This post appeared first on ResilientMan.com>
[caption id="attachment_305" align="alignright" width="300"]
Post Traumatic Growth[/caption] Post traumatic growth, is the idea that after a stress full event, people become stronger in order to cope with such traumatic events in the future. An event is defined as traumatic, if the preceding events differed by a magnitude much larger that the person experiencing the event is able to cope with. Example using of myself lifting a weight with one hand.
- I am able to lift **5kg **with one hand without any effort. Recovery time zero.
- I am able to lift 15kg with one hand without any effort. Recovery time zero
- I am able to lift 20kg with one hand without some effort. Recovery time zero
- I am able to lift 22kg with one hand without more effort. Recovery time minutes.
- I am able to lift **30kg **with one hand without a lot effort. Recovery time hours.
- I am able to lift **40kg **with one hand without a lot effort. Recovery time possibly days.
- I am able to lift 50kg (110 pounds) with one hand without a lot effort. Recovery time weeks, possible permanent injury.
One can easily relate to this example. A stress full event is testing a person's resilience. Post traumatic growth occurs when the event is within the coping range of the individual. When this is the case, resilience increases the body adjusts to accommodate more stress in the future. Recovery time and coping methods are important factors in increasing resilience against the events one would like to cope against. What happens when I have to lift a 50kg weight with one hand ? I would probably make it but I would sprain my back, bicep and possibly do long term damage to my body. Resilience is about choosing to walk away from danger, such as lifting a 50kg weight with one arm! Post traumatic growth is a term used more cognitively. How does a person mentally cope with an event that puts her in a zone of discomfort far beyond what is comfortable and normal. Ghandi once said "meaning making is only meaningful if it is translated to behavior that makes a difference" Post traumatic growth, can be mistaken with active coping. Meaning that a person still has his adrenalin pumping, and is trying to deal with the disaster. This is important, when we are ourselves in a traumatic event and are trying to identify which phase we are in. We should not mistake dealing activley with the disaster as a form of PTG. People can experience post traumatic growth while they are still dealing emotionally with the event. This feeling of post traumatic growth can be a cognitive way in which to balance the negative impact of the challenge positively. People who have surpassed this phase can have true post traumatic growth, one which is internalized and is reflected in the habits and character of themselves. Two tools you can use to entice post traumatic growth are openness and optimism. Being open to new experiences, meeting them with curiosity and experimentation rather than fear. Optimism can be loosely referred to as hope for the future, the idea that things can get better than they are now. Negative feelings and negative people will reduce PTG. Finding the strength to cope with trauma is a shared endeavor. Family and friends are sources of stability which can increase openness and optimism. The level of the trauma will also reflect the recovery time, the damage to the person involved and his/her level of post traumatic growth. If for example: A person looses his car, this will be a stressful event. We can say that know, knowing that his district was prone to floods he will pay very close attention to the news and weather forecast to avoid trouble. However if this person lost his house and car in the floods, we can expect that the chance of PTG to be less likely. Some studies have shown that the level of control one has over the traumatic event determines the level of PTG. Soldiers who where involved in war experienced higher levels of personal growth than those soldiers who where prisoners of war. With the latter have a higher percentage of being the suffers of post traumatic stress disorder. Not all post traumatic growth is the same, people experiencing sever trauma may find self growth in the following ways :
- Growth: Increasing strength, through stimulation (suffering)
- Revisiting the core beliefs, goals, self worth and appreciation of life.
- Psychological hardening: This would be reflected in a changed world view. Moving the base lines and the expected norms that help people cope with day to day life.
Facing adversity increases our resilience in different ways:
- Self confidence, we discover new strengths in ourselves.
- We discover who are true friends are.
- Life priorities are clear.
Highly resilient people who have prepared wisely, physically and emotionally may experience less post traumatic stress and growth. This is because, some traumatic events can be foreseen, and resilient people keep an eye on future disasters! Example: People who will retire in 20 or 30 years time will be facing peak pension, in 2013 we can already predict challenges to our income and pensions. Action points: Upon reflection, all of us could do with some more exposure to stressing events. You are the judge to know what you can tolerate and what will cause trauma. We all have differing levels of resilience to different things! These are some ideas:
- Sleeping on the sofa,
- Sleeping on the floor
- Cold showers for a week
- Walking to work (within reason)
- Going 16 hours without food.
- Shutting the electricity and water in our home for a weekend.
For the more adventurous : (warning increased risk)
- Travel around a bad area of the city on foot.
- Sleep a few nights alone in the forest.
- Are all exercise that challenge our normalcy bias, and help us find out our weaknesses and test our resilience.
This post appeared first on ResilientMan.com>