Resilience is the ability to overcome adversities and recover from them. It involves both physical and mental processes that help individuals cope with life challenges. Following traumatic experiences such as accidents, natural disasters, violence, abuse, war, etc., people often face difficulties in coping with their daily lives due to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms like fear, anxiety, guilt, shame, anger, flashbacks, insomnia, nightmares, emotional numbness, avoidance, hypervigilance, depression, difficulty concentrating, and others. These symptoms can lead to relational problems, causing isolation, distrust, relationship breakdowns, interpersonal issues, and impaired well-being.
Psychological mechanisms allow people to recover from trauma and rebuild relationships despite these challenges.
Psychological mechanisms for recovery include:
1. Cognitive restructuring: People who have experienced trauma may believe that they are weak or unworthy of love because of what happened. They might hold negative beliefs about themselves, others, or the world.
Cognitive restructuring helps them challenge these negative thoughts and replace them with healthier ones.
If a person believes they're not worthy of love because of their past trauma, cognitive restructuring teaches them to recognize that this is not true.
2. Emotional regulation: Trauma affects one's mood and emotions, making it difficult to manage feelings appropriately. Individuals learn to control their emotions through breathing exercises, meditation, and mindfulness practices. This reduces intrusive thoughts, improves attention and focus, and increases tolerance to triggers.
3. Social support: Trauma survivors benefit from social support that provides comfort and empathy during challenging times. It creates a sense of belonging, security, and acceptance while reducing fear and anxiety. Social support includes family members, friends, partners, therapists, doctors, coaches, etc., who listen actively without judgment or advice.
4. Relaxation techniques: Stress management strategies like deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, yoga, tai chi, exercise, massage, music, visualization, and guided imagery reduce stress hormones, enhance sleep quality, improve overall well-being, and create balance between mind and body. These activities help people cope with PTSD symptoms and restore harmony in life.
5. Positive self-talk: People often use negative self-talk after experiencing traumatic events. Positive self-talk encourages healthier attitudes towards oneself by acknowledging strengths and abilities rather than weaknesses.
If someone says "I can't handle this," they can replace it with "I have overcome many difficulties in my life before."
6. Reframing the event: This involves changing how one views past experiences. Trauma survivors may view themselves as victims or blame others for what happened.
Reframing helps them see their situation objectively, understand why things unfolded as they did, accept responsibility for actions taken/not taken, and take ownership of the outcome.
7. Gratitude practice: Gratitude improves mood, reduces negativity bias, increases positive emotions, and creates a sense of appreciation for blessings in life. It can be practiced through daily journaling, meditation, prayer, conversations with loved ones, or gratitude lists.
8. Problem-solving skills: Trauma survivors need problem-solving strategies to deal with challenges effectively. They learn to identify problems, generate solutions, evaluate options, select the best solution, implement it, and assess its effectiveness.
9. Mindfulness: Mindfulness is paying attention to the present moment without judgment or evaluation. It helps individuals focus on what matters most in life while reducing stress, anxiety, and rumination. By living mindfully, people are more aware of their thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surroundings, leading to increased clarity, creativity, and resilience.
Psychological mechanisms support relational recovery after traumatic events by enhancing resilience, increasing adaptability, restoring balance, and creating harmony. People who incorporate these tools into their lives experience improved relationships, enhanced well-being, reduced symptoms of PTSD, and greater satisfaction in all areas of life.
What psychological mechanisms support relational recovery after trauma or operational stress?
Relationship recovery after trauma requires individuals to recognize their vulnerabilities and seek help from mental health professionals such as counselors or therapists. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one form of treatment that can promote emotional healing by identifying negative thought patterns and reframing them with more positive ones. Additionally, it may involve techniques like exposure therapy which helps individuals confront fears gradually through controlled and safe means.