In her third psychotherapy session, the therapist asked a surprising question, "Did you feel so scared when you were a child?" "Of course not, I'm not afraid of anyone, I'm not an emotional person at all," she replied defensively, minutes later her session ended and she left, but the question remained with her, it was like a bomb that exploded inside her and brought out memories of years she used to bury and not face them.

This was a turning point in Amna's life, who was 23 years old at the time, as memories of her past years began to heap upon her as if they had happened now, and she recalled all the painful events during which she felt very scared but did not have someone to safely lead her secrets, so she kept her fear inside her.

After nearly two years of suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during which she underwent intensive psychotherapy, Amna began to recover from the effects of her painful memories and went out again into the world, but emerged as if she were someone else, as the pain shook her and changed her beliefs and her view of the world and those around her.

In an attempt to learn more than she went through, Amna was researching the consequences of PTSD, expecting to show her studies on the long-term negative psychological effects experienced by recovered people, but she was surprised to find that traumatic pain can have a profound positive impact on the lives of recovered people, and bring about long-term positive shifts in their personality.

Traumatic pain can have a profound positive impact on the lives of recovered people (Shutterstock)

Grant from the heart of adversity

Amna was introduced to the term "post-traumatic growth," coined by University of North Carolina psychology professors Richard Tediche and Lawrence Calhoun, after they were also surprised that most trauma survivors reported that their lives had turned out to be better than they were before their traumatic experiences.

Post-traumatic growth (PTG) differs from resilience; resilience is the ability to adapt and recover easier and faster from trauma and return to normal, while post-traumatic growth is to emerge from trauma but with positive transformations and return to life better.

In their research, the two scientists focused on the change in the perception of the recovered to themselves and those around them, and how they can understand themselves more clearly and deeply, and come out with a unique grant from the heart of the ordeal, and identified 5 positive developments in the individual's life after dealing with psychological trauma:

  • Greater appreciation of life: Feeling more appreciated and grateful for life, people, and experiences.
  • Actual improvement in relationships: stronger social bonds, more closeness to others than before, and greater empathy.
  • A new perspective: finding new values and interests in life and a higher meaning for them, and the desire to change the things that need to change.
  • Remarkable development in personality: discovering new personal possibilities and strengths, confidence in the ability to go through difficulties, and increased self-reliance.
  • Spiritual change: spiritual understanding and a deeper connection to religion.

Post-traumatic growth stems from our need as humans to adapt and survive (Shutterstock)

Factors conducive to psychological development

Post-traumatic growth stems from our need as humans to adapt and survive, and many factors also contribute to this, including:

  • The nature of personality: personality traits affect an individual's ability to overcome crises, and psychiatrist Matthew Skolt explained in a report in the magazine "Forbes", and said, "People who are extroverted and open to new experiences are more inclined than others to experience the development of their personality after going through psychological trauma."
  • Religion: In an interview with the American Psychological Association, Richard Tedichi noted that during his studies, he found that people associated with their religion have more ability than others to develop their personalities after trauma and achieve actual growth in their lives and personalities. He explained that religious people have answers to many existential questions, which helps them find meaning from traumatic events and move beyond them.
  • Gender: According to the American Psychological Association (APA), women experience more development in their lives than men after trauma, but the difference is relatively small.
  • Age: Post-traumatic development is less likely to occur in children under the age of eight, as they do not have the mental ability to deal with trauma, and the likelihood increases in late adolescence and youth, as the individual has a greater ability to adapt and change.

Religious people have answers to many existential questions, which helps them understand and transcend traumatic events (Pixels).

How to achieve maturation after trauma?

Before researching how to reach positive transformations in the aftermath of traumatic life events, trauma must be confronted and not ignored, as this growth cannot be achieved without facing the crisis first.

Sylvie Saxena, a sociologist, explained that "ignoring negative psychological effects can lead to more pain, so you should take the time and address the consequences of trauma," adding, "Allow yourself to feel pain, anger, sadness and any other negative emotions, this is the way to recover from them, learn about yourself and come up with fruitful results."

In addition, there are many tools to achieve productive development in an individual's life after trauma, including:

  • Seek help: Consider hiring a therapist to help you get through the dark period after trauma, correct your self-image, and train you to manage your thoughts and feelings.
  • Self-education: Learn about trauma and its impact on your mind, body, emotions and relationships, and during the research journey you will increase your awareness and learn how to help yourself recover from the effects of trauma.
  • Forming a social support network: Having a social support network that makes you feel safe to talk to them about your trauma helps you develop your personality and get through the crisis.
  • Reflect on personal experience: Taking a broader look at the life changes you've experienced helps you find meaning and benefit from them.

Psychology professor Lee Chambers explained in an article for HealthLine that "thinking about what we have experienced and how we have dealt with it, helps us become more aware of ourselves, and one way to help reflect on experiences is to write a diary and vent stored emotions."

As Viktor Frankl, the Austrian scientist and author of the famous psychological school of "meaning therapy," said, "If we can no longer change the situation, the challenge now is to change ourselves."