The concept of trauma is often shrouded in dark connotations and an overbearing lack of hope but this is not always the case. For some survivors of trauma, is there the potential to approach their grief from a more hopeful lens?
What Constitutes a Traumatic Experience?
Let’s define a traumatic experience.
Trauma is a lasting response that can result from surviving a distressing life event. For some survivors, trauma can lead to diagnosable clinical conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a heavily researched condition which many people first think of when considering outcomes of traumatic experiences.
The Science
Let’s talk about what post-traumatic growth is and how psychologists have tried to explain the phenomenon.
The whole concept of post traumatic growth seems like an oxymoron. It seems ridiculous to think any form of positive outcome could result from traumatic experiences of any sort. This can and has been the case for some individuals and it is possible for positive change to result after a traumatic experience.
There have been several models developed by psychologists to explain this oxymoron relationship (I find the model proposed by Rich Tedeschi and Lawrence Calhoun particularly interesting).
Researchers initially coined positive change resulting from a traumatic experience as post traumatic growth (PTG) in 1995. They described this phenomena as trauma causing radical change in a person’s life, notably changing their worldviews, life goals, and friendships. Interestingly, they base the entirety of their theory on the extent to which one claims that their “core beliefs (about life in general) were shaken.”
The model of PTG developed by Pazderka et al. suggests those who have experienced past traumas will react much differently to newer traumatic experiences, due to stress sensitization. Stress sensitization acts as a buffer protecting individuals from traumatic experiences.
This form of resilience to future trauma has been found to be particularly present in people who experienced childhood trauma. The rewiring of traumatized brains in this way is both devastating and potentially hopeful.
Could PTG help people who have experienced trauma?
The Controversy Surrounding Post Traumatic Growth
Despite the lack of conversation and media coverage surrounding post-traumatic growth, this is not a new concept and has been a topic of psychological research for a long time. Why is this something that has not been talked about?
PTG is a rather controversial subject among psychologists because of its implications for survivors of trauma. The concept itself has been seen in a harsh light because it could imply that a trauma survivor's state of mind after the experience is up to them, ultimately invalidating their struggles as a whole.
Some people critique the theory because they believe it places an unnecessary pressure on survivors of traumatic experience. According to Jayawickreme, the nature of the concept has the potential to become “oppressive” considering its possibility to worsen mental health outcomes of trauma survivors
Although PTG may induce feelings of pressure and expectation on survivors, it could also provide tools that enable the development of positive change for survivors. Recognizing there is potential for positive change in the face of trauma can create hope, even if it is not everyone’s experience.
I’ll end with a quote from Amy Canevello I found enlightening to the hope PTG could create in reconceptualizing traumatic experiences from the conventional doom and gloom.
“Trauma shatters your worldview and disrupts your core beliefs, and post-traumatic growth, at least theoretically, is the result of you trying to put your worldview back together in a way that incorporates that traumatic event. You come out the other side looking different in some way.”
To learn more, check out the links below:
About the author. My name is Emily Boland and I am a second-year student, majoring in psychology, minoring in philosophy, and enrolled in the Certificate of Business Program. I am currently a research assistant in the Queen’s Vision and Cognition Lab. I am especially interested in clinical and cognitive psychology. A fun fact about me is that I’m allergic to peas!