No one wants to face adverse situations in their life, however many of us, sooner or later, are forced to deal with painful experiences, some people are devastated by experience, even having health problems; however, for others, this event involves post-traumatic growth that positively changes the meaning of their lives.
It is hard to imagine how emotional trauma can bring us something positive, however, many people have managed to transcend adversity, undergoing true personal transformation, but what exactly is post-traumatic growth?What are the factors that contribute to this?
- Post-traumatic growth can be defined as the positive change a person experiences as a result of a fighting process based on a traumatic event.
It does not refer only to the fact that the individual can overcome the adverse experience without developing any pathology, recovering his initial condition, post-traumatic growth implies a real transformation in the way he perceives himself, the world and the meaning of his life. .
Thus, after a negative experience, there are clear changes in the person’s perspective:
This is not the case at any time, because of the luck or luck of that particular person, post-traumatic growth is the result of a deep individual restructuring, in the light of the traumatic experience the most ingrained cognitive paradigms and patterns are destabilized. His way of understanding the world falters, his set of meanings is questioned.
Thus, in the face of the new and painful reality, a process of deconstruction and reconstruction of the perspectives and beliefs of the person begins, giving rise to more positive and functional concepts, no one experiences post-traumatic growth being the same person, because it is a journey of profound transformation.
However, it is not a painless path. Stress and negative emotions arise and are present during the process. In addition, they are essential elements for growth. So what is it that causes some people to leave adversity strengthened and transformed, while others fall into a dark pit that has dire consequences?
Much of the difference is marked by the personality and temperament of each one, not everyone has the same level of optimism, positivity and resilience, our genetics and the environment that has accompanied us since we were born have shaped our characteristics and abilities.
As a result, some people are more likely than others to use more useful and functional coping styles. Those who use styles of reflection and emotional expression have been shown to experience post-traumatic growth to a greater degree.
Therefore, if our coping strategies today lead us to experience great suffering in the face of adversity, if we feel powerless and defeated, we must consider a change of style, we can all develop adaptive skills that lead us to increase our confidence and optimism. We can’t stop negative or painful events from happening to us, but we can grow and learn from each other.