“Out of the hottest fire comes the strongest steel.”
Chinese Proverb
In Part I of this blog we discussed the nature of trauma and how through careful observation and study we can take confidence that, despite the all too common presence of trauma in our lives, there are techniques that we can use to see the strengths that made us survive and to harness those strengths as our very own superpowers. Part I also covered the process we go through to survive the immediate aftermath of trauma and how this equips us to better appreciate how the healthy part of us can then create greater strengths from our experience. If you wish to recap on Part I then follow the link at the bottom of this article and subscribe to my blogs. In Part II we unfold exactly how the five key superpowers of post traumatic growth occur and get to understand trauma as a part of us but not defining us.
So What Is Post Traumatic Growth?
Post-traumatic growth (PTG) theory was first developed in the mid-1990s by psychologists Richard Tedeschi, Ph.D., and Lawrence Calhoun Ph.D., and it is fully defined as “the experience of positive change that occurs as a result of the struggle with highly challenging life crises”. The theory recognises growth in people that far exceeds the notion of resilience, this is much more than coping and can be positively nurtured with the use of good techniques.
Tedeschi and Calhoun used a metaphor for post traumatic growth as a seismic earthquake in which though we may tend to rely on a set of beliefs and assumptions about order and control in the world, the experience of traumatic events typically shatters that traditional worldview as we are torn from our usual perceptions and are inevitably left to rebuild ourselves.
What do you imagine post-traumatic growth really looks like?
It is not too sensational to explain that it will make us feel stronger in the face of a new challenge, knowing that we’ve already overcome the worst that life can throw at us. It will enable us to be more grateful for the little things, to be more appreciative of everything that surrounds us. This notion was observed as extremely common in many of the survivors of the 911 disaster. It will give rise to a feeling of greater connectedness to our friends and family. It will push us to find new perspective and priorities and to have that more sublime sense of the mystery and sanctity of life. This notion of those superpowers emerging from our strengths is covered later in this blog.
Embracing Trauma As Our Second Skin
Identity is a key part of the strength of an individual entering positive phases of life after trauma. The trauma itself can create in us a sense of a broken identity due to the loss of control and agency over the events of the trauma. So, the theory of recovery has to be about the strength of each of us and this strength should be externally projected. This enhances the feeling of agency and growth too.
Our focus must be one of self-awareness and understanding and not of cowering introversion and introspection. The lack of self belief and outward projection of our strengths can occur if we attempt to wipe the slate absolutely clean and to shed the experience of trauma, creating a falsehood that the trauma never occurred and that we are able to return to exactly how we were before the event. The idea that recovery means shedding the trauma and leaving it behind us is a mistake. This will preclude true growth.
The acceptance that dealing with trauma through recognising our strengths means that in fact we embrace those strengths as a living part of who we are today. This creates pride in what we have achieved and confidence in what we are yet to achieve.
This makes the trauma our second skin, it makes us. Is it a skin that we wished for? Of course not. Having experienced the reality of it, having dug deep to go from trauma self to our healthy self, then it becomes a part of us and shapes us. This also signifies that we have learned and grown from the experience.
The 5 Domains Of Post Traumatic Growth
1. Personal Strength
In this domain our growth emerges from the realisation that our strengths outweigh the negative image of self from our world being rocked by our experience. The recovery story in part may include how we survived the immediate impact of our trauma such as professional support accompanying the love and care of family and friends, but the real writing of our growth story is in the strengths that we draw on and the learning that we have about our super powers that got us beyond trauma into new possibilities. This factor is a huge catalyst for our personal development. The construction of signal strengths revolving around the process of travelling from trauma, to survival through to happiness is a source to grow those strengths even further and to be able to apply them to the challenges of today and the opportunities of tomorrow. This is where a trauma informed coach can support you to identify those strengths and to find the best way to deploy them daily. This in turn enables the greatest of achievements that may not have been possible before the experience.
2. New Possibilities
This area of post traumatic growth has its genesis in the most fundamental challenge that occurs to our norms and values through the trauma. It can engender a tangible sense of seizing every day and the enlightenment that the strengths that pulled us from the face of the fire creates the notion that anything is possible. The confidence to take on new challenges post trauma also is derived from the trauma consequences that force us into areas of discomfort. There is a natural human instinct to remain our comfort zone, the experience of trauma denies that possibility and catapults us through growth immediately into a panic zone approach in order to learn to survive. Having been drawn out in this way we are able to reimagine how we got through the events and amongst that new reality is the strength to grow and to take on challenges that were once clearly outside our comfort zone. Seizing the day is therefore more fertile territory for the creation of challenging goals both personally and professionally and here again mentors and coaches can support you in this journey in framing and tracking those goals.
3. Deepening Relationships
The experiences of trauma and the development of relationships and friendships with those around us after trauma takes us into an appreciation of how valuable good quality friendships and relationships are and the strength in them and in the support and protection of those relationships. This therefore creates a sense of enhanced compassion for others, being prepared to reach out to others and being more knowledgeable and therefore more confident in picking the friendships and relationships that foster trust to the highest degree. Social support is a significant way that we may be able to move beyond difficulty and this is the value taken from post traumatic strength. In suffering trauma we may also have a deeper sense of compassion for others who are suffering, leading us to relate to the world in an entirely new way.
4. Appreciation of Life
The trauma that we feel is so deep and shattering to our sense of safety and normality and the upheaval of this coupled with the thoughtful process of recovery through the lens of our changing world view, means that the value that we place in life is far deeper and we are far less likely take anything for granted. We therefore appreciate the lesser and the more momentous aspects of our lives and also will actively seek even greater enrichment which further expands our belief in and enjoyment of life.
This may manifest itself in looking at new challenges, novel experiences, oneness with nature, taking up hobbies and pastimes and all in all our appreciation will create a sense of priority, gratitude, being in the moment and believing in the goodness of individuals through deeper contemplation of values and purpose in life. This sort of thinking drives high levels of growth. In this moment we see that the past is done and has been learned from, the future is still yet to be and can only be shaped by our decisions now. This is the fuel that allows our appreciation that the present moment is all that counts. This is fertile territory for personal growth and development and often coaches will support you to enhance this possibility of growth opportunity.
5. Spiritual or Wellbeing Development
Many trauma survivors experience a shift in relation to their deeper consciousness and spirituality. Those experiences of trauma that may have also exposed us to physical harm, mortality and injury and this therefore brings to the foreground the most fundamental question of mortality, the afterlife, and our spiritual meaning. This will not always equate to faith, although it very well might. For others it will be a broader sense of awareness and spirituality, this can be thinking about personal spirituality, a higher sense of wellbeing and taking more time and attention to the triggers in life that can be solved by our mindset.
The Four Keys To Unlocking Post Traumatic Growth
The four principles here are based on our true strength from adversity that we feel having come through trauma. There are theories that abound that say that the deeper the trauma, then there can be a relationship to even greater growth opportunity. This fundamentally comes from the self-appreciation of what it took for us to come through the trauma experience. Todd Kashdan and Jennifer Kane found an empirical link between the most frequently reported traumas such as the sudden death of a loved one, motor vehicle accidents, witnessing violence in the home and natural disasters and an enhanced level of post- traumatic growth.
This study also found that a precursor for PTG is that the individual has contemplated and processed their experience in order to be able to then consider those signal strengths that got them through. The four key factors to create the growth are:-
1. Sliding Door Optimism
Post traumatic growth requires the ability to see and to take positive opportunities, the belief to look for and to take sliding door moments. Matthew McConaughey’s book Green Lights would describes this as ‘green lights’ thinking. The optimism to see these opportunities and the advantage of those accruing benefits leaves us feeling that we have greater control over our destiny and an honest appraisal of the brutal facts in our current reality.
2. Control Over Events
Here we appreciate that our trauma experience inevitably arose out of a situation that we were highly unlikely to have had any control or agency over and this helplessness is a part of our cognitive process to deal with trauma. Our fear factor occurs in the amygdala of our brain and this is an exceptionally fast and instinctive response. Post traumatic growth is created by a cognitive process that ensures that we take control over our situation far more in the future, we will change our orientation so that our actions on an intellectual level feel our choice and have been constructed in such a way that we feel we have mitigated risk and importantly, maximise the benefit to us. This is not merely the removal of risk for ‘safety’ feelings, it is also proactivity in ensuring that our circumstances place us most likely to be in our strengths and happiness zone.
3. Coping Through Acceptance
Taking a decision to not remain in the past where the fear created by the trauma still resides, is much more likely to create the conditions for post traumatic growth. This is about acceptance of the trauma event, processing it and in many cases doing so by thinking about the strengths that got us through and they can still be exploited and grown in our future. This then means that the individual faces into the storm rather than away from it. The difference of this approach and those that may be in denial is that time is not wasted looking back and dealing with the experiences and ghosts of the past creating an avoidance temperament, it realises that trauma has become a part of us and therefore we work with who we are and we then harness that optimism ever further.
4. Enhancing The Sense of Self
This is a product of the reflection created by the trauma. It is not a given and will be more prominent if we have used that reflection to understand our deeper purpose both personally and professionally, to think through our values and our strengths and then to determine in a deliberate way to live to that purpose and sense of values. This enables us to make greater sense of our story and allows us to focus on where our strengths will create the maximum benefit to us and to those around us. This protects as well as it develops in that it ensures positivity and learning.
The Conclusion
So what else are we to do? It is our instinct to survive and in driving our recovery and valuing relationships around us then we introduce one of the greatest determinants of positive change and growth, community. Through recent studies psychologists have begun to understand the psychological processes that turns adversity into advantage, and what is evidently apparent is that “psychologically seismic” restructuring is actually necessary for growth to occur. It is precisely when the foundational structure of our self is shaken through trauma that we are in the best position to pursue new opportunities in our lives. This is the essential element of post traumatic growth.
PTG is not about recovery of lost ground, it is not about mere survival, it is much more than resilience – the post traumatic growth experience can be harnessed to create growth in life and in business. This blog will has described some of the theories and realities surrounding trauma and whilst the notion does not trivialise the terrible damage that caused trauma, it does demonstrate the creative element that post traumatic growth can invoke.
As more than one in two people have experienced trauma it is realistic to understand that so many people have overcome major trauma to achieve success and have harnessed that strength to achieve that success. The likes of many inspirational and transformative leaders such as Steve Jobs have come through trauma and have emboldened others as role models in their creativity and cognitive diversity. The achievement and focus of post traumatic growth can be supported through coaching and mentoring and this itself is only possible when optimising the determination to grow present in the client. The process will support the identification of the survival strengths and how they can be harnessed and how they work alongside our other signal strengths. Furthermore, the development of our growth mindset, enabling the creation and exploitation of our sliding door moments all create the fertile ground for post traumatic growth. Finally, setting goals to be striven for that enhance our life purpose and enable us to operate to our personal values create the ingredients of further post traumatic growth.
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning
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