Post-Traumatic Growth?

Opportunities for Growth

Trauma shatters our lives in so many profound ways.

While it takes tremendous effort to heal, it can also produce some incredible opportunities for growth.

It’s critical to not put pressure on ourselves to experience post traumatic growth, but rather consider the ways we might and be compassionate about our process.

After experiencing trauma we can have flashbacks, nightmares, intense anxiety, depression, aggression, hypervigilence and avoidance behaviors (also known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD)

We can also have growth but it's crucial to not put pressure on ourselves to experience this.

Not everyone does.

5 Types of Post-Traumatic Growth

1.  Personal Strength:​  we can develop greater inner strength, resilience and wisdom through coping with external forces outside of our control

2.  Closer Relationships:  during/after trauma we can bond with others in making meaning together and having shared experiences

3.  Greater Appreciation:  through experiencing profound losses we can learn to have greater appreciation for what we do have in the moment

4.  New Possibilities:  when our lives have been completely upended, we can see new ways of being and doing than we've had before

5.  Spiritual Development:  trauma can change our deepen our spiritual beliefs of those things that are larger than ourselves, that connect us all

If we don't experience growth from traumatic experiences it doesn't mean that we've done something wrong or aren't worthy of it.

We can heal and grow in other ways regardless.

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