chance to share from their own lives either about dreams that have not been fulfilled or about their future hopes, and to think about their most important dream or desire for their life. If the group is Christian, they can pray for their dreams.

The first evening ends with a spa, sauna, or hand massage with a talk about physical and mental health, perhaps accompanied by a life story from one of the team members. This is an opportunity again for the women to share more deeply as a group or individually with a partner.

Saturday

After an optional keep-fit session and breakfast, the women gather together again to internalize the first chapter of the book of Ruth, listening to it again once or twice in audio format. Participants are encouraged not to open their phones or Bibles to read along, so that they can process the passage completely orally. Then, in groups, the participants draw a storyboard of the first chapter of Ruth using six different scenes, and then each team can retell this chapter using their storyboard. One of the leaders facilitates a general discussion on some themes in the first chapter of Ruth, such as loss and grief, depression, and the commitment and persistence of Ruth. The group discusses the different emotions of the characters involved and their actions. After a break, the group also internalizes the second chapter of Ruth, this time using the technique of retelling the story to a partner.

Saturday afternoon is devoted to the Japanese art of kintsugi. Each participant is invited to break their mug or cup, symbolizing their damaged lives, and each person has the option to tell what has broken their lives. Glue is used to mend broken pottery by sticking the pieces together, which are then decorated using gold paint. The repair is then seen as part of the object rather than something to be disguised, revealing beauty in imperfection. Kintsugi highlights the cracks in the pottery, making it more unique and even more valuable than previously. This activity fits well with the themes of the book of Ruth.

After dinner on Saturday, the participants can go silently around a prayer room or “museum” that has been prepared with different stations. At each visual station a different theme of the book of Ruth is presented and participants have the chance to think or pray quietly considering each theme. If the group is majority non-Christian, then this can be presented as a museum of Ruth. Often Saturday evening is closed with either a worship evening, if the participants are Christian, or, if there is a mixed group, a musical concert.

Sunday

On Sunday the participants internalize together the third chapter of Ruth and use plasticine in groups to mold the characters and retell the story. Then they internalize the final chapter using the popcorn method where in a circle one person starts telling the story and then they pick the next person to continue. Finally, the group draws conclusions together for their lives about the story of Ruth. The team ends the retreat by giving each woman the chance to offer feedback on the weekend and on what lessons she has learned, and there are presents, hugs, and photos.

On our retreats, the team attempts to create a warm and friendly atmosphere, reflected in both the physical environment where the retreat is held, and in the way the retreat is led and facilitated. There are many opportunities for the women to open up, share about their lives and feel that they are listened to by others and not judged. This may take place during the first evening spa meeting, during the kintsugi, the map of dreams, or in personal conversations that take place in breaks and in the late evenings. Concerning the atmosphere, one of the participants said, “What I liked most about these three days was the safe environment that did not judge or accuse, and did not give an opinion, but just listens and hugs.” Another participant commented, “I saw the uniqueness and beauty of every woman that was here. I was very happy that there were women of every age at the retreat—some young girls and some very experienced mature women from different lives, destinies and cultures. Everyone is unique and beautiful. We achieved in this retreat a ‘women’s atmosphere’ that meant we could unite as women in a special way, with all our emotions and acceptance of each other. It was priceless.”

It has been important for our team to get to know each other before the actual retreat and spend time together and pray. The team recently went away together overnight to improve their own relationships, to pray for each other and to renew the vision of the retreats. The vision was defined as the following: creating a space where God’s word (the book of Ruth), the Holy Spirit, open fellowship and love can influence the lives of modern women, helping them to receive healing and freedom. During the retreat, the team tries to make the environment or retreat center attractive and relaxing (candles, decorations, flowers, small presents, etc.), and the food both tasty and healthy. Before the retreat takes place, it is important to plan how the team will continue contact and friendships with the women who are invited.

Implementation and Results

At the time of writing, the team has led eight retreats, with several planned for the future. The first one was in Abkhazia, with a mix of Christian and non-Christian women, in cooperation with a local mission and local churches. The second was in the Caucasus, in the region of Dagestan, for a group of local church women who invited their non-Christian friends, neighbors, and relatives. The third was also in Dagestan, but for a completely Muslim audience; there are more details about this retreat below. The fourth one was in the Adyghe Republic of Russia, where about two-thirds of the Adyghe and Kabardian women were non-Christian. Three of the team’s most recent retreats were in Novosibirsk, Siberia, for Russian women and for Altai women, and again about two-thirds of the groups were non-churched. At the retreat in the Adyghe Republic of Russia and at the Altai retreat, the group of women listened to the story of Ruth in Adyghe and in Altai. This was significant because they were listening to the story of Ruth in their heart language rather than in Russian (the language of wider communication) and discussions and group-work took place in their own languages as well.

The center of these retreats is the internalization of the book of Ruth through drama, drawing, plasticine molding and conversational discovery. At one of the retreats in Novosibirsk, during the feedback session, many guests (non-Christian women) commented on personal lessons they had learned from the book of Ruth. Themes brought out of the book of Ruth during the internalization and discussion time included mourning, loss and abandonment, faithfulness to family members, the providence of God, and healing from trauma.

The session using the Japanese art of kintsugi has proved to be the key session on the retreat where women are able to open up and share their personal stories and receive God’s healing. The sessions started with a personal testimony from one or two of the team members, giving permission then for the guests to share their stories. Many times, there have been women who have decided to share something in this group for the first time in their lives. Stories have included abuse, rape, broken marriages, drug and alcohol abuse, and damaged relationships. Hill et al. (2016, 24) confirm that providing a safe space in a group where people can share their story freely is a key component of healing from trauma and pain.

Particularly for the women’s retreats in Novosibirsk, follow-up with guests is a priority for the team. Members of the team follow up personally with their own guests and also the team organizes events for the women approximately once a month. These have included a master class on making sushi, preparing Advent calendars, an event for International Women’s Day and a photo session in a local studio. After the retreats, several women have been coming along to Bible studies at house groups and local church meetings, and one has enrolled in baptism classes in her local church.

Retreats in a Muslim Context

One of the Ruth retreats was run for a group of twenty-two Muslim women. For three years, the translation team had built friendships with these women while working on language translation projects in minority Islamic communities in the Caucasus. A few of the women were translators, but most were the relatives, wives and daughters of our male translators. One participant said afterward, “I enjoyed everything that happened to us during these days so much that it is difficult to find the words to describe my emotions. The team managed to unite us as one big family so easily and unexpectedly quickly that I will be waiting for the opportunity to continue fellowship with everyone. Thank you all so much. The excellent team gave us an unforgettable time.” Another participant said, “It was the first ‘rest’ I have had anything like this. Why was it rest? Because I really rested in my spirit in the first place and in my body. I concluded that people who were unknown and unfamiliar to me yesterday, became close and familiar to me today. It was a very magical experience.”

This retreat took place in a strict Muslim context, where women would not normally be able to interact with Christians and biblical passages. The women were allowed to come to the retreat because relationships of trust had been previously built with the community through translation projects. The internalization techniques used, the art therapy, and the atmosphere of acceptance meant that the women did not feel threatened by the team’s introduction of biblical passages and themes; these factors enabled the interaction to be both natural and personal.

Contribution to Existing Scholarship

This study offers new insights into ongoing conversations in trauma healing and biblical application. First, this research demonstrates the impact of using oral Bible translation techniques to internalize sections of the Bible not only for translation, but also for Scripture Engagement and trauma healing. Rather than using traditional Bible study techniques, the internalization techniques used on these retreats enable the women not only to embrace the story of Ruth, but to connect this biblical story with their own personal stories. Acting out the story of Ruth with props and costumes, drawing and molding the story and participation in the Ruth museum all engage the whole range of senses of the guests, enabling mind-body connections between the text and personal experience. Second, the atmosphere of love and acceptance of each individual generated by the team on the retreats gives each person the opportunity to open up and share their own personal stories and receive prayer and some measure of healing. Third, using art therapy, and in particular kintsugi, adds to this experience of the internalization of the book of Ruth, enabling the women to express their own stories in more detail and understand how healing can take place. This possibility of taking women out of their environments for 48 hours and immersing them into this atmosphere, combined with the internalization of the story of Ruth and art therapy, seems to be an ideal combination to facilitate healing and freedom from trauma and is recommended as a model to other churches and ministry teams. This approach is also distinctive because it functioned well in a strict Muslim context, enabling the team to interact with female Muslims and facilitate their interaction with the biblical story of Ruth.

Conclusion

On the women’s retreats, we guide the women on a journey through the biblical book of Ruth, not by preaching, but by bringing the story to life through drama, drawing, and heartfelt conversation. After hearing the story of Ruth for the first time in her heart language, one woman said, “I can read or listen a million times in Russian, but when I hear or listen in my own heart language, it’s as if I had a black and white drawing that then has been coloured in with many different colours. It’s very beautiful and close to my heart.” Every time we are amazed to see the women connect so deeply with its themes of loyalty, kindness, and finding a home. These retreats are more than just a weekend away; they are a lifeline of fellowship and healing and a unique space for women to engage with the story of Ruth and with their own stories of hope.