'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger?'
Author says trauma
can change lives …
for the better
Traumatic events come in many forms, such as accidents, war, illness, personal loss and violence. Everyone wants to avoid the worst that life has to offer, but an estimated 75 percent of people will experience a traumatic event in their lifetime.
They may experience long-term emotional damage, but the trauma can also be a powerful force for positive change.
In his new book, Upside: the New Science of Post-Traumatic Growth (an Amazon.com 5-Star book), author Jim Rendon says post-traumatic growth was identified by psychologists in the 1990s. In an interview, more than 600 survivors were asked how the trauma had changed their lives.
Most survivors said it had negative effects, but to the interviewers' surprise, a majority also reported positive life changes.
They said they had greater inner strength, were closer to friends and family, and they were reorienting their lives toward more fruitful goals. Their trauma suffering had pushed them to change.
Growth begins with healing from trauma, but people have the capacity to do more than just heal.
Rendon says they can become better versions of themselves.
