Resilience And Trauma, What Is Their Link?

Resilience and trauma are two concepts that are closely related. Think of the most painful situation that someone could have endured or that you have had, what to do before that deep pain? Is it possible to find a way out? How to accompany someone in this situation?

The key is to understand that resilience and trauma are closely related. By doing so, it might be easier to find a solution to deal with that deep pain situation.

Resilience and trauma, what are they?

According to the Royal Academy of the Spanish language (RAE), trauma is “an emotional shock that produces lasting damage to the unconscious. ” This means that, after an experience, the person comes to feel a pain – normally intense – that is perpetuated over time.

Now, resilience, according to the academy, would be “adaptive capacity of a living thing to a disturbing agent or adverse situations.” In other words, that ability to overcome when the current blows against. Both are concepts studied by psychology, since this discipline is the study of our behavior, emotions and thoughts.

Thus, it addresses both the situations that are difficult for us as well as the skills to overcome obstacles and our ability to self-fulfill.

Resilience and trauma, what is the link?

Resilience and trauma are associated through difficulty. The first speaks of the strength to overcome it, the second speaks of the echo or residue that it can leave. In addition, although with resilience we can get up when inertia does not help, its implementation as an instrument does not necessarily imply overcoming a trauma.

So when we speak of resilience we refer to a capacity to adapt, with or without traumatic experience. On the other hand, resilience is often a valuable resource, an instrument, to reduce or eliminate the limitations that trauma can impose.

Let’s think that the reactions to trauma can vary according to the person, but they are usually of deep pain. For example, according to Papalia & Martorell, authors of the book “Developmental Psychology”, in children from 6 to 9 years they could be:

• Inability to pay attention
• Disruptive behavior.
• Extreme withdrawal.
• Stomach aches.
• Depression.
• Irritability.
• Fault.
• Aggressive behavior

Currently, seeing the consequences that can be derived from a trauma, psychologists and pedagogues are promoting affective education in which resilience is included as learning so that it can be strengthened from an early age, and children know how to cope with situations difficult.

As trauma can become inevitable, and it is a subjective matter, because everyone assumes experiences differently, it is important to develop tools that help us strengthen ourselves and know how to adapt, even if there has been a crisis. In addition, there are several factors that influence the ability to overcome the adversity of psychic trauma, we see some:

• Neurobiological.
• Previous trauma.
• Beliefs
• Sublimation ability.
• The life project.
• Humor.
• Coping mechanisms.
• Adequate attachment.

Thus, it is not such a simple matter, but it can be built step by step. Imagine a small ray of light in the dark that becomes more and more powerful; Well, that’s how we would be if we have resilience, we gradually illuminate our pain and emptiness.

Resilience and trauma, approach from the experts

On resilience and trauma there are various investigations. For example, Sivak, Ponce, Huertas and Ghigliazza, in their article “psychic trauma”, emphasize that they enhance our resilience capacity. To do this, they review different international literature and confront it with their clinical experience.

Now, Boris Cyrulnik is a neurologist, ethologist and psychoanalyst, who has dedicated himself to studying resilience and trauma. He has published several books in which he deals with both issues and through which he proposes strategies to overcome problems in a traumatic situation.

Cyrulnik is convinced that art is a powerful means of naming traumatic situations that are so difficult to express in words. According to this expert, through the creative process we gradually communicate those unconscious issues that govern our anguish.

In addition, in his stories he includes examples of how you can be resilient despite extreme difficulties. For example, in the post-conflict situation. In fact, he gave a conference in Colombia called “Peace takes the floor”, in which he said that “All forms of art are a factor of resilience.”

The wonderful thing about his research is that not only does he do it from the place of the researcher, he also includes his own story, to demonstrate how it is possible to overcome problems in traumatic situations. In fact, in his book “Wounded souls: the traces of childhood, the need for the story and the mechanisms of memory”, he tells of his personal experiences until adolescence. Then, he shows how after his traumas he achieved resilience, among other issues.

We can all go through traumatic experiences, the important thing is to be able to spread our wings and go after our goals without leaving aside what we feel and think. Sometimes we may need help, others we will help each other through art, each one will have their own path.

It is not about forgetting the experience that affected us. It is about transforming pain into an engine that helps us overcome adversity. To go to the depths of our being, explore ourselves and move on with our valuable resources. To enhance our capabilities and increasingly develop resilience.