Post-Traumatic Growth

In our modern world of war and other atrocities the term Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder has become so well known it goes by the acronym PTSD. It’s talked about on the news and whispered about in frightened groups of survivors. But what isn’t as well known or as talked about is Post-Traumatic Growth which is just as prevalent as PTSD, but because we live in a culture that enjoys perpetuating the negative and overlooking the positive it isn’t talked about. But it is real and more of us have experienced it than have experienced PTSD.


Instead of experiencing debilitating symptoms after a trauma many people discover that after the initial sorrow and sadness, they have actually grown in many positive ways. This is what is called Post-Traumatic Growth. Researchers have now shown that positive psychological growth such as increases in spirituality, compassion for others, feelings of confidence in one’s own abilities, appreciation for life, and even an increase in personal satisfaction with life have occurred after traumatic experiences.

The fact that the media and others talk mostly about PTSD is sad in that it gives the impression that PTSD is the only response for trauma. We need to talk more about Post-Traumatic Growth because the difference in the two is largely a difference in mind-set and so we help others now and in the future by helping them to see that there are other ways to experience trauma.

Each of us has power over our own mind-set and researchers have found that those who define themselves by the bad that happens to them will most likely experience PTSD, but those that have a mind-set that the trauma has something to teach them will experience Post-Traumatic Growth. The catch is that for best results we need to train ourselves to see life as a learning experience instead of a devastating experience before the trauma occurs.

So begin today by asking yourself what you are learning from the things that happen to you. Let's make PTG more well known!