By Maia Shields, MSW-
What happens to people after a traumatic event?
Trauma impacts a person’s mind and body. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can cause intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, and depression. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America finds that 7.7 million Americans have PTSD.
PTSD can be a debilitating disorder. However, it does not have to be a life sentence. Recent studies in Positive Psychology have found that following adversity and trauma, there can be posttraumatic growth (PTG). The American Psychological Association states that PTG challenges a person’s core beliefs and causes them to assess their world view differently. The theory of PTG asserts that a person can grow to become stronger and resilient in the aftermath of trauma.
Posttraumatic growth can occur in five areas: a sense of new opportunities or possibilities in life, improvement in relationships with others, improved personal strength, change in spirituality, and a greater appreciation of life.
Recent studies in this area of psychology have found that PTG usually remains stable, people who are more likely to develop PTG rate higher on scales for openness and extroversion, there may be a biological predisposition for PTG, and optimism can be a predictor for PTG.
How can a person facilitate posttraumatic growth?
A positive approach to treatment for trauma falls into four stages. The first stage is to deal with the trauma; move through, not past the trauma. One technique people can utilize when coping with trauma and PTSD symptoms is to create a narrative for that trauma. Writing in a journal can help a person frame the narrative of their trauma. This process is initially challenging, but healing will begin as time passes. It may be helpful to focus on the facts first and then work on attaching thoughts and feelings to those facts. It is essential during this process to create a comprehensive narrative of the experience.
The second stage is to feel, which involves exposure to the traumatic memory. Often traumatic memories are encoded in fragments. Creating a narrative can help piece those fragments together. It can also assist in creating a platform were feelings can emerge. Thus, creating an opportunity for the individual to process his or her emotions. The next step is reading the narrative out loud with the help of a behavioral health professional. This can help a person process the event(s). The benefit of working through this process with a behavioral health professional is to have another person work productively through the thoughts and emotional responses that arise during the process. This stage will be repeated multiple times with the intention of helping the individual create a narrative of strength and growth.
The third stage is to heal, which involves freedom of choice, finding meaning, and creating a hero archetype. Freedom of choice can help a person understand that they are not at fault for the traumatic experience(s), and they are in control of their choices and decisions going forward. Finding meaning can help foster hope and understanding. A hero archetype involves telling the story through the lens of growth; a person experiences adversity and then grows from it.
The final stage is sealing. Through this process, the traumatic memory is reconstructed and organized. A person can work through the trauma and understand the emotional responses tied to the memories. Positive trauma therapy uses the phrase “the mind as a filing cabinet.” Equating the traumatic experience to a file that is in a jumble. Stages one through three work on organizing this file; identifying the memories, feelings, sorting them, and adding to the growth the person experiences. As the last step, the person puts the file away. This process can empower the person by regaining control.
Coping with a traumatic event is an ongoing process and there is no specific time frame for recovery. Nonetheless, obtaining assistance from a professional can make a huge difference. If you are interested in obtaining more information on how to obtain professional help please contact us via email at contact@whittiercounseling.org or visit our website at whittiercounselingcenter.org .
