Post-Traumatic Growth

Long-term pain is a common comorbidity for people with acquired brain injury. This chapter explores what it is like to live with those two conditions, focusing on the meaning for the individual. The meaning of pain plays a part in determining people’s emotional reactions and behavioural choices, and it is central for the process of psychosocial adjustment to a life with functional, social, participatory, and emotional challenges. Meaning is also closely linked to the identity changes that typically happen once people are faced with the challenge of living with long-term conditions. The field of positive psychology has contributed valuable insights into this process and the roles of benefit-finding, resilience, and post-traumatic growth are discussed. Two significantly different case stories are used as an illustration of life with acquired brain injury and long-term pain. One case, Julie, illustrates the process of adaptation and the other case, Mark, illustrates the challenge of dealing with pain issues when insight and pain perception has been changed by a frontal lobe injury. In both cases, the meaning of pain is integral to the meaning of brain injury. Neither Julie nor Mark consider themselves to have long-term pain, they live with the long-term impact of their brain injury, where pain is just one aspect. In fact, Mark’s altered pain perception causes him to claim that he feels no pain, yet it is nevertheless a challenge for him. The chapter concludes with clinical recommendations, calling for access to systematic, psychosocial rehabilitation that includes meaning-based approaches. A holistic rehabilitation model is proposed, suggesting that traditional medical and rehabilitation approaches need to happen within the context of psychosocial adjustment and rehabilitation, rather than expecting psychosocial adjustment to happen by itself, as a “by-product” of medical, physical, cognitive, and occupational interventions.

The notion of post-traumatic growth helps us to understand how clients attain resilience and how similar processes might unfold for practitioners through vicarious growth. A study was conducted exploring the understanding and experiences of practitioners who were concerned that a client might die. The study asked how they could become resilient when they struggle to manage risk, access resources, or control outcomes in clinical practice. An analysis of transcribed material is presented, taken from interviews with four participants. This analysis explores the emotional processes at play in experiences of resilience, trauma and empathy, in mental healthcare, as informed by the philosophy of Edith Stein. Three themes are set out: 1. Not disengaging, when participants experience ambivalence, but stay with what is revealed. 2. Timing of interventions / exercising power, when participants are caught in cyclic professional systems, sometimes active while selectively displaying emotions, while trying to retain self-coherence in the face of the dramatically different possible outcomes. 3. Understanding the life of the other, when participants are able to use different levels of empathy, feeling powerless while being concerned, working to explore and maintain awareness of the world as it is experienced by their client.

[AMAZON LINK BELOW TO BOOK ITSELF
-- TOC and book summary in downloadable .pdf] 
According to the poet Elias Canetti, "All the things one has forgotten / scream for help in dreams." To the ancient Egyptians they were prophecies, and in world folklore they have often marked visitations from the dead. For Freud they were expressions of "wish fulfillment," and for Jung, symbolic representations of mythical archetypes. Although there is still much disagreement about the significance and function of dreams, they seem to serve as a barometer of current mind and body states.

In this volume, Deirdre Barrett brings together the study of dreams and the psychology of trauma. She has called on a distinguished group of psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers--among them Rosalind Cartwright, Robert J. Lifton, and Oliver Sacks--to consider how trauma shapes dreaming and what the dreaming mind might reveal about trauma. The book focuses on catastrophic events, such as combat, political torture, natural disasters, and rape. The lasting effects of childhood trauma, such as sexual abuse or severe burns, on personality formation, the nature of memories of early trauma, and the development of defenses related to amnesia and dissociation are all considered. The book also takes up trauma and adult dreams, including Vietnam veterans and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Holocaust survivors and perpetrators, rape victims, and firestorm survivors. Finally, this volume concludes with a look at the potential "traumas of normal life," such as divorce, bereavement, and life-threatening illness, and the role of dreams in working through normal grief and loss.

Taken together, these diverse perspectives illuminate the universal and the particular effects of traumatic experience. For physicians and clinicians, determining the etiology of nightmares offers valuable diagnostic and therapeutic insights for individual treatment. This book provides a way of juxtaposing the research in the separate fields of trauma and dreams, and learning from their discoveries.

From 'Mindfulness in Positive Psychology' (Chapter 8) Eds. I. Itzvan & T. Lomas (Routledge, 2016)

Intense encounters with mortality - such as a diagnosis of a terminal illness or a sudden brush with mortality due to an accident or injury - can have positive transformational effects, leading to what positive psychology refers to as ‘flourishing.’ In particular, intense encounters with mortality may generate a heightened sense of appreciation for life, more authentic relationships and lifestyles, and an increased ability to be “mindful”, in the sense of becoming more focussed upon the present, and more vividly aware of one’s surroundings. (This is termed ‘externally-oriented mindfulness’.).This can be seen as a form of ‘spontaneous mindfulness’ caused by a re-orienting of attention, away from the future and the past, and into the present. Examples of this shift are given, and other reasons for its emergence are suggested. The positive effects of encountering mortality are contrasted with the findings of Terror Management Theory. The intensity and directness of the individual’s encounter with mortality may be a significant factor in whether it has negative or positive effects. It is suggested that increasing our awareness of mortality - such as by making a conscious effort to contemplate death - can help us to gain some of the positive transformational effects of an intense encounter with mortality (or IEM).

The aim of this chapter is to discuss some psychological aspects of mass casualty incidents. The chapter starts with describing some historic mass casualty incidents and defining these types of incidents. The chapter then continues to discuss the dual nature of catastrophes. On the one hand, they “collapse” the old order through a crisis of transitioning to new forms of organizing individual, social, institutional, and economic life. On the other hand, they create new forms in all these areas, and through human effort put into their development, lead to progress. The chapter continues to discuss some psychological long-time aspects stemming from mass casualty incidents and some psychological reactions to catastrophic incidents. We discuss the need for sense making, resilience, and self-regulation. The chapter ends with a description of some psychological aspects of crowd behavior. Despite the fact that technology has advanced to an unprecedented degree
in the last 100 years, we still find ourselves unable to satisfactorily predict catastrophes which can happen every day, which renders looking at the psychological aspects of mass casualty incidents as a fruitful avenue to explore. A conclusion is drawn that there are both negative and positive psychological reactions to mass casualty incidents that mat lead to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, but also to Post-Traumatic Growth

Literature has until recently focused mainly on the traumatic dimension of school bullying and the negative consequences for the victims, giving less emphasis to mental resilience and post-traumatic growth. Furthermore, recent research has shown the importance of the relationships/interactions between bullying victims and significant others in shaping the consequences of the experience. The present
qualitative study examines the experience of school bullying among six adult chronic victims (1 man and five women) and the role that interactions with significant others played during this process. Data have been collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed through thematic analysis. The results showed that the specific victims experienced immediate and long-term negative consequences. However, it has been found that, in most of the cases, the prolonged negative impact coexisted with post-traumatic growth and that supportive relationships contributed to victims’ mental resilience during school bullying, facilitating their efforts to re-organize their lives. Only one participant focused mainly on the negative consequences of the experience, a fact that probably relates to the lack of substantial support during both the chronic bullying experience and her present life conditions.

It is not altogether uncommon, in the aftermath of traumatic life events, for individuals and groups to report that they have had experiences and faced processes that have led to significant personal changes and positive psychological growth... This chapter offers a number of contributions to trauma theory, and specifically post-traumatic growth, that informs our fuller consideration of the role of psycho-spiritual transformation in the processes, outcomes, and management of trauma beginning with: Abraham Maslow's theory of peak experience and self-actualisation and Carl Rogers's organismic valuing process; Stanislav Grof's holotropic paradigm and formulation of psycho-spiritual transformation; the research conduted by Lawrence Calhoun and Richard Tedeschion post-traumatic growth: and, Martin Seligman and Stephen Joseph's conceptualisations of positive psychology. Together these interdisciplinary strands capture something of the a prevailing optimism and a shared understanding that the struggle of post-traumatic experience may, for some at least, offer the potential for personal growth.

Objective: Attending to the potential impacts, both positive and negative, of clinical work with trauma survivors on professionals themselves is a crucial aspect of clinical training and supervision. Vicarious resilience refers to unique, positive effects that transform therapists in response to witnessing trauma survivors’ resilience and recovery process. This study describes the development and exploratory factor analysis of the first instrument to assess vicarious resilience. Method: The Vicarious Resilience Scale (VRS) was developed and administered via electronic survey to 190 helping professionals from around the globe working with survivors of severe traumas, such as torture. Results: Exploratory factor analysis yielded 7 factors: Changes in life goals and perspective, client-inspired hope, increased recognition of clients’ spirituality as a therapeutic resource, increased capacity for resourcefulness, increased selfawareness
and self-care practices, increased consciousness about power and privilege relative to clients’ social location, and increased capacity for remaining present while listening to trauma narratives. The Cronbach’s alpha reliability of the VRS was .92 and, as hypothesized, the VRS was moderately and positively correlated with posttraumatic growth and compassion satisfaction, indicating convergent validity. The VRS was not significantly correlated with compassion fatigue (CF) or burnout, indicating discriminant validity and that vicarious resilience is a unique construct that is not merely “the opposite” of CF or burnout. Conclusion: The VRS possesses sound psychometric properties and can be utilized in
supervision and training contexts and for self-assessment by professionals working with trauma survivors to aid the recognition and cultivation of vicarious resilience.

Psychoanalysis and pastoral theology raise serious concerns about the field termed “positive psychology” by its proponents. The field’s construction of psychoanalysis as the “negative” straw person against which it claims to have developed a strength- and virtue-based approach is refuted. Evidence is given that schools of psychoanalysis pioneered a positive focus on strengths, albeit without the dangerous splitting widespread in the field of “positive” psychology. What the field calls “positive” can have “negative” consequences for individuals and communities. The renaming of the field as “virtue psychology” is proposed. Despite its good intentions, “positive” psychology is revealed as a neocolonial psychology of empire that tends to rationalize social injustice away. Its “positive theology” is shown to be an illusory attempt to counter existential despair by playing God through an omnipotent justification-by-works mentality. Psychoanalysis could serve the field as a treasure trove for a more balanced focus on the whole spectrum of human experience.

ABSTRACT

The experience of sensing the presence of the deceased is a common occurrence following bereavement. Although this experience tends to be reported as positive and meaningful by perceivers, for most of the twentieth century it has been described in pathologising terms in the bereavement literature. Recent decades have seen the publication of numerous studies that point to the normality of this experience and its potential benefits for the bereaved perceivers’ wellbeing. However, there is an ongoing debate within bereavement scholarship regarding the nature and healthiness of this experience. This chapter critically examines the extant literature concerning ‘sense of presence’ experiences and draws attention to the diversity of definitions and conceptualisations within which this experience can be interpreted. Research from a variety of perspectives, including attachment theory and the continuing bonds perspective, is discussed and emerging evidence is reported which suggests that those who can make sense of their experience within culturally-sanctioned (spiritual) conceptual frameworks enjoy greater benefits as a result. The discussion then focuses on meaning-making concerns with regard to this phenomenon and concludes with relevant practice recommendations.

Este artigo deu sequência ao que foi requerido como trabalho de grupo para a unidade curricular designada por Avaliação Psicológica: efetuar um relatório psicológico intermédio. Para o efeito, efetuámos uma entrevista semiestruturada (a uma pessoa encaminhada pelo seu médico com a hipótese de possui PPST) cujo guião foi elaborado tendo por base o DSM-5 e o PTGI. Efetuámos depois uma análise de conteúdo de onde extraímos conclusões preliminares e fizemos recomendações: uma segunda avaliação com a administração da CAPS-5, da LEC-5 e do PTGI e uma terceira avaliação onde: sendo confirmado o diagnóstico de PPST, se aplique a ESE, a VIA-IS e se analise a TTT; sendo infirmada a hipótese de a entrevistada possuir PPST, se aplique a SMGAD-A, a ESE e a VIA-IS. Finalizamos com possibilidades sobre potenciais intervenções psicoterapêuticas, caso se confirme o diagnóstico de PPST.
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This paper follows up the requirements for the group work of this curricular unit called Psychological Assessment: make an intermediate psychological report. For this purpose we made a semi-structured interview (with a person who was directed by her doctor with the hypothesis that she has PTSD) whose script has been prepared based on DSM-5 and PTGI. Then we made a content analysis from where we obtained preliminary findings and made recommendations: a second evaluation with the administration of CAPS-5, LEC-5 and PTGI and a third evaluation where: being confirmed the diagnosis of PTSD, apply the ESE, the VIA-IS and analyze the TTT; being ruled out the possibility that the interviewed have PTSD, apply the SMGAD-A, the ESE and the VIA-IS. We finish with possibilities about potential psychotherapeutic interventions, if the diagnosis of PTSD is confirmed.

A gap exists in both research and practice when it comes to issues related to girls within the school-to-prison pipeline. Girls are also often ignored in the educational literature about trauma. Educators tend to take a deficit approach toward youth experiencing trauma and often reinforce trauma through discriminatory and exclusionary disciplinary practices. Using a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) methodology centered in the lives of Black girls, with an intentional focus on their agency and growth, this study educated, coached, and supported a research team called Queens Speak. The primary purpose of this qualitative study was to elevate the voices of Black girls, through YPAR, by engaging them in a process of inquiry that allowed them to share their experiences within the school-to-prison pipeline; develop counter narratives to the dominant, deficit based, view of trauma; and share the new knowledge they created with educational decision makers. The secondary purpose of this study was to explore critical post traumatic growth among Black girls. This was done through critical ethnography, by observing the experiences of Black girls, reflecting on the YPAR process and highlighting how Black girls exhibited agency and growth amidst trauma. This research highlighted the ways schools further traumatize students through racial stereotyping and punitive discipline. Black girls dealt with invisibility, competition, family issues and colorism. Queens Speak also displayed strength and growth. Collectively, Queens Speak members portrayed an understanding of their identity and history; a belief in their own power; a focus on their future; an interest in community activism; a desire to leave a legacy; and self-expression through the arts. Using photos, poetry, music and art young women presented their findings to educators and administrators; sharing their experiences within the school-to-prison pipeline, as well as their resistance and growth amidst harsh circumstances. Finally, this research explored the emerging conceptual framework of critical post traumatic growth. This framework combined Critical Race Theory and Post Traumatic Growth, highlighting eight tenets that can be used as a lens to both explore, and increase, the growth among Black girls. These tenets are: context, identity, struggle, resistance, navigation, community, voice and hope.

Self-care is fundamental to mental health practitioner training and professional efficacy.  Expressive writing about stressful events has been researched and shown to have positive physical and psychological effects. Mindfulness, an embodied approach to clinical practice and education, has also been studied and documented as an effective self-care approach.  Embodied education integrates experiential history with current learning, which may influence future practitioner performance and client outcomes.  This self-care exercise is designed to promote awareness and acceptance among counselors and counselors-in-training, as well as among clients, through use of a mindfulness-oriented written self-disclosure task that may facilitate meaning-making, and may enhance psychological well-being and therapeutic efficacy.  It aligns with CACREP and ACA Code of Ethics standards addressing counselor self-care as a necessary facet of ethical practice.

The monograph is devoted to the peculiarities of one's own life construction after the trauma. The impact of military injuries and injuries related to the COVID-19 pandemic on changes in human life is investigated, the peculiarities of a person`s understanding of his/her own past, present, and future. The value dominants around which life is built during and after the injury are highlighted. The landscapes of life creation, characteristic for women and men, representatives of different age groups, are determined. Possibilities of achieving psychological well-being in traumatic and post-traumatic periods and strategies of traumatic sensitive socio-psychological support are considered.

This study set out to incorporate the collective dimensions of
posttraumatic growth and examined the construct and
predictive validity of The Individual and Collective Posttraumatic
Growth Scale (ICPTGS). Participants were 332 volunteers who
had experienced the earthquake on February 27, 2010, in Chile.
Analysis allowed us to confirm a multidimensional structure
composed of four dimensions: individual, spiritual, communal
growth, and societal growth. Additionally, we identified association
among ICPTGS, perceived emotional impact, and social
well-being. This study emphasizes that positive changes
resulting from the exposure to collective disasters can be
perceived also at the collective or community level

The present study aimed to understand the resettlement experiences of Syrian refugees, who are resettled in Ankara, Turkey, with respect to their strengths and assets. Thisstudy conducted under the framework of a community-based participatory research approach (CBPR). Seven adult Syrians (4 females, 3 males) with a mean age of 24.14 (SD=4.33) were reached with the help of community partners and attended in semi-structured interviews. The content analysis of the interviews was completedthrough a qualitative data analysis program Atlas.ti.. Research partners are involved in the analysis by providing feedback on completed analysis. Results of the study pointed out that language barriers, acts of discrimination, unemployment, being exposed to multiple losses and being away from their family members were negatively correlated with refugees’ psychosocial wellbeing and adjustment as well. On the other hand, understanding the language, being employed, accessing to basic rights and social and economic resources, having previously settled relatives in Turkey and getting citizenship appeared as positive factors impact refugees’ adjustment process via decreasing number of resettlement stressors and pave the way for accessing to other resources. Moreover, family ties and social network, hope for future, similarity of cultures and relative freedom for Syrian women appeared as strengths and assets of Syrians. These results are discussed in relation to refugees’ resettlement and adjustment process literature. The implications of the results were provided for policy makers, psychological health professionals and nongovernmental organizations (NGO).
Key words: Refugees; Syrians; Community-Based Participatory Research;
Adjustment

Arts-based approaches to scholarly inquiry are becoming increasingly common in qualitative research. The research presented here examines the psychospiritual impact of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), and a spectrum of soul loss was identified including soul wounding, soul withering, soul shattering, soul flight, soul theft, and soul murder. Part of the data set consisted of 24 mandalas by participants and the researcher, as well as one integrative drawing based on the use of imaginal resonance. The art data permitted a depth of insight into the psychospiritual impact of sexual abuse that went beyond what had been provided by other data streams.
As such, concurrent mandala-making and imaginal resonance may be fruitful transpersonal
methods for future researchers.

Este artigo dá sequência ao que é requerido como trabalho de grupo para a unidade curricular designada por Psicologia Clínica e da Saúde: caraterização de uma psicopatologia escolhida pelo grupo (que foi a PPST); descrição das possíveis intervenções para essa psicopatologia e caraterização da mais eficaz (que é a TCC); descrição da aplicação da TCC à PPST e estudos sobre a sua eficácia (onde se incluem duas meta-análises); descrição de um caso clínico (de uma ex-combatente) e reflexão crítica, onde foi salientada a importância de a TCC considerar a vertente positiva da PPST bem como a de considerar os conhecimentos mais recentes da epigenética (sobre a transmissão transgeracional de memórias traumáticas) no sentido de se efetuar um trabalho etiológico mais completo e transgeracionalmente preventivo.
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This paper follows up the requirements for the group work of this curricular unit called Clinical and Health Psychology: characterization of a psychopathology chosen by the group (which was PTSD); description of possible interventions for that psychopathology and characterization of the most effective (which is CBT); description of the application of CBT to PTSD and studies on its effectiveness (which includes two meta-analyzes); description of a clinical case (of a war veteran) and critical reflection, which stressed the importance of CBT consider the positive side of PTSD as well as the consideration of the latest knowledge of epigenetics (on the transgenerational transmission of traumatic memories) in order to accomplish a more complete etiological work and transgenerationally preventive.

The large number of military personnel returning from combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan with symptoms of mental illness has led to specializations into veteran mental health treatment and post-traumatic disorder.  While the focus on this population is both beneficial and warranted, it has the potential to lead to a myopic view of veterans’ experiences and needs.  This article attempts to provide a larger perspective that examines the responsibility of mental health professionals to balance the unique nature of veterans’ experiences with their individual diversity and not view them or their experiences through a strictly pathological lens.  It is the authors’ contention that failing to include a holistic approach to counseling veterans may inadvertently stigmatizing them as a group.  Discussions about the risks of over pathologizing symptoms and the value of wellness counseling will also be presented as a representation of the need to include a more diverse approach to counseling veterans and assisting with re-integration into their communities.

A study of 161 temporary awakening experiences showed that over 23% were triggered by, or associated with, intense turmoil and distress (Taylor, 2012b). Examples of some of these turmoil-induced awakening experiences are given, illustrating the wide variety of traumatic experiences involved. (The type of trauma was found to be less important than its intensity.) These temporary awakening experiences are contrasted with permanent suffering-induced transformational experiences (SITEs). A distinction is made between a primary shift, involving the establishment of a new self-system (which occurs in SITEs), and the secondary shift which may occur after temporary awakening experiences, when the individual’s self-system remains fundamentally intact, but she or he experiences a shift in
perspective and values. Possible reasons for the connection between psychological turmoil and awakening experiences are discussed, arguing that the experiences cannot simply be explained away as self-delusion or a psychological defense mechanism. It is suggested that
there is a connection between turmoil-induced awakening experiences and the dissolution of psychological attachments, together with an intensification of energy.

A new concept of the personal life-designing landscape as an area of life with certain functional-dynamic characteristics and specific semantic configuration is included in the thesaurus of psychological concepts. The attention is paid to the differences between the concept of the personal life-designing landscape and the traditional concept of life path, which lies in the more local scale of the landscape, and is set by actual life tasks statement and finding updated value-semantic landmarks. The following types of landscapes with functional unity are defined: pragmatic, hedonistic, consumer, service, and existential. It is shown that the existential landscape accumulates the experience of the post-traumatic stage of life as a special, awareness of the different meaningful content of the new life route. The basic functionality of the existential landscape has been found, which is to create the conditions for reflection, reinterpretation, and integration of traumatic experiences that a person acquires in a border situation, in dramatic or tragic circumstances. The existential landscape is regarded as the shortest path for the individual to recover and improve his/her psychological health. There is revealed the dependence of the length of individual stay within the existential landscape on the force of trauma (peculiarities of losses, the intensity of painful memories) and the hardiness resource. It was invoked the options of the existential landscape directing: (a) for a search for professional self-realization, which requires strengthening of the self-identification mode; (b) for the issue of cooperation, which requires strengthening of the regime of dialogue; (c) for distance from certain people, which needs to be strengthened by the autonomy regime; (d) for the search for stable forms of everyday life, which requires a strengthening of the practice regime.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of positive and negative religious coping with posttraumatic symptoms (PTS) and growth (PTG). Their moderating role was also examined among predictors such as social support and the subjective severity of event with PTS and PTG. Two hundred and eleven Chilean adults (58.3% women) of 18 years and older who had been exposed to highly stressful were surveyed. The Brief-RCOPE, the Brief-COPE subscale of social support, the Subjective Severity of Event Scale, and a socio-demographic questionnaire were used as measurements at time one. The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory-short form (PTGI-SF) and Short Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Rating Interview (SPRINT-E) was used to collect baseline scores and six months after. The results show that negative religious coping predicts the increase in PTS, positive religious coping predicts the increase in PTG and plays a moderation role: at low levels of positive religious coping it was found a strong association between coping by seeking social support and PTG, while at high level the association is weak. These results are discussed in the framework of the functionality of positive and negative religious coping and its role in adjusting to potentially traumatic events.

The phenomenon of post-traumatic stress has been well documented in the literature as a lasting mental health condition associated with exposure to traumatic life events. The diagnosis and experience of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease may be such a trauma. On the other hand, the phenomenon of post-traumatic growth (PTG) has been described, whereby people show positive mental health growth in the face of such trauma. This systematic review was set out to explore post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and PTG in people with HIV to monitor prevalence, measurement and efficacy of interventions to reduce stress and/or promote growth. Standardised review techniques were used to track reports on both PTSD and PTG. A total of 206 papers were retrieved from the PTSD and HIV searches, and 13 from the PTG and HIV searches. After
reviewing the papers for inclusion according to adequacy and relevance criteria and to remove duplicates, 33 PTSD papers and three PTG were available for full coding. Prevalence of PTSD in HIV ranged from 5% to 74%, which were much greater than the 7–10% in the general population. Seven studies showed a relation between trauma and PTSD, while six showed a link between PTSD diagnosis and reduced antiretroviral treatment adherence. Women were more likely to be diagnosed with PTSD. Only three intervention reports were identified that fitted our inclusion criteria. All of these reported on psychological interventions for HIVþ individuals with trauma. The interventions utilised HIV education, training in coping techniques and support groups. Only coping interventions were shown to be effective. PTG was under researched but showed a promising
avenue of study. There needs to be harmonised measurement and the evidence base would need strengthening in order to build on the understanding of the impact of PTSD and PTG over the course of HIV disease. There is good evidence to associate HIV diagnosis and experiences during the course of illness as traumatic. PTSD has been shown to be prevalent and there seems to be good evidence to incorporate standardised measures to track the course of the disorder. There is extremely limited evidence that interventions may affect the course of
symptom experience. The evidence and insight into PTG show promise but is currently inadequate.

This article summarizes a study of 32 individuals who experienced psychological transformation following periods of intense turmoil and trauma in their lives. Several individuals reported temporary spiritual experiences following turmoil, but the majority underwent a permanent psychological transformation. These experiences are termed suffering-induced transforma-tional experiences (SITEs). The types of trauma that featured included intense stress and upheaval, depression, bereavement, serious illness, becoming disabled, alcoholism, and encounters with death (through medical conditions or accidents). The individuals were interviewed, and the most prevalent characteristics of their new state of being were identified, including increased well-being, intensified perception, a sense of connection, improved relationships , a less materialistic and more altruistic attitude, decreased cognitive activity, and reduced fear of death. Reasons for the transformation are suggested , the most important being the dissolution of psychological attachments , followed by acceptance.

Dreams about 9/11 -- Paper presented at the 19th Annual International Conference for The International Association for the Study of Dreams, Tufts University, Medford, Boston, Massachusetts; 05/2002
An analysis of trauma dreams collected after 9/11

In this article the impact of the Covid-19 virus will be used as a lens to read this Isaianic text. The collective threat of the corona-virus causes trauma on societies and communities on different levels: psychological, physical, existential and communal trauma.
Isaiah 7:18-25 also tells us of an historic event which caused extreme trauma to its audience. Verse 18 describes the arrival of the Assyrian army. The prophet compares the Assyrian hosts to the flies “in the rivers of Egypt”, and to the bees in Assyria; that is to say, the invaders will be the innumerable and speedy warriors of the Assyrian king. This portrayal is expanded stating that the flies and the bees will swarm all over the land, penetrate every corner and crack and it will be impossible to get rid of them. The plague of “flies” in the metaphor represents the large numbers, while the “bees” are clearly the aggressive and terrifying ones in this metaphor. Just as the Assyrians, who are about to appear as an unwanted and troublesome multitude of flies and bees from which Ahaz will be unable to free himself and his kingdom, the Covid-19 virus is causing havoc and wreckage to societies all over the world.
In this article we will reflect theologically on the immense psychological and existential damage of trauma caused by the terrifying and laming fear this virus has on the mental well-being of a society. In our theological reflections we will engage with a biblical text which also reflects on the traumatic effects of threat and fear that lamed a society.