New research shows how trauma survivors can use spiritual reflection to deal with stress.
Trauma, such as experiencing or seeing violence, natural catastrophes, or traffic accidents, can rock our worldview and fundamental beliefs.
However, this upheaval can also lead to “post-traumatic growth” in a variety of areas of our lives. This may imply a stronger feeling of personal resilience or improved relationships, as well as a greater respect for life.
My team was curious about the factors that can promote post-traumatic growth. According to a recent study, contemplative activities that are spiritual but not necessarily religious, such as considering how life experiences affect how we perceive ourselves and our place in the universe, promote the kind of processing that is necessary for processing trauma.
However, we also discovered that spirituality had no effect on how likely people were to experience stressful side effects from trauma. Additionally, in our study, the amount of time that had passed had no effect on post-traumatic growth. Personal development was not the product of merely waiting for time to pass. In other words, it’s your use of time, not time itself, that cures.
We frequently return to the traumatic experiences in our minds again in order to comprehend the shock of them. And there are two variations on this pattern of thinking.
Rumination that is intrusive causes unwelcome and involuntary symptoms like dreams or flashbacks. Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms include those listed here.
When we intentionally reflect on trauma to find meaning in what happened to us, this is called deliberate rumination. Where spirituality can help is in this state of being.
Investigating our identities and relationships with others and ourselves is at the heart of spirituality. It can assist people in processing their experiences in a way that is structured and safe.
People who are more spiritual, albeit not necessarily religious, feel less distress following trauma, according to prior study by other researchers. We hypothesized that this might be because those who practice spirituality frequently reexamine their fundamental convictions in the face of shifting circumstances. In other words, ruminating is a big part of spiritual practice.
For our recently published research, we conducted an online study in 2017 in which we questioned participants about trauma, growth, and spirituality.
The participants were 96 people who had undergone a traumatic event after the age of 16, but not during the previous four months. Serious accidents, illnesses, sexual assaults, and natural calamities were among the happenings.
We discovered that participants' post-traumatic growth increased in direct proportion to the amount of conscious ruminating they engaged in. Particularly for individuals with strong or moderate spiritual convictions, this was true. For those with average to high levels of spirituality, there was a higher correlation between deliberate ruminating and growth
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There's a chance examining our pre- and post-trauma ideas about who we are and what is important to us aids in reestablishing our sense of personal security. This kind of careful reflection is woven into the fabric of spiritual philosophers' lives and practices, maybe every day.
Every now and then, they anticipate having their views challenged, and they utilize introspection to deal with the consequences. Trauma processing enables us to make sense of it, which lessens our dread and tendency to avoid things that trigger memories of what happened.
Our finding is that persons who value spirituality highly may be able to use their convictions to initiate the process of purposeful ruminatingThis might be as a result of them feeling supported by a spiritual group, which minimizes loneliness or loss. They regularly engage in acts of forgiveness, relaxation, introspection, or meditation.
Although it is challenging to gauge a person's level of spirituality, it is critical that we develop scientific methods for evaluating values and belief systems if we are to comprehend the human condition. That is, not just what upsets us, but also what keeps us healthy and successful.
We can examine our experiences and derive meaning from them, discovering benefits even in the traumatic aftermath. You don't have to be religious to gain the advantages of spirituality, such as the ability to accept change and move on.
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Nobody ought to experience trauma. Even though you might never be the same again, post-traumatic growth can change us.
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