Step 1 to Post-Traumatic Growth: Shattering Our Assumptions
“Let me fall if I must. The one I will become will catch me.” — Baal Shem Tov
Stories of overcomers -- people who survive trauma to experience growth -- are everywhere. They show up on NPR, in history and literature, in faith and family traditions and in national narratives. Nonetheless, when you’re the one experiencing an overwhelming challenge, the growth — if it comes — can feel miraculous. And it is, I think. If you’ve been following me recently, then you know that in the last two posts (Click HERE and HERE), we’ve talked about post-traumatic growth -- what it is, and how you might know it when you see it. Today, I want to move into exploring how people do it? More to the point, how can YOU AND I do it? Let’s begin our exploration of the steps people take that lead to post-traumatic growth.
Where Post-Traumatic Growth After Adverse Outcomes Begins
It is unfortunate but true that the magic of post-traumatic growth cannot occur without there first being a trauma. And even then, not everyone will experience post-traumatic growth. Only 30-70% of those who experience trauma also encounter post-traumatic growth, according to the Manitoba Trauma Information and Education Centre.
You and I -- we are human. Chances are pretty good that we both work in healthcare. We will encounter trauma, our own and that of others. It’s part of our human experience. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could count ourselves among that 30-70% who also find post-traumatic growth?
Shattered Assumptions and Post-Traumatic Growth
Expert Stephen Joseph calls post-traumatic growth “the rebuilding of the shattered assumptive world.” Now, before we get ahead of ourselves, I want to point out that no rebuilding can occur until the assumptive world has first been shattered. I know; you and I, we’re more interested in putting things back together than in shattering them. Turns out, if we want post-traumatic growth, brokenness is where we have to start.
What does that mean in the terms of our everyday existence?
Simply put, we begin with an internal world at rest, one at peace with what it knows, with its assumptions both conscious and unconscious. Along comes some deeply disruptive event. Assumptions shatter. To a greater or lesser degree, internal chaos ensues.
In the case of an unforeseen, adverse patient outcome or malpractice litigation, the assumptions which one may hold and which can shatter are often legion:
I am right for this work.
If I listen closely, my patients will tell me what is wrong.
My clinical instincts are a strength.
Training like mine prevents complications.
I have a gift when it comes to the care of …..
I think quickly in a crisis.
Only bad doctors get sued.
Lawsuits serve to weed out bad doctors.
Patients don’t sue doctors they love.
My patients love me.
Physicians who communicate well and warmly don’t become defendants in lawsuits.
If I dot my i’s and cross my t’s, my patients will be safe and do well.
The list could go on and on. Maybe you have a few to add?
For some of us, the shattering of numerous assumptions results in a sense of disorientation, and that in and of itself creates deep feelings of loss. Knowing that space of shattered assumptions personally as I do, I have come to view it as one of the roots of grief in healers after adverse patient outcomes. We grieve for our patients. We grieve for the selves we want to be. (Read more here.)
The Hidden Wealth in Shattered Assumptions
Interestingly, in looking back over my own experience, I am aware that other assumptions shattered, too. And some of them deserved to shatter. I deserved for them to shatter. They were better left behind, as they were neither good for me nor true. They hindered my growth!
What might those have looked like?
I am expected to achieve perfection.
Perfection means being able to accurately intuit what the future holds.
Anything less than perfection is poor patient care.
Anything less than a perfect outcome means that I have failed.
Failure reflects poorly on my abilities.
Failure reflects poorly on my character.
Failure reflects poorly on my fitness for my vocation.
I will lose the respect of co-workers, colleagues, and patients.
I am all alone in this struggle.
If I am loved, it is for what I do. Simply being who I am is not enough.
Weakness is ugly; strength is where beauty resides.
Whew!
Does any of this ring familiar? Got any to add? Please, post in the comments below. These are assumptions we all deserve to shatter once and for all. They constrain us. They hurt us. Living under them creates its own trauma.
According to Professor Stephen Joseph, those who best experience post-traumatic growth do it not by attempting to rebuild the world exactly as they knew it before. Rather, they open themselves to building something entirely new. So, let’s do that. Let’s shatter these assumptions! With a sledge hammer. Into a million bits. Then, let’s come together and create something altogether new with them. A mosaic awaits.
If you’re ready to build that new inner world for yourself, join me next time when we’ll talk about step 2 - the harnessing of hope. Subscribe to the blog if you haven’t already, and meet me here as we explore the next steps to post-traumatic growth after adverse patient outcomes and in malpractice litigation.