Post-traumatic stress disorder implies a particular state of great anxiety. The traumatized person is prone to flashbacks, that can assail him or her at any time. They are prey to anxiety attacks and even nightmares. It is a very difficult state to live through, which is often observed in people who have gone through a very stressful situation (e.g.: road accidents, victims of attacks, natural disasters or people who have been closely affected by Covid).
The concept of post-traumatic growth illustrates this ability of many people to turn this chaos into a new developmental trajectory. PTSD is, fortunately, not definitive and is treatable. It is different from resilience, which is a return to a pre-traumatic initial state. We are not talking here about convalescence but about growth.
Changes occur in five dimensions (Goutaudier, 2020). First of all, in the area of interpersonal relationships. Subjects in the process of growth feel closer to their family, their friends, they bond more easily with others. The second dimension is that of the new possibilities open to the person. They often say things like: “I could have died, but I got through it, so I have to make something of this life that is offered to me. It’s going to be about doing things that I never allowed myself to do. »
A third dimension is personal strength. The person then feels what Nietzsche said in his famous phrase: “That which does not kill me makes me stronger. “They feel that they can now get out of new difficult situations and enjoy a new self-esteem. Fourth dimension : Spirituality (for some people) and the meaning that can be drawn from. It is like proof that a higher power exists and has somehow put this test on their path. Finally, there is a dimension of appreciation of life. It’s epicureanism, the new ability to savor simple things and appreciate their price. Many people feel that they have some kind of opportunity to enjoy life more.
Let us not forget, however, that this renewal is difficult to achieve without help. It can come from CBTs and adapted therapeutic programs. Everything has to start from a rumination control takeover. On this point, there is always a first psycho-educational part which deals with the regulation of emotions. The subject begins by increasing his or her knowledge of what normally happens to everyone in a traumatic situation. The effect of this work is to de-dramatize, to appropriate the idea that what we experience on an emotional and affective level is normal. This should make it possible to communicate to others what is being felt and a fortiori help to regulate the emotions in question. A valuable tool in this process is expressive writing. By taking up the pen, the patient seeks to express the transformation that is taking place within him or her: “Today you are a different person, what losses have you suffered, and what have you gained in return? “The instruction is to write down your feelings and reconstruct a personal account of what you are going through. The therapist must help the patient to rebuild a new life pattern and identify what he or she thinks will be the new principles of this new life.
The health crisis has inevitably had an impact on our psyche, which is difficult to imagine at the moment. But it is highly probable that the experience of confinement, the radical change in the rhythm of life, the questioning of our invulnerability and our confrontation with illness (and the risk of death) are possibly traumatic elements. Looking ahead to the coming months with the knowledge of our ability to overcome this ordeal is already the beginning of our growth.
Words that I learned : to prone to : être sujet à / assail : assaut / epicureanism : épicurisme / ordeal : épreuve / de-dramatize : dé-dramatiser
References : Goutaudier, N. (2020, 20 octobre). Tout le monde peut grandir après une épreuve. Consulté à l’adresse https://www.cerveauetpsycho.fr/sr/interview/croissance-post-traumatique-tout-le-monde-peut-grandir-apres-une-epreuve-20277.php