Show Notes
Why do some people go through trauma and come out the other side better for it?
Dr Edith Shiro has been asking that question since she was a child. One set of her grandparents survived the Holocaust, the other walked from Syria to Israel with six children, and she grew up in a community of immigrants in Venezuela where she watched people respond to upheaval in very different ways. Some stayed stuck in survival mode. Others went well beyond recovering, starting organisations and communities and finding a whole new appreciation for life.
That curiosity became her life's work. Edith is now a clinical psychologist in Miami with more than 25 years working in trauma, and in her book The Unexpected Gift of Trauma she maps out a five-stage process of post-traumatic growth that anyone can move through. We talk about what trauma actually is (her definition is broader than you might expect) and why being resilient can sometimes get in the way of growing. We also get into whether you have to hit rock bottom before anything shifts, and why the people you choose to confide in make such a difference.
Edith doesn't pretend any of this is easy. Most people only start this process because they've run out of other options. But it's such a hopeful message, especially if you're in the middle of something hard right now. As I said in the last episode, never let a good crisis go to waste.
What you'll learn: The three groups of people Edith noticed growing up, and what set the third group apart A broader definition of trauma that explains why two people can go through the same event and respond so differently How resilience can sometimes keep you from growing (and what it takes to go further) Why not being believed can hurt more than the event itself, and how to choose who you confide in Dr Edith's five stages of post-traumatic growth When finding a new purpose after a crisis is growth, and when it's a way of avoiding the pain How beliefs born from family trauma get passed down, and how you can choose which ones to keep
Resources mentioned:
The Unexpected Gift of Trauma by Dr Edith Shiro (available in Australia and the UK) The Unexpected Gift of Trauma workbook, with activities, meditations and videos for each stage Dr Edith's self-paced post-traumatic growth certification for mental health professionals Edith's website: https://www.dredithshiro.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.edithshiro Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dr.edithshiro Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl Connect with Cass: www.cassdunn.com www.instagram.com/cassdunn_xo
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