Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsThe Post-Traumatic Growth TheoryBenefitsHow Post-Traumatic Growth OccursHow to Achieve Post-Traumatic Growth

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Table of Contents

The Post-Traumatic Growth Theory

Benefits

How Post-Traumatic Growth Occurs

How to Achieve Post-Traumatic Growth

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Post-traumatic growth refers to positive changes in a person as a result of struggling with a major life crisis.

If you’ve been through something traumatic, it may have been so painful and awful that it can feel like nothing will ever be the same again.

It can be hard to imagine that something good could come from a traumatic experience. However, over time, you might find that it has changed you and helped you grow.

This article explores how post-traumatic growth occurs, the benefits it may offer, and some strategies that can help you achieve growth in the wake of a trauma.

Tedeschi and Calhoun published a paper titled “The post-traumatic growth inventory: Measuring the positive legacy of trauma,” in which they explained that someone who has experienced traumatic events may experience positive changes in the following aspects:

In their paper, Tedeschi and Calhoun note that people who have experienced traumatic events are more likely to report positive changes in themselves than people who haven’t lived through anything extraordinary.

A 2018 study found that approximately 53% of people who experience something traumatic are likely to achieve post-traumatic growth.

The authors of the 2018 study note that people who are below the age of 60 may be more likely to experience post-traumatic growth than those older than 60.Tedeschi and Calhoun found that women tended to report more benefits as a result of post-traumatic growth than men.

Benefits of Post-Traumatic Growth

According to the theory, these are some of the benefits you may experience in the aftermath of a traumatic experience:

Signs of Childhood Trauma in Adults

According to the theory, these are the ways in which post-traumatic growth occurs:

An Expert Tells All: Breaking the Cycle of Trauma

These are some steps that can help you achieve post-traumatic growth, according toAngeleena Francis, LMHC, executive director for AMFM Healthcare:

Angeleena May, LMHCPost-traumatic growth is a process that takes a significant amount of time, energy, and internal motivation.

Angeleena May, LMHC

Post-traumatic growth is a process that takes a significant amount of time, energy, and internal motivation.

A Word From Verywell

While post-traumatic growth is a possibility for people who have experienced trauma, the process is often painful and difficult. Rather than minimizing their trauma or maintaining a false-sense of positivity about their circumstances, it’s important for people toprocess the traumain a healthy manner, in order to learn and grow from it.

In fact, May says that therapists must also introduce the concept of post-traumatic growth slowly, mindfully, and intentionally into therapeutic practices, once the person is able to identify a positive outcome, as introducing it preemptively may invalidate the individual’s traumatic experiences.

How to Heal From Trauma

5 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Yan S, Yang J, Ye M, et al.Post-traumatic growth and related influencing factors in discharged COVID-19 patients: A cross-sectional study.Front Psychol. 2021;12:658307. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.658307American Psychological Association.Growth after trauma.Tedeschi RG, Calhoun LG.The post-traumatic growth inventory: Measuring the positive legacy of trauma.J Trauma Stress. 1996;9(3):455-471. doi:10.1007/BF02103658Wu X, Kaminga AC, Dai W, et al.The prevalence of moderate-to-high posttraumatic growth: A systematic review and meta-analysis.J Affect Disord. 2019;243:408-415. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2018.09.023Harvard Business Review.Growth after trauma.

5 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Yan S, Yang J, Ye M, et al.Post-traumatic growth and related influencing factors in discharged COVID-19 patients: A cross-sectional study.Front Psychol. 2021;12:658307. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.658307American Psychological Association.Growth after trauma.Tedeschi RG, Calhoun LG.The post-traumatic growth inventory: Measuring the positive legacy of trauma.J Trauma Stress. 1996;9(3):455-471. doi:10.1007/BF02103658Wu X, Kaminga AC, Dai W, et al.The prevalence of moderate-to-high posttraumatic growth: A systematic review and meta-analysis.J Affect Disord. 2019;243:408-415. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2018.09.023Harvard Business Review.Growth after trauma.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Yan S, Yang J, Ye M, et al.Post-traumatic growth and related influencing factors in discharged COVID-19 patients: A cross-sectional study.Front Psychol. 2021;12:658307. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.658307American Psychological Association.Growth after trauma.Tedeschi RG, Calhoun LG.The post-traumatic growth inventory: Measuring the positive legacy of trauma.J Trauma Stress. 1996;9(3):455-471. doi:10.1007/BF02103658Wu X, Kaminga AC, Dai W, et al.The prevalence of moderate-to-high posttraumatic growth: A systematic review and meta-analysis.J Affect Disord. 2019;243:408-415. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2018.09.023Harvard Business Review.Growth after trauma.

Yan S, Yang J, Ye M, et al.Post-traumatic growth and related influencing factors in discharged COVID-19 patients: A cross-sectional study.Front Psychol. 2021;12:658307. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.658307

American Psychological Association.Growth after trauma.

Tedeschi RG, Calhoun LG.The post-traumatic growth inventory: Measuring the positive legacy of trauma.J Trauma Stress. 1996;9(3):455-471. doi:10.1007/BF02103658

Wu X, Kaminga AC, Dai W, et al.The prevalence of moderate-to-high posttraumatic growth: A systematic review and meta-analysis.J Affect Disord. 2019;243:408-415. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2018.09.023

Harvard Business Review.Growth after trauma.

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