Primer on Posttraumatic Growth E-Book

Mary Beth Werdel

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 346

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Beschreibung

"From the inspiring chapter quotes, to relevant historical and current research, to practical clinical directions, Primer on Posttraumatic Growth takes a giant step toward both grounding us and moving us ahead with strong hope for adjustment and growth in the post-trauma/loss world. This is a comprehensive, practical, and readable work that should be at hand for any mental health clinician, pastoral care professional, or student preparing for these professions." --J. Shep Jeffreys, EdD, FT, author of Helping Grieving People--When Tears Are Not Enough: A Handbook for Care Providers, Second Edition A guide for helping your clients overcome negative events, based on the latest research on posttraumatic growth Drawing on the growing empirical and theoretical material on posttraumatic growth--an outgrowth of the positive psychology movement--Primer on Posttraumatic Growth provides insight, depth, and treatment recommendations for both the clinicians who work with those who have experienced dramatic negative events in their lives and for other professionals who support victims of trauma and extreme stress. This essential primer examines: * The connections between meaning and growth * The impact of cognitive processing on posttraumatic growth * Positive emotion and posttraumatic growth * Posttraumatic growth and an "open" personality * The human drive to be in positive and important interpersonal relationships * Forgiveness: can it be extended towards all areas of posttraumatic growth? * Posttraumatic growth and religious and spiritual variables * Wisdom and posttraumatic growth

Leseprobe

Contents

Cover

Advanced Reviews for Primer on Posttraumatic Growth: An Introduction and Guide

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1: Posttraumatic Growth: Concise History, Definitions, and Implications

Why Suffering?

Does Suffering Change Us?

A History of Growth

Crisis Theory

Existential Psychology

Rogers's Person-Centered Approach

Positive Psychology

Present-Day Study of Growth

Conceptualizations and Definitions of Posttraumatic Growth

Measurement of Growth

Who Experiences Growth?

Three Images of Trauma and Growth

Conclusions

Chapter 2: Posttraumatic Growth: Truth or Myth?

The Functional Nature of Growth as an Illusion

Temporal Comparison Theory

Cognitive Adaption Theory

The Janus Face Model of Self-Perceived Posttraumatic Growth

Research on the Question of the Veracity of Growth

Clinical Implications of Assessing the Veracity of Growth

Chapter 3: Meaning

Park's Meaning-Making Model of Coping

Posttraumatic Growth as a Result of Meaning-Making

Meaning-Making and Clinical Work

Important Current Limitations

Final Comment

Chapter 4: Cognitive Processing

Automatic and Intrusive Ruminations

Deliberate Ruminations

Timing of Ruminations

Positive Versus Negative Ruminations

Cognitive Processing and the Search for Meaning

Ruminations and Clinical Work

Conclusion

Chapter 5: Positive Emotions and Growth

Definition of Positive Affectivity

The Power of Positive Emotions

Empirical Connections Among Positive Affectivity, Well-Being, and Growth

Conflicting Data to Consider

Clinical Implications

Chapter 6: Personality and Personal Attributes

The Five-Factor Model of Personality

Personality Factors and Posttraumatic Growth

Personal Attributes/Factors

Self-Esteem/Self-Efficacy

Clinical Applications

Conclusion

Chapter 7: Relationships

The Role of Relationships in Models of Posttraumatic Growth

Research on Social Support and Growth

Providing Social Supports

Conclusion

Chapter 8: Forgiveness

Defining Forgiveness

Forgiveness, Trauma, and Growth

Religion's Unique Role

Interventions

Chapter 9: Faith, Suffering, and Religious Coping

Christian Perspectives on Suffering and Growth

Recent Relevant Research

Faith as a Framework for Meaning

Religious/Spiritual Practices and Participation

Religious Coping

Religious Orientation

Final Comments

On the Road to Wisdom: Being a Mindful Companion on the Path to Posttraumatic Growth: An Epilogue

From Fear to Courage and Patience

From Assuming Permanence in Life to Accepting the Reality of Impermanence

From Self-Centeredness to Acceptance and Compassion

The Mindful Clinician

Some Final Comments

References

Subject Index

Author Index

Advanced Reviews forPrimer on Posttraumatic Growth: An Introduction and Guide

Mary Beth Werdel and Robert Wicks provide a solid introduction to the field of posttraumatic growth. Their primer will be invaluable to students new to the field as well as those who work closely with survivors of trauma. Their Primer is packed with the latest research findings, positive psychology applications, and richly illustrated with clinical cases and examples from philosophy. Engaging and informative this book will help counselors to nurture the seeds of growth in their clients by becoming more mindful of the process of post-trauma change. A book full of wisdom and compassion.

Stephen Joseph, Ph.D.Professor, Center for Trauma, Resiliency and Growth University of Nottingham, UK Author, What Doesn't Kill Us: The New Psychology of Posttraumatic Growth

How eye-opening to read this fascinating analysis of posttraumatic growth and to realize that, as a nurse/nurse educator, I have witnessed patients, families, students and colleagues struggling to find meaning in a loss, trauma, or significant change without fully considering the value of the trauma as setting the stage for growth.

   The authors share meaningful anecdotes throughout each chapter as well as clinical cornerstones at the end of each chapter which summarize the discussion and provide the clinician with thoughtful recommendations to incorporate into practice….

   This book is a gift not only to clinicians but to those dealing with posttraumatic stress, their families and friends. I am most appreciative of the opportunity to have it in my library.

Anne E. Belcher, PhD, RN, AOCN, ANEF, FAANAssociate Professor and Director, Office for Teaching Excellence The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing

In the book Primer on Posttraumatic Growth, Mary Beth Werdel and Robert Wicks offer a sophisticated and multi-factorial introduction of possible positive adaptations after traumatization. They are sensitive to the delicate balance that exists between decline and growth and introduce a spectrum of responses that can develop over time in a subjective and non-linear fashion. For many, after the devastation of trauma comes the opportunity to rework a number of life dimensions. This book is an important and integrative addition to the literature on posttraumatic growth.

Christine A. Courtois, PhD, ABPPPsychologist, Private Practice Courtois & Associates, Washington, DC Author, Healing the Incest Wound: Adult Survivors in Therapy (Revised Edition)Recollections of Sexual Abuse: Treatment Principles and GuidelinesCo-Author (with Julian Ford), Treating Complex Trauma Stress Disorder.

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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA:

Werdel, Mary Beth. Primer on posttraumatic growth : an introduction and guide / Mary Beth Werdel, Robert J. Wicks. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-118-10678-5 (pbk.) ISBN 978-1-118-22406-9 (ebk.) ISBN 978-1-118-23337-5 (ebk.) ISBN 978-1-118-26228-3 (ebk.) 1. Emotions. 2. Distress (Psychology) I. Wicks, Robert J. II. Title. BF531.W44 2012 155.2′4—dc23 2012015369

Mary Beth Werdel

In memory ofmy brother, Thomas John Nazzaro; andmy role model, Crescentia Healy True

Robert J. Wicks

In memory of Kelly Murray and her daughter, Sloane,and in honor of her husband, Sean,andtheir daughters,Jillian, Meghan, Maeve, Quinn, and Kieran

Kelly and her daughter, Sloane, died when a tree limb crushed part of their car during a terrible storm. Kelly was only 40 years old at the time, and Sloane was only 7. Kelly was a fine psychologist, passionate professor, gifted author, supermom, and loving wife. As her mentor and friend, I shall not only remember her in all those ways but also as the younger sister I never had.

The passion and resilience she had she shared with her husband, Sean, with Sloane, who died with her, and with her other children Jillian, Meghan, Maeve, Quinn, and Kieran, who live on. Since her death, Sean and Kelly's children have modeled what posttraumatic growth looks like in the flesh. Though they have never stopped loving Kelly, they have looked this tragedy in the eye and come out on the other side, developing talents and having insights that might never have been possible if this terrible event had never happened. They would trade it all I am sure to have her back, but because they cannot they have moved on in ways that inspire us all. Thank you. I am grateful to you all, and to you as well as Kelly and little Sloane I gratefully dedicate this book.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Every book has at least several heroes who come to the aid of a project and make it better. This Primer on Posttraumatic Growth:An Introduction and Guide is certainly no exception. We wish to thank Tina Buck for her editorial and research assistance. She repeatedly carefully reviewed the material to see if content and readability lived in the same manuscript.

Patricia “Tisha” Rossi, Executive Editor of John Wiley & Sons, had the enthusiasm and encouragement needed to help the co-authors transform an idea into a manuscript. Her involvement in this project made a difference, and the authors are deeply grateful to her for her presence and desire for excellence in a clinical area that is so important to so many people who have experienced serious trauma, yet hold out hope that something wonderful will still come of it, today.

INTRODUCTION

Many people, for much of their lives, are guided by a set of basic assumptions: The world is safe; bad things do not happen to good people; young people are not supposed to die. However, extremely stressful and traumatic life events can violate and even shatter these basic assumptions, resulting in experiences of distress as well as a sense of loss of control, meaning, and predictability. Renowned trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk (2006) described the experience of a traumatic event as one that may leave individuals feeling as if they have lost their way in the world (p. 278). This metaphorical language by van der Kolk highlights the close relationship between trauma and loss that is noted throughout the traditional psychological literature.

Even though trauma and extreme stress are arguably somewhat rare, everyone experiences internally framed negative events that have the capacity to challenge basic life assumptions in various forms at different times: rejection, illness, caring for an aging parent, unwanted dramatic changes at work, and divorce. More startling events such as rape, abuse, war, or physical attack can cause people to have a complete shutdown. Stressful events such as these, and the physical and psychological pain that may accompany them, are certainly an undesirable part of life.

Current psychological research highlights that even with full acknowledgment of the undesirability of negative life events, the process of enduring and learning from distress can offer a reward that has never before been encountered. This experience may provide new purpose or appreciation for life, creative coping skills, or improved relationships with self and others. The French existentialist philosopher Albert Camus (1968) wrote, In the depths of winter, I finally learned that within me lay an invincible summer. Camus' words provide a clinical metaphor to compliment the one quoted earlier by van der Kolk. Sometimes, only once one finds the self in the depths of a significant stressful life event (that they did not cause but, like the seasons, by merely existing, are asked to encounter) can one ever come to discover within oneself this new source of light (perspective and meaning).