Trauma and Resiliency: How to find Resiliency in the Face of Trauma

There are many excellent definitions of resilience. Berger (2017) provides a more in-depth definition of resilience, although he first clarifies resilience as a physics concept and the ability to withstand force or absorb energy. A resilient substance can absorb pressure and bend but bounce back to its original form. Therefore, this metaphor of resilience evolved to where Berger (2017) provides one definition of resilience as “bouncing back to one’s previous level of functioning.” However, it is more than that. “Resilience is a matter of incorporating trauma into their personal and collective narratives.” (Berger, 2017, p. 35). Berger goes on to add that a resilient society is one that has “The capacity of a community to deal with a major crisis by adapting and growing while minimizing casualties and preserving a fair quality of life for all its citizens and maintaining its core values and identity.” (Berger, 2017, p. 35). Unfortunately, not all human beings return to their previous level of functioning, which is why the field of psychology, crisis intervention, and now traumatology, we study and utilize many resiliency concepts. However, many resilience strategies can come from within the individual and community members to form stronger and more prepared responses for future traumatic events. Psychological traumatology refers to the study of trauma resulting from mental or psychological feelings of overwhelming despair.

Berger (2017) describes the importance of expanding the definition of resilience into one in which building resilience in individuals also involves building it within communities. Traumatic events within communities can challenge the core values of the people and their leaders. Long-term stress-related health problems occur and need to be a part of building resilience among individuals and community members.

Building resilience within individuals involves focusing on the following:

1. Acceptance of the trauma;
2. Awareness of body reactions;
3. Enhancing sense of self-competence of one’s natural resources and coping skills and beginning to utilize them;
4. Making meaning out of the traumatic experience so that posttraumatic growth can occur; and
5. Promoting a sense of hope and optimism.

Within a community, Berger (2017) stresses developing the following:

1. Community preparedness among all sectors of the community, so casualties are reduced in the event a traumatic event occurs;
2. Strengthening the sense of community competence;
3. Fostering community cohesion and support through local self-help groups, trust in government, police, first responders, and support services;
4. Constructing a shared meaningful narrative from the traumatic event, and;
5. Building a better future.

These concepts are why Berger (2017) defines a resilient society as “the capacity of a community to deal with a major crisis by adapting and growing while minimizing casualties and preserving a fair quality of life for all its citizens and maintaining its core values and identity.” (Berger, 2017, p. 41).

Within families affected by trauma, respecting each other as unique and understanding the cultural differences of each other and each family is first and foremost of importance. If trauma-resilience intervention programs are not culturally relevant and appropriate, they can do more harm than good. Family-centered and trauma-informed care requires the guidance of research focusing on the whole family. Figley and Burnette (2017) provide therapeutic models complementary to family resilience assumptions, including narrative therapy, solution-focused therapy, and functional family therapy, in addition to cognitive-behavioral, attachment, child development, and resilience frameworks. Cognitive-behavioral intervention for trauma in schools has been delivered to a wide range of ethnic minorities. The Honoring Children, Respecting Ways intervention is culturally grounded and developed with the American Indian views of wellness, wellbeing, healing, and respect (Figley & Burnette, 2017).

Bonanno (2008) provides evidence that resilience is common, unique to each person and their experiences, and common among children growing up in disadvantaged conditions. Many researchers, scholars, developmental psychologists, therapist, and additional mental health providers have a definition for the term resilience. Bonanno (2008) defines resilience as the ability to maintain a stable equilibrium. The capacity of a community to deal with a major crisis by adapting and growing while minimizing casualties and preserving a good quality of life for all its citizens is essential to maintaining its core values and identity. Realizing each member’s unique way of grieving with loss, amount of time grieving, coping with trauma, the cultural differences between members, and ensuring that these coping mechanisms are adaptive and not maladaptive, can build resiliency.

If resilience is common, Rosenberg et al. (2014) summarize and defines it in the most simplistic and understandable terms, as the ability to sustain healthy development in the face of significant adversity. It is a complex concept, often multifactorial, variable, and changeable over time, and primarily related to the reliance of risk and protective factors. Risk factors can be endless and as previously stated, unique to the individual and their community and environment. Positive protective factors can include early positive family involvement, social support relationships, health and wellness, spirituality (if that applies to the individual), certain school activities and relationships, and many others that lead the individual in a healthy direction. Rosenberg et al. (2014) studied the correlation between youth in a juvenile justice setting who experienced at least one or more traumatic experience. Consistent with similar studies, youth who experienced one or more trauma had high levels of PTSD, co-occurring with either or both depression and substance abuse. What Rosenberg et al. (2014) did discover different was that the youth did moderate a bit high on the Youth Resilience Checklist Category of Involvement. While this is just a start in researching which of these resilience categories work better among youth, it is a start towards knowing how to help them.

This article was written by Stephanie Schweitzer Dixon, a suicidologist, crisis intervention, and mental health educator. Ms. Schweitzer Dixon is the former Executive Director of the Front Porch Coalition in Rapid City, SD, a nonprofit, outreach organization where she coordinated its L.O.S.S. (Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors) Team which responds in partnership with law enforcement to reach suicide loss survivors immediately after a suicide death occurs, bringing hope and resources to those traumatized and grieving. She also works with schools and communities in the aftermath of suicide deaths. She provides suicide prevention, intervention, postvention, and CIT training to first responders, behavioral health professionals, service providers, school counselors, parents, and community members. For more information on these topics and on how to develop law enforcement suicide prevention and mental wellness programs and to assess for risk of suicide, violence, and how to develop suicide prevention, violence prevention curriculum, and trauma-informed trainings, contact Ms. Schweitzer Dixon via email Stephanie@ssd-consulting.com or her website: http://ssd-consulting.com.

References:

Berger, R. (2017). An ecological-systemic approach to resilience: A view from the trenches. Traumatology, 23(1): 35–42. doi: 10.1037/trm0000074

Bonanno, G.A. (2008). Loss, trauma, and human resilience: Have we underestimated the human capacity to thrive after extremely aversive events? Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy: Vol. S, №1, 101–113. doi: 10.1037/1942–9681.S.1.101

Collins, B.G., & Collins, T.M. (2005). Crisis and trauma: Developmental-ecological intervention (1st Edition). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.

Figley, C.R., & Burnette, C.E. (2017). Building bridges: Connecting systemic trauma and family resilience in the study and treatment of diverse traumatized families. Traumatology, 23(1): 95–101. doi: 10.1037/trm0000089

Rosenberg, H.J., Rosenberg, S.D., Ashley, S.W., Vance, J.E., Wolford, G.L., Howard, M.L. (2014). Trauma exposure, psychiatric disorders, and resiliency in juvenile-justice-involved youth. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 6(4): 430–437. doi: 10.1037/a0033199