What is Post-trauma growth?
You may have heard of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. It’s a mental health condition that arises after a traumatic event, often characterized by flashbacks, severe anxiety, and disturbing thoughts.
Post-traumatic growth (PTG) is where someone has been affected by post traumatic stress and finds a way to take new meaning from their experiences in order to live their lives in a different way than prior to the trauma.
While trauma can invoke a terrifying and debilitating response, in some cases it can be a catalyst for positive life changes. In the best cases, it may even spark Growth, Strength, and Resilience.
Danielle continues to learn from her own experiences that post-traumatic growth happens when you’re able to transform trauma and use adversity to regain personal strength, appreciation for life, create new possibilities in life, encounter spiritual growth, and gain deeper relationships with others. She has learned how to bridge the gap between the conscious mind, where symptoms and challenges are identified, and uncover root issues from the origins of trauma; landing authentically present on the other side
Danielle believes that when the client who experienced trauma is able to integrate their experiences into their lives it can lead to the development of a whole new belief systems. In her specialist work with clients in trauma therapy, she noticed that those who are less able to integrate their experiences into their current lives are more likely stay stuck and frozen in unprocessed feelings.
Danielle's childhood struggles, and adult tragedies propelled her into a better understanding and nurturing process of her own spiritual unfolding. She has accepted her intuitive abilities, which she utilizes as an additional voice of guidance and inner resource in counselling sessions with her clients.
Danielle also confirms that clinical approaches such as use of EMDR, EFT, CBT, Somatic, Parts Work, DBT and Clinical Hypnosis or combinations are effective for a wide range of trauma, including:
- single event trauma
- multiple/complex PTSD
- grief
- anxiety and depression related to trauma
When and how to seek help?
According to Danielle, symptoms of trauma include:
- hypervigilance
- intrusive thoughts
- nightmares
- flashbacks
- increased alcohol or drug use
- sleep disturbance
If you or someone you know is experiencing these symptoms, Danielle recommends the following resources:
- Speak with your doctor or call your local emergency mental health and substance use services @ (250) 331-8524
- Speak with a trusted friend or family member about what you’re experiencing.
- Contact our local Nursing Center @ 250-331-8502 to see a nurse practitioner if you do not have a doctor.
- Contact the Men's support group at the CV Transition Society 250-897-0511 (men supporting men). Free services
- Consider writing a journal about your experiences. The very process of writing things down from A–Z can actually help with getting out pent up feelings and in time actually process events, people, and things.
- Rather than pushing your challenging thoughts or feelings away or using distraction techniques, it can be helpful to learn to tolerate them for longer time periods. Using distress tolerance techniques such as box breathing for three to four breath cycles can actually increase the ability to handle distressing thoughts.
- Learning about stabilization/grounding techniques or accessing psychological therapy can be incredibly useful @ Island of Hope Counselling.
- Learning about your own window of tolerance and what tools to use to get you back inside your window in a more calmer state @ Island of Hope Counselling.
- Learning how childhood trauma can create child-like parts or introjects that require reparenting from our adult selves @ Island of Hope Counselling.