1 Corinthians 15:8 represents the single occurrence of the Greek trauma root in Paul’s letters, ektrōma. This term normally denotes a stillbirth or miscarriage, and Paul’s appropriation of such an unsettling metaphor to describe himself has proven difficult to account for. Further complicating this self-reference is the experience Paul is attempting to portray, Christ’s appearance to him on the Damascus road. Many solutions have been offered, including the suggestion that we disregard the ordinary sense of the word and conjecture a meaning along the lines of “abnormal birth.” This paper will situate this metaphor within the most important soteriological symbolism of Paul’s letters, the movement from death to life. Characteristic of this network of symbolism in Paul’s letters is jarring imagery of death, crucifixion, and new life, which the apostle similarly employs as commentary on his experience of coming to faith in Christ. Not unlike Gal. 2:19-20, where crucifixion with Christ leaves Paul, mysteriously, both dead and alive, ektrōma in 1 Cor. 15:8 depicts Paul’s confrontation with the risen Jesus as both a harrowing experience of death and a profound experience of birth, and this in a single expression. Paul’s frequent recourse to metaphor in depicting this event is consistent with other trauma narratives, where such emotionally charged memories are regularly cloaked in symbolic representation through a process known as “metaphoric displacement;” the use of metaphor facilitates the communication of an otherwise inexpressible experience. Once this expression is located within its proper symbolic network, its cogency becomes evident. Paul’s reliance on images of death and morbidity to represent his encounter with the risen Jesus suggests an overwhelming existential crisis, and his peculiar use of ektrōma inscribes trauma as one of the defining features of this experience. Despite the prevailing bewilderment concerning Paul’s use of ektrōma in 1 Cor. 15:8, this paper concludes that Paul chose exactly the word he wanted and used it in precisely the sense it was commonly understood.