Post Traumatic Growth
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder-PTSD has become a fairly common term to most of us today and many have had some experience with it directly or indirectly through someone we know. Fortunately, because of the amazing forms of therapy that this area of research has spawned, many people have received help and healing in an area that was previously dismissed or medicated. But few people have heard about a new and exciting area of research that is now being called Post Traumatic Growth.
This new term has been coined by the Post Traumatic Research Group at the UNC Charlotte and is shining a light on the ways that we can actually become better in the wake of a traumatic event, given the support and guidance we need to heal. The premise of this research suggests that there are people who actually grow as a result of a major stressful event or circumstances in ways that may not have happened without it. Some of these areas seem to be in increased strength and resiliency, empathy and compassion, openness to new possibilities and in spiritual awareness.
This is good news for those of us who have experienced trauma in our lives and have sometimes struggled to feel like we fit in. My experience personally and in working with others would suggest that the circumstances that have led to our suffering may also lead to our growth and awakening. One of the major reasons that I was compelled to create Blue Earth Awakening was so that people going through these life changing crises could find a place that reassured them that indeed they were not alone. In the years since this free center for transformation was created, the numbers of visitors who have come here has increased exponentially, with little effort on my part. It seems that people are experiencing some kind of transformational crisis in staggering numbers and looking to reach out to others who may understand what they are going through.
It is important to note that this growth does not occur in everyone who is faced with a traumatic experience or childhood. So what is it that tips the scale? I suspect that is a complicated question that is difficult to answer, but for me there has been an inner compulsion that my suffering would somehow benefit others who were going through something similar. That had an urgency that drove me on when I might otherwise have stopped searching and believing that recovery and wellness was possible. I have met many other people too who have this yearning within them that gives them strength and endurance when the journey seems intolerable. So if you are someone who has faced great challenge, I encourage you to look deep inside and discover the ways that you can grow beyond your circumstances and discover the hidden call to wake up from the dream of collective suffering. I know we can do it together!
This new term has been coined by the Post Traumatic Research Group at the UNC Charlotte and is shining a light on the ways that we can actually become better in the wake of a traumatic event, given the support and guidance we need to heal. The premise of this research suggests that there are people who actually grow as a result of a major stressful event or circumstances in ways that may not have happened without it. Some of these areas seem to be in increased strength and resiliency, empathy and compassion, openness to new possibilities and in spiritual awareness.
This is good news for those of us who have experienced trauma in our lives and have sometimes struggled to feel like we fit in. My experience personally and in working with others would suggest that the circumstances that have led to our suffering may also lead to our growth and awakening. One of the major reasons that I was compelled to create Blue Earth Awakening was so that people going through these life changing crises could find a place that reassured them that indeed they were not alone. In the years since this free center for transformation was created, the numbers of visitors who have come here has increased exponentially, with little effort on my part. It seems that people are experiencing some kind of transformational crisis in staggering numbers and looking to reach out to others who may understand what they are going through.
It is important to note that this growth does not occur in everyone who is faced with a traumatic experience or childhood. So what is it that tips the scale? I suspect that is a complicated question that is difficult to answer, but for me there has been an inner compulsion that my suffering would somehow benefit others who were going through something similar. That had an urgency that drove me on when I might otherwise have stopped searching and believing that recovery and wellness was possible. I have met many other people too who have this yearning within them that gives them strength and endurance when the journey seems intolerable. So if you are someone who has faced great challenge, I encourage you to look deep inside and discover the ways that you can grow beyond your circumstances and discover the hidden call to wake up from the dream of collective suffering. I know we can do it together!