If you have been traumatized, you may have noticed some positive changes in yourself during your healing and recovery journey. This is known as Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG).
As humans, we have an innate ability to adapt. For some, PTG may mean increased personal strength or a greater appreciation for life, which can mean spiritual growth or a change in belief systems; for others, it may be the impetus for them to take action to help others.
Everyone deals with trauma in their own way, and it’s often a long journey to healing. But in the end, if you put in the effort and are willing to change, you may be able to reap the benefits of growth and new life.
What is it?
Post-traumatic growth is part of the natural human capacity to create meaning, heal and learn from difficulties.
The PTG theory was developed by Dr. Richard Tedeschi and Dr. Lawrence Calhoun in the 1990s. The theory states that after adversity or crisis, people usually see positive growth. This may be in their relationships, worldview, or other personal areas.
Post-traumatic growth is the new awareness, insights and perspectives that emerge after a ‘crisis.’ A ‘crisis’ may be the death of a loved one, an illness, a natural disaster, or a stressful event such as abuse or betrayal, and it is caused by a ‘psychological earthquake’ in which your world is now deeply divided before and after it happens. It is a defining moment that changes life as you know it.
Signs of post-traumatic growth
After experiencing trauma, you may face challenges in all aspects of your personal life, relationships and schoolwork. How long this lasts is different for everyone, and there is no “right” timeline for dealing with trauma.
At some point, you may begin to notice new positive changes that didn’t exist before the trauma occurred.
According to a 1996 historical study by Tedeschi and Calhoun, key signs of growth after a traumatic experience include:
- Better appreciation of life: appreciating the value of life or living each day in a way you never have before.
- Improved relationships with others: you may develop a sense of intimacy with others, increase empathy, or know that you can rely on others in times of crisis.
- New possibilities: such as developing new interests, a new life path, or being willing to change things that need to be changed.
- Personal power: knowing that you can handle difficult things, that you are stronger than you think, or an increased sense of self-reliance and capability.
- Spiritual change: a deeper understanding of spirituality, or a stronger faith than before, etc.
You may grow by leaps and bounds after a traumatic event and continue on in an upward spiral despite the difficulties.
We all learn, work and live at our own pace. If you don’t see signs of this in your recovery, that’s okay, it may be slower to appear, but it will sooner or later, it’s just a matter of when.
How to get post-traumatic growth?
Your willingness to acknowledge that what happened to you was traumatic encourages post-traumatic growth, which can be harder than it sounds.
There are many ways to work through this. So you need to choose what works for you:
1.Therapy
One of the biggest factors in attaining post-traumatic growth is being able to emotionally process the grief and other emotions associated with the traumatic event.
Working with a therapist can be a big part of this. Therapy can help people who have experienced trauma to cope with PTSD symptoms, anxiety, or depression, which is key to experiencing growth after a traumatic event.
You may find it useful to find a therapist who resonates with you and is a good fit for you.
- Understanding Trauma
The effects of trauma are complex, from how it affects your brain and body to your emotions and how it affects your relationships.
You may find it helpful to continue to educate yourself on the topic. Using each new resource, you can tap into another layer of awareness to help you navigate your own trauma recovery process.
- Seek support and help
Research has shown that socializing with family, friends, and others who have gone through similar experiences can help accelerate PTG.
You may find it useful to seek support and help from your own friends and family or others who have experienced trauma and recovered from it as you have.
- Looking forward
Trauma can be life-changing, and while it is often associated with painful outcomes (e.g., PTSD), there can also be benefits (e.g., post-traumatic growth).
Gaining post-traumatic growth can take some time, but you don’t have to go through this alone. You can seek professional help.
Books can also help, and some useful books may include Trauma and Recovery and What’s Wrong With You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing, among others.
5.Post-traumatic growth and New Crown Pneumonia
Since the New Crown outbreak, it has taken a toll on people around the globe to some degree (especially psychologically). Today, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who has not been affected by the New Crown epidemic.
However, for some people, post-traumatic growth has already begun to take effect. While this phenomenon is still in the early stages of research, we’ll likely continue to hear more about this topic as researchers look for the silver lining.But if you haven’t reached a place of growth after trauma, that’s okay. It’s a process that takes time, and we each move at our own pace.
What happened to you is not your fault, and, over time, your trauma may catalyze something else entirely: an epic transformation.
