Trauma Healing

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If you are looking for a sign to get out of bed, take a shower, walk outside, or a simple reminder that you are important: Here it is! This is your sign!

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How to Grow from Trauma:

Trauma Healing

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DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT A DOCTOR, COUNSELOR, OR THERAPIST. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS MERELY BASED OFF OF SCHOLARLY RESEARCH (LINKED), AS WELL AS PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, THAT I HAVE FOUND TO BE INFORMATIVE IN REGARDS TO TRAUMA. I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH ON THIS TOPIC. I RECOMMEND A CONSULTATION WITH YOUR DOCTOR IF YOU ARE SUFFERING THROUGH TRAUMA.

 

This series may also bring up traumatic experiences and/or responses. Although I am going to try to avoid using examples, I cannot assure you this will not be a trigger for some. It is your choice to continue reading.

 

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Well, guys…

We have finally made it to the final part of this mini trauma series!

 

Part 4: Trauma Healing

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for!

 

Today, we’re going to full send in on how to grow from trauma. So, saddle up, because this just may be a wild ride!

 

It’s all about PTG: Post Traumatic Growth!

 

*If you aren’t personally suffering with trauma, you may be hesitant to keep reading. But, I beg you to stick around because this information can be good for many more than just the ones trying to grow from their trauma! We are going to be discussing ways to grow from the things we go through. (Which means you have the opportunity to grow from everything. Don’t limit yourself because you think you don’t relate.)*

 

 

To refresh our brains on what we have covered throughout this series on trauma, Part 1 focused on discovering what exactly trauma is, Part 2 went into detail about the causes of trauma, and Part 3 pointed out signs to look for if you, or someone you know, may be struggling with trauma (and ways to combat them).

 

So, now. Part 4!

 

Today is going to be short and sweet while we learn all about growth!

 

My favorite! Literally what this blog is all about!

 

So, let’s just get right on started! Not wasting any time today!

 

 

Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG)

 

This is just a little vocabulary and acronym check for you!

 

I’m sure you know what PTSD is, but have you heard of PTG?

 

• PTSD, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, is the enhanced levels of stress on a person, due to a traumatic event. This disorder is not normally diagnosed until around a month, or later, after the traumatic experience(s). (It’s important to note that you can go through trauma and not get PTSD. During the first few weeks after a traumatic experience, it is normal to show signs of trauma. If those signs do not go away after that, it may be time to see a doctor, therapist, or psychologist.)

 

• Coined by Richard Tedeschi and Lawrence Calhoun, Post-Traumatic Growth, often times seen as PTG, is exactly what it sounds like! (Post= after, traumatic= trauma, growth= positive change.) Defined, it’s the positive mental shift experienced as a result of adversity. As Science of the People put it, scar tissue is stronger than regular tissue, both literally and metaphorically! Meaning, we can come back stronger after being broke down! That’s pretty dang hopeful, right?!

 

So, now, let’s figure out how!

 

 

How to Have Trauma Healing

 

Since we’ve already talked about what trauma is, what causes trauma, and how to look for signs of trauma, today’s post to going to focus strictly of the growth you can gain and just how to grow from trauma!

 

Can I grow from my trauma?

 

Easy freaking answer! YES! You absolutely can grow from trauma. Let’s get one thing straight: you can grow from any, and absolutely every, situation you are ever in! You just have to first decide that you want to grow. Show yourself that initiative! I am here to tell you that you are deserving of growth! It may not (and most likely won’t) come quick, but you owe it to yourself to strive to become the best self you can be!

 

If you are having a really hard time right now, please do not think I am making your problems small. I most definitely am not. But, I want you to know- no, I need you to know- that you can come out of this stronger. You will come out of this stronger. Just please don’t give up on yourself.

 

How can this growth be shown?

 

Growth can be shown in SO many ways!

 

Psychologists and therapists determine your post traumatic growth by an inventory of 5 categories!

 

1. Appreciation for life

   • After your breakthrough, you may find that you have a new appreciation for life! If you’ve found this appreciation, you will probably also find yourself organizing your day differently! If at any given time you begin reevaluating your priorities, this could be due to having a new found appreciation for every day you’re given!

 

2. Relationships with others

1. • Sometimes, trauma can lead to strengthened bonds with others! If you’ve noticed that some of your relationships have become more open, vulnerable, or just closer overall, this could be a sign of growth!

 

3. New possibilities in life

1. • Growth from trauma often leads you to new possibilities! This could be that you are just now noticing these opportunities, or that they are just now happening! Either way, jump on them!!

 

4. Personal strength

1. • Remember when we said that scar tissue is stronger than regular tissue? Well, boy. Let’s run back to that really quick! I know that traumatic experiences can make us feel like we are absolutely shattered (or maybe just that we could shatter at any moment). But, let me reassure you: if you want to, you can come back stronger. You can recover, and be better than you ever dreamed of being. We just have to put in the work.

 

5. Spiritual change

• • Also known as spiritual rebirth, this just says that growth can also be shown by building a strong spirituality! (Click here to read the difference between spirituality and religion!) **I should point out that some psychologists are working to change, or add to, this point. They want to “incorporate more existential themes that should resonate with those who are more secular”

 

How can I work on growing through trauma healing?

 

I personally feel like a good method of growth is to go through the 5 previously mentioned categories! Reflect on your life, basically! If you do this, almost in a means of gratitude, you are bound to see many things you have either grown from or have the potential to grow from! I have actually created a free worksheet that you can download here:

 

 

*Click here to download the worksheet above*

 

Here’s the thing: you just have to work. You can’t give up on yourself. If you get tired, upset, frustrated- you CAN’T stop focusing on growth!

 

When it gets hard, ask yourself:

 

What am I feeling right now?

 

You will need to be honest about your feelings! If you don’t know how you feel, you can’t start trying to fix it! You may be full of rollercoaster emotions and that is OKAY! A huge part of healing is feeling… everything. So, be sad, mad, upset, happy, grateful. Feel, and focus on what you’re feeling!

 

Why am I feeling like this?

 

Once you know what exactly it is that you’re feeling, think about why you are feeling this way. There can be so many reasons as to why, but you need to know what has caused this/ these feeling(s)! Once again, you can’t truly begin fixing it until you know why it’s there!

 

How can I stop, or minimize, feeling like this, in a healthy way?

 

This may be the hardest part, but focus on finding a way to stop this feeling: now and in the future. Find ways to break down your current state. This could mean countering your thoughts with other truths or dissecting each part of the feeling to its core. Once you have minimized your ‘right-now-feelings’, try to think of one or two ways you can stop this feeling in the future. (Think about stopping this feeling from overwhelming you before it happens by stopping when you first notice signs of this feeling.)

 

How can I grow from this?

 

This is the best question you can ever ask yourself. There is always growth to be made. If it’s not obvious, sit back and ask yourself how you can grow from what you are going through or have been through. Remember that growth doesn’t come easy, so think of ways you can work towards this growth! You can journal it, write out a post, say it out loud, or even make a vision board! Whatever you decide, remind yourself that you are worth the work it will take to grow.

 

 

Life isn’t always easy. What we go through isn’t always easy. How we have to face things isn’t always easy.

 

But, I promise you, you can always grow. You can always come out better than you were, stronger than you thought you could, and loved more than you ever realized!

 

One last thing I want you to do for me, and then I’ll let you go…

 

Say these sentences out loud:

 

I deserve to grow. I deserve to be stronger. I deserve to be better. I owe myself forgiveness. I owe myself love. I am valuable. I am impactful. I am worthy. I will work hard at becoming my best.

 

I’m so glad you have followed this journey on growing from trauma with me!

 

Seriously, I have enjoyed being able to present you the information I found on what trauma is, what causes trauma, signs of trauma, and how to grow from trauma! I can honestly say it has been my pleasure!

 

I really hope you have been able to get something out of this 4 part series! If you are just finding this series, you can find part 1 here, Trauma: What Exactly Is It? And as always, whether you have found new ways to grow, or realized how you can help someone close to you, I’d love to hear back from you!

 

You can drop a comment letting me know what you thought, email or DM me, or share it to your social media! (Just click the icon you want to use and we’ll take you there!)

 

I love, value, and cherish you so much it hurts!

 

As always, if you need a sign to take care of yourself: this is it.

Reflect.

Meditate.

Smile.

Because as we all know:

you are the most vital character in your story!

The trauma llama will be back, soon.

Peace out, girl scouts!

… and always aim to be the best self you can be.