While living through dark and negative experiences and disruptions, it’s hard to imagine the light that may greet us on the other side. However, when we look back, we recognize that new generative chapters begin after troubling times. It’s tough and takes tremendous self-awareness and self-regulation – not to mention raw patience. Trust that time, curiosity, self-reflection and open-mindedness will guide you.
Growth After Trauma by Lewana Harris, MHR
We know the primary ways to protect ourselves from the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). They include washing hands, practicing social distancing, and wearing a facial mask. Best practices for protecting our mental health and the subsequent impact of social isolation and traumatic losses are less well known. Practically unheard of is post-traumatic growth (PTG). Coined by psychologists, Tedeschi and Calhoun (2004), PTG is the idea that people can experience positive change due to a traumatic event or the struggle with a significant life crisis. Before discussing the specifics of P.T.G., it is useful to highlight a few of the psychological impacts of COVID-19.
Consider the practice of social distancing. Adherence to this guideline for some can be an adverse experience. These individuals talk about the loneliness they feel, the alienation they tolerate, and the lack of connection they have with their family, friends, and associates. Social isolation, and lack of physical contact can be a psychologically traumatic experience leading to stress, anxiety, and grief.
For other people, social distancing seems to have some benefits, such as an increased sense of well-being from time spent with family or the ability to focus on self-care, or the opportunity to complete previously neglected home projects. Researchers are implementing studies to understand better what determines the positive and negative psychological effects of social distancing while experiencing a pandemic.
Even so, C.D.C. representatives warn that the outbreak of coronavirus disease may be stressful for people. Fear and anxiety about an illness can be overwhelming and provoke strong emotions in adults and children, leading to trauma. Trauma is the response to a deeply distressing or disturbing event that overwhelms an individual’s ability to cope. It surfaces in many forms, including cultural trauma, which happens when members of a cultural identity group feel they have been subjected to a horrific event that injures their group. Briefly, consider these cases. Members of the African American community recently witnessed George Floyd’s devastating killing due to police brutality. Many members of the L.G.B.T.Q. community face discrimination, microaggressions, or job loss associated with their sexual orientation or gender identity. According to recent reports, an increased number of Asian Americans face hate crimes and xenophobic incidents related to their heritage and the global coronavirus pandemic. Research indicates that cultural trauma can create a pervasive sense of hopelessness.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (P.T.S.D.) is another form of trauma. Members of the American Psychiatric Association define P.T.S.D. as a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced or witnessed a shocking or dangerous event, such as a natural disaster, severe illness, or grief. It is common to feel afraid during and after a traumatic situation. Practically everyone will experience a range of reactions after a traumatic event. Most people tend to recover from initial symptoms without professional intervention. Those who continue to experience problems may receive a diagnosis of P.T.S.D. and a recommendation for subsequent treatment.
P.T.S.D. is widely known for causing nightmares and flashbacks. Conversely post-traumatic growth is described as the experience of positive change that occurs from a struggle with highly challenging life crises. For the most part, PTG involves changes in self, interpersonal relationships, and life attitudes (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996). Here’s some good news, studies suggest that people who experience traumas are likely to exhibit P.T.G. (Cryder et al.; Wolchik etal., 2008). However, it is critical not to be dismissive of anyone’s lived traumatic experience so as to hurry them to achieve PTG. Research suggests that individuals who actually experience PTG deliberately think about the benefit of a traumatic event or they associate a positive outcome with the traumatic experience.
Tedeschi and Calhoun (2004) developed a post-traumatic growth inventory to evaluate whether and to what extent an individual has realized growth following trauma. The inventory focuses on responses in five specific areas. I share personal experiences that reflect PTG in the five areas below:
- New opportunities or possibilities in life
Opening to new opportunities, can feel uncomfortable because familiarity tends to feel comfortable. Take me, for instance, before my current position as an expert in human relations and organization development, I went through a divorce and returned home for emotional support. Letting go of my image as a married woman and releasing the dreams I held for my family and home was a traumatic experience. Accepting my new marital status and assuming a different role required me to give up a familiar lifestyle, home, family, financial security, love, and dreams. I accepted a job as a probation and parole officer for the State of Oklahoma and remained in the position for 5 years, totaling 14 years in the field of criminal justice. After earning my master’s degree, I was open to a different career path and a new working environment.
2. Increased sense of personal strength
Alex Linley (2008) defined strengths as our built-in capacities for unique ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving. Psychologist Martin Seligman (2002) believed that each person possesses character and strengths associated with six virtues of positive psychology theory. They are wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence. I described my journey in the above section and becoming open required that I incorporate the virtues of positive psychology theory.
I also completed assessments such as MBTI, Extended DISC, and Myers-Briggs, to name a few. They offered an opportunity to learn more about myself, including my thoughts, behaviors, and feelings. In my L.I.F.E. Accountability Program: From Chaos to Clarity, I recommend that participants complete an assessment to identify and understand their skillset for personal growth and professional development. Individuals who can identify their strengths and abilities, have a better chance to maximize their full potential.
3. Greater appreciation for life in general
Authors Tedeschi and Calhoun (2004) suggest that individuals who experience trauma can undergo cognitive reconstruction, which can help them understand that they cannot predict or control certain situations and events. This paradigm shift allows individuals to pay attention to what they consider important with the aim of making changes in their life priorities.
In 2017, while enduring a personally traumatic situation and experiencing various emotions over an extended period, I made a deliberate effort to focus on what mattered to me. I understood that I could not control every facet of my situation, but I could control how I responded to my condition. Intentionally focusing on the positive elements of my circumstance helped me to realize that I was responsible for my mental health and peace of mind. This paradigm shift provided a space for me to feel a sense of gratitude and realize a greater appreciation for life and everything in my possession.
4. Deepening of spiritual life
“To enlighten, encourage, and empower others to live to their fullest potential” is my life purpose statement. Everything that I do, personally and professionally is, at some level, aligned with this assertion. My declaration has helped me to understand how I fit with my community and the society around me.
Having experienced a traumatic event, at times I contemplated questions related to my faith. According to Calhoun and Tedeschi (2001), the belief in a higher religious entity may increase after a traumatic incident, functioning as a coping mechanism in the cognitive process of finding meaning. Prayer and meditation are practices that assist me in gaining and maintaining mental stability. Various studies have provided evidence that meditation helps to reduce stress and anxiety.
Conclusion
Although we are still in the throes of COVID-19 and experiencing cultural trauma, we can intentionally explore opportunities for growth. We can take time to explore the five areas of the post-traumatic growth inventory and virtually examine our interactions with colleagues, family, and members of the community. Each area contributes to personal growth and professional development. We can begin the process of P.T.G. now rather than later.