Finding unexpected growth after adversity
If you've been through a major upheaval, adversity, or trauma, you're likely to be familiar with the after-effects. Traumatic responses might include shock, numbness, and denial, the intrusive re-experiencing of memories and oscillating efforts to both avoid and bring meaning to those memories.
When faced with traumatic stress, our natural tendency is to avoid the pain, but this avoidance can lead to isolation and maintain the cycle of distress. Despite the possibility of grief, anxiety, depression, and negativity, from exposure to traumatic events, we now know that psychological growth can coexist with distress.
Over time, psychological distress inevitably declines once positive meaning takes hold, representing the emergence of psychological wellbeing. Instead of being roadblocks, adversity and trauma can be a springboard for positive change, strengthening relationships, shifting perspectives, and revealing inner strengths.
The shattered vase: a metaphor for growth
At Upside Stories, we use the metaphor of the "shattered vase" from Stephen Joseph’s work to illustrate this process. Trauma can feel like knocking a cherished vase off a shelf, shattering it into pieces. Some people attempt to glue the pieces back together, trying to restore what once was, but the vase remains fragile. Others gather the fragments and create something entirely new—a mosaic that, while different, is just as beautiful and far stronger. Posttraumatic growth lies in coming to terms with the breakage and using it as an opportunity to build something new, strong, and full of unanticipated potential.
When we face experiences that challenge our beliefs and assumptions about ourselves, others, or the world, we’re faced with a choice: do we try to fit these challenges into our old way of understanding, or do we open ourselves to new perspectives? Growth comes when we lean into the discomfort of change and find meaning in our losses and adversities. Whether it’s a friend offering difficult feedback or tough moments in therapy, trauma gives us the chance to look at life through a new lens, encouraging us to see opportunities for transformation.
The role of therapy in facilitating growth
At Upside Stories, we believe that people are hard-wired for growth. Through a strong therapeutic relationship and insightful questions, we help clients find meaning in their experiences and move towards authentic psychological growth. The shattered vase isn’t just a symbol of loss, it’s a metaphor for the strength that emerges when we rebuild by going beyond coping towards opportunities for transformative change.
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References:
Figley, C.R., Bride, B.E., & Mazza, N. (1998). The traumatology of grieving. Brunner/Mazel.
Janoff-Bulman, R. (1992). Shattered assumptions: Towards a new psychology of trauma. Free Press.
Joseph, S. (2011). What doesn’t kill us: The new psychology of posttraumatic growth. Basic Books.
Joseph, S., & Linley, P. A. (2005). Positive adjustment to threatening events: An organismic valuing theory of growth through adversity. Review of General Psychology, 9, 262-280. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.9.3.262
Lepore, S., & Revenson, T. A. (2006). Resilience and posttraumatic growth: Recovery, resistance, and reconfiguration. In L. G. Calhoun, & R. G. Tedeschi. (Eds.), Handbook of posttraumatic growth: Research and practice (pp. 24-46). Lawrence Erlbaum.
Linley, P. A., Joseph, S., & Goodfellow, B. (2008). ‘Positive changes in outlook following trauma and their relationship to subsequent posttraumatic stress, depression, and anxiety. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 27, 877-891. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2008.27.8.877
Linley, P. A., & Joseph, S. (2004). Positive change following trauma and adversity: A review. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 17(1), 11-21. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOTS.0000014671.27856.7e. PMID: 15027788
Walmsley, B., & McCormack, L. (2021). Dementia families: Relinquishing home care to aged care services: Guilt, traumatic loss and growth. Dementia. 20(5), 1814-1831. https://doi.org/10.1177/1471301220970784