By April Lyons MA, LPC
Trauma is something that no one ever has on their wish list, nor do they usually have a plan for how to handle it in the event it does occur.
After a trauma, picking yourself up and moving forward may require some relearning of how to live. This is where post-traumatic growth comes into play. Think of this as a positive and deeply meaningful type of growth after a life-altering experience.
Here’s a closer look at the positive outcomes of post-traumatic growth.
Having a Greater Appreciation for Life
Going through trauma and coming out on the other side of healing can lead to many growth opportunities. To get through the thick of your healing, you’ve likely done some self-reflection and experienced some newfound gratitude.
In this process, you learned how to channel your pain into something more positive, often leading to a new “lease on life” so to speak. You learned how to appreciate things through a new lens or not waste time sweating some of the little, insignificant things.
Before going through trauma, you lived your life one way. After you find healing, it’s completely normal to have a greater appreciation for your life, the people around you, and the things you have.
Making Deeper Connections
Immediately following a traumatic event, it’s normal to be skeptical of people, their behaviors, and their intentions. As you process this trauma and work through healing, you may have found more empathy or learned to let your walls down.
Post-traumatic growth may have helped you access different feelings and viewpoints than what you had before. This growth allows you to strengthen connections and deepen the bonds with certain people in your life. It allows you to build new connections and trust in others.
At the very least, post-traumatic growth can lead to taking less for granted where your relationships are concerned.
Improved Strength and Resiliency
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. This sentiment holds very true where most things are concerned. Surviving a trauma and coming out on the other side can lead to improved strength, confidence, and compassion.
Realizing that you are capable of handling hard things and turning that pain into something positive through personal growth can reinforce that concept. This translates to resiliency with future challenges and struggles.
A Spiritual Awakening
In the face of trauma, for some people, their healing journey takes them down a path of a spiritual awakening. There are many questions of why and how along the way. You may find yourself questioning parts of your existence.
As you find new meaning for your life, plan for the future, and process through the traumatic experience, it isn’t uncommon to find new faith or restore old faith. This could be religion, a spiritual being, or some other higher power. As you heal and grow, there may be this newfound connection to something bigger than you, something that helps make whatever has happened “okay” and less heavy.
Shift in Priorities
After going through a trauma, you may find that you’ve developed a different worldview. Maybe you were set in your ways. Maybe you were taking certain things for granted before that you never realized. With this 2.0 version of yourself after finding healing, it’s entirely possible to have a shift in your priorities.
You may want to spend your time on things that bring you joy or that you find valuable. You may have set new boundaries to find a better balance in your quality of life. There may be more excitement about investing new resources into yourself and your personal growth.
Some Limitations
Not everyone who experiences trauma has the same growth and development after the event. This process is far from linear and may take some rollercoastering before you find a happy, level landing spot.
There’s also the possibility that you may experience setbacks despite finding this level of post-traumatic growth. You may need additional support or guidance along the way to maintain certain changes that have occurred. If you’re looking for help, we work together on effective methods to process trauma. Contact us today to learn more.
Learn more about PTSD treatment.
