PTSD has become a buzzword and is often thrown around and even desensitized due to the reckless use of the word disregarding its true meaning. The diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has increased yearly since the mid 1980s. With the occurrence of trauma-inducing events like sexual violence becoming more common, child abuse rates remaining stagnant, and violent crime on the rise, many victims often become vulnerable to suffering PTSD.
Trauma is simply defined as the emotional response to an event like an accident, natural disaster, or assault. PTSD is a continuation and deepening of that trauma to the point where it becomes chronic and life-altering. There is great urgency to address this crisis among adolescents, as children that face traumatic events are substantially more likely to develop issues with their physical and mental health later in life. Research from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found that children as young as preschool age can develop separation anxiety, eating problems, and sleep issues, all of which can later present themselves as depression, substance abuse, and self-harming behaviors.
PTSD is a debilitating condition that leaves those affected with symptoms such as being stuck in trauma, fearing anything new, being chronically vigilant and sensitive to threats of any magnitude, and feeling emotionally numb. For example, someone traumatized by a shooting may remain sensitive to similar sounds, like fireworks, for years afterward. That sound could stimulate the same emotional response that occurred during the actual event.
Among those affected by PTSD, a growing number are represented by children. Despite the majority of people diagnosed with PTSD being between the ages of 30 to 59, over half of adolescents aged 16 and under are reporting having experienced at least one traumatic event in their lives thus far, with at least 8% of those individuals developing PTSD from these experiences. This trend is only increasing; as trauma-inducing events like sexual violence, violent crime, displacement, natural disaster, and geopolitical tensions continue to rise, there exists a generation defined by their trauma. But, these formative traumatic events have the potential to yield a positive aftereffect and shape a better world for themselves and others.
Post-Traumatic Growth
One important way that traumatic events can yield positive aftereffects is through the process of post-traumatic growth.
Take Sam, for example. Sam was 18 years old when she was shot in the face and the leg during the Parkland High School Shooting of 2017. Since then, Sam has raised four million dollars toward addressing gun violence, organized the event bringing 1.2 million people marching down Pennsylvania Avenue during the March For Our Lives, and speaks publicly about her experiences. Today, she attends college in New York City and uses her aspiring career in screenwriting as an avenue of therapy.
Sam is an ideal example of post-traumatic growth. Post-traumatic growth is simply a positive transformation that can occur following trauma. Sam demonstrates some of the five areas of post-traumatic growth. These factors include: gaining new personal strengths, seeing new possibilities, relating to others and deepening relationships, appreciating life, and finding new meaning in life. Post-traumatic growth doesn’t look the same for everyone, nor does it take place at the same rate.
Following a traumatic event comes a period of managing emotional distress, which can occur, as soon as a month after a seismic event. This is followed by a period of rumination, which is when people fixate on the negative event, often resulting in increased emotional distress. After this, a ‘schema change’ must take place where some of the triggers of the event are desensitized and the more hyperactive emotions begin to cool. Only after this takes place can post-traumatic growth can occur.
Building deeper relationships helps because it utilizes self-disclosure. Self-disclosure has a variety of levels with the deepest and most rewarding being talking about feelings, simply defined as showing the truth toward a specific subject. The benefits of this are self-clarification, emotional validation, reciprocity, social influence, and self-defense. All of these are vital to coping after enduring trauma and lead to the enhancement of any relationship.
Leveraging trauma as an engine for growth, especially as a means of developing relationships, is a well-researched avenue for healing trauma. For instance, Sam lost many friends on the day of the shooting but sought support from those who had shared experiences and her friends and family to help her through. In the end, she built deep relationships with those who were also greatly affected by the shooting. The March For Our Lives event was organized not just by Sam but by over ten other individuals from Sam’s circle who were also affected by gun violence and for whom organizing this event brought them a level of solidarity and comfort.
Despite the originating event itself still being negative, it set the stage for something that otherwise may never have happened. It’s easy to think that through any tragedy people get closer, but trauma is incredibly isolating. It can feel as if few have a shared experience which makes talking about these experiences even more difficult, especially when deciding whom to speak to. As a result, deepening relationships can make the difference between isolation and support.
A Framework for Healing
Susan Silk, a psychologist, proposed a very simple framework for seeking out help from friends and family called the ring theory. The ring theory is simple and easy to draw. You draw the person most affected by the trauma in the direct center of the rings. After that, you make layers around the center. The overarching theme is that you seek support from the rings outside where you stand and you give support to the rings inside where you stand. Understanding who to go to is the first step to deepening a relationship after trauma.
An additional study done by the Department of Clinical Psychology at the University of Liverpool validated these findings by looking at young burn victims. Of the areas of post-traumatic growth, relating to others or deepening relationships was the area found to have the greatest correlation with growth.
There are obvious limitations with this, given that each trauma leads to a different path toward growth and some events will lead others to be less trusting of those around us. It is easy to point to those affected by natural disasters or mass shootings and see how people can bond and create value through relationships. These events are felt throughout communities. A sexual assault victim, however—despite there being many with a shared experience—may have great difficulty growing via deeper relationships given the trust issues that develop as a result of trauma. However, deepening relationships and connecting to others remains a powerful aid to recovery and growth after trauma.
Because these formative events will shape us and our peers for the rest of our lives, we can all come together to find meaning and joy in life despite (or even because of) traumatic events. The applications of post-traumatic growth have the radical potential to influence not only you, but your friends, family, our Stevens community, and beyond. Understanding that people can present signs of growth after trauma should encourage us to take an active role in the healing process. In an uncertain world, trauma will occur. How we react to it, grow from it, and connect with others through it will shape the future of our world, our communities, and ourselves.
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