From Pain to Power: Understanding Peri/Post-Traumatic Growth
What if trauma didn’t just leave wounds—but also opened doors?
Trauma is often associated with devastation, fragmentation, and loss. And while that’s true, it’s not the whole story. What’s equally true—but less often told—is that trauma can become fertile ground for transformation. This powerful concept is known as post-traumatic growth (PTG)—a term first introduced by psychologists Richard Tedeschi and Lawrence Calhoun in the mid-1990s. Their work marked a paradigm shift: instead of asking how people break under pressure, they began exploring how people rise.
But healing doesn’t only happen after the storm. Growth can begin during trauma too—what some call peri-traumatic growth. In these moments, individuals may find resilience, meaning, or renewed values while still in the midst of chaos. Whether during or after trauma, both paths hold the potential for remarkable evolution.
What Is Post-Traumatic Growth?
Tedeschi and Calhoun defined PTG as “positive psychological change experienced as a result of the struggle with highly challenging life circumstances.” This doesn’t mean the trauma was good—it means that growth is possible because of the profound disruption.
Some common areas of PTG include:
A deeper appreciation for life
Improved relationships and greater empathy
A stronger sense of personal strength
New possibilities or life paths
Spiritual or existential growth
Unlike resilience, which is about bouncing back, post-traumatic growth is about moving forward in a new way—often with more authenticity, purpose, and connection.
The Role of Peri-Traumatic Growth
More recent research has begun to examine growth that happens not just after trauma, but during it. Peri-traumatic growth can occur as people draw on inner strengths, access support, or find clarity in the eye of the storm. This early growth may later serve as a foundation for deeper post-traumatic development.
What Fuels Growth?
Not everyone experiences PTG, and it’s not a measure of someone’s worth or strength. However, certain factors seem to support it:
Supportive relationships
The ability to reflect and make meaning
A safe space to process the trauma
Spirituality or belief systems that help integrate the experience
Therapeutic approaches that support emotional expression and integration
Importantly, PTG doesn’t erase the pain—it weaves the trauma into a larger narrative where healing and transformation coexist with grief and loss.
Why This Matters
Understanding peri/post-traumatic growth shifts the conversation. It doesn’t glorify suffering, but it does honor the possibility that something meaningful can emerge from the wreckage. It gives survivors language for hope, and practitioners a framework to support healing beyond symptom reduction.
As trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk once said, “Being able to feel safe with other people is probably the single most important aspect of mental health.” Safety, connection, and meaning are the stepping stones toward transformation—and PTG offers a path to reclaiming your story.
If you're navigating the aftermath of trauma or walking through it right now, you don't have to do it alone. Reach out through my contact form to explore how trauma-informed coaching can support your growth, healing, and wholeness.
