This is some interesting research. It seems to show that sometimes trauma can be something we grow from:
Hurricane Katrina caused widespread trauma and dislocation. Researchers who followed survivors to track the mental health impacts of the storm found that while the trauma of Katrina caused elevated levels of mental health symptoms, many of the survivors reported personally growing from those losses.
I think this is the kind of message we like to hear about trauma. Not the negative parts. Not the brokenness, the damage, the people who don’t survive the PTSD, just the ones who can tell us how much the trauma helped them become who they are today.
But even post-traumatic growth comes with some caveats:
CHATTERJEE: But she notes that certain resources make it more or less likely that someone will grow after a major trauma like Katrina. For example, financial hardship was linked to low levels of post-traumatic growth.
LOWE: So I think financial resources really matter both pre- and post-disaster.
CHATTERJEE: Another factor – social support.
LOWE: We had a measure of perceived social support – so feelings of closeness with others, companionship, that someone’s there for you if you need it.
CHATTERJEE: She says those who had more social support after the storm were more likely to say they grew from their trauma.
Post-traumatic growth can happen. Healing from any trauma can happen. It occurs more frequently when the survivor has the financial means and social support to seek help.
This is not something we do on our own. It requires resources. It requires people in our lives to be there with us through it. Ignoring survivors’ current needs and assuming that they will eventually see growth is harmful. It might just be the missing thing, preventing growth.