PTSD Growth: What It Is & How it Can Help You Become Stronger After Trauma

Trauma can knock you back, knock you down, or knock you out.

And then you do your best to move on.

But getting up and getting on with life looks different for everyone. Some people seem to shake it all off and are ready to go another round. Some people simply survive. And some are dazed for longer, wrestling with wounds that keep reopening.

What about you? Have you suffered terrible trauma? Have you found ways to recover?

Perhaps you notice something else happening as you attempt to heal. More than simply recovering or bouncing back, you feel that your trauma has made you better, wiser, and stronger. Somehow you've grown beyond your pre-trauma self.

This is more than a comeback or garden-variety resilience. The experts call it Post-traumatic growth (PTG).

So, what is post-traumatic growth, exactly?

Think of PTG as a mental shift. A period when you realize that pain and distress were only some of the outcomes of your experience. In fact, post-traumatic growth is described by psychologists as both the positive, adaptive result of your life-altering experience and the process of internal, personal change.

Leaders of PTG research, deem this mental and emotional evolution as the process of “thriving.“ Ultimately, you become increasingly adept at finding benefits and meaning despite the challenges of your memories and other traumatic fallout.

Again, you are more than just a survivor. You've found a way to move forward in ways that resonate personally, paying more attention to the quality of your life. Often, people impacted by trauma express such growth as transformative and liberating.

Is that how you feel? How do you relate that to the world now as opposed to before? Have you sensed a shift from surviving to thriving has taken place within you? 

How Experiencing PTG Helps Make You Stronger:

Five Primary Areas of Post-traumatic Growth 

According to t experts and pioneers Tedeschi and Calhoun,  post-traumatic growth bolsters trauma survivors in five primary areas: personal strength, deepened bonds with others, new life possibilities, appreciation for life, and heightened spirituality.

You needn't see gains in all areas. Growth in just one is considered valid and may improve emotional strength. Let's look at each area more closely.

1. Personal Strength

Essentially, an improved ability to cope with uncertainty may occur. Uncomfortable emotions are less prone to stop your forward movement. You may feel a stronger motivation to accept yourself and your feelings as they are. Recovery and moving on productively seem fully possible. You may even sense that you no longer need to deal with trauma and upset with blame, secrecy, avoidance, or damaging coping tools.

2. Deepened Social Ties

Are you less prone to taking the people in your life for granted now? Many trauma victims' willingness to seek out and accept social support increases.  Personal ties are more tightly bonded, meaningful and pleasant.

You may also find that your ability to tap into compassion and benevolence develops and directs your life differently. The idea that your connections to loved ones, peers, your community, and even the world at large are more hopeful and trustworthy is not unusual.

3. New Potential, Possibilities and Promise

Overall, you might experience a significant shift in your worldview too. The valued constructs and institutions of your life and world may change. You might even be glad to see old beliefs and anxieties dissolve as new core values replace them.

In addition, your willingness to become more present and reflective may increase as well. How you invest your time and energy may become a more mindful, present process. Emotional and mental strength can result as you develop clarity regarding your own needs and wants.

4. Appreciation for Life

Trauma and awareness of our mortality often go together. So, post-traumatic growth is often revealed in the fact that the idea of death fosters more appreciation for life than an anxious fear of dying. You may be stronger because you are less willing to suffer through life and come to see it as priceless and purposeful.

5. Spiritual Transformation

Often, survivors find spiritual direction in their trauma. Of course, how your emotional and relational life are strengthened in this regard is deeply personal. Have you experienced individual enlightenment or committed to like-minded fellowship or worship with others? Whatever the case, the way you engage the world can be profoundly impacted.

Post-traumatic growth and professional guidance can put trauma in its place

Post-traumatic growth exposes the many ways tough times can strengthen people from all walks of life. 

What you’ve interpreted from your trauma can build you up and empower you significantly. This, however, is not a linear process.  You'll still need support and guidance to navigate your path from brokenness to breakthrough. Contact a therapist who can help you maximize your journey. In fact, read here: trauma therapy for more helpful information. I am available for consultation and scheduling too. Please reach out soon. I'm here to help.