The Consequences of Trauma: What Doesn’t Kill Us Makes Us Stronger?

World famous German philosopher Nietzsche “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” This word is so rooted that it was recognized as universal, almost unconditionally true. However, according to new scientific research, this saying does not reflect the truth at all, and mistakes we know right takes its place among the researchers, stressful, complex, destructive experiences in the past Does not increase resistance to future injury; on the contrary, these stressors make us more susceptible to possible future injury and injury. threatens our mental health.

If you believe or want to believe that your injuries make you stronger, it would be helpful to stop, think again, and expand your horizons a little more. Because a lot of research has been done on this topic. proves that what doesn’t kill us doesn’t make us stronger… So what does he do? The answer is actually, as you can imagine; makes us weak. Let’s see what different studies say about this…

Scientific research into the effects of trauma

A study published in the journal Natural Hazards is large enough to literally change people’s lives. Natural disasters as a result of their mental decline shows. When examining the cumulative effects of exposure to such natural disasters (flood, drought, harsh winter, hurricane, etc.), it can be seen that the mental health scores of people who have previously experienced similar situations have fallen below average over time. The same study also found that in most cases of traumatic events, people makes him more vulnerable to the next possible injury also reveals.

Another similar study from 2020 focuses on the experiences of people before and after the sixth largest earthquake recorded in Chile, as well as the experiences of people who experienced any form of trauma (unemployment, bereavement, bereavement, etc.) before . higher rates of mental disorders turns out.

On the other hand, a study by Steven Buka, a professor of epidemiology at the Brown School of Public Health, has identified various problems such as financial hardship, job loss, and instability. to life stressors people previously exposedindicates they are at risk for more severe mental health issues in the wake of the Covid 19 pandemic.

According to another 2012 study, people exposed to trauma at an early age with negative childhood experiences such as poverty, abuse and neglect, loss of volume in parts of the brain involved in learning and memory they collide. In the same time The ability to make decisions also suffers. increases the risk of developing conditions such as depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

In other words, past traumaswhether individual or public– contacts not only makes them vulnerable to the next possible injury, but also increases the likelihood of mental health deterioration. So where does faith come from when that is the case, and many scientific studies show that “what doesn’t kill us weakens us instead of making us stronger”? Why do we think that what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, why do we want to believe it?

According to Noam Spanser, co-author of Psychology Today Therapists, this happens because we are trying to rationalize our pain and alleviate it. We try to integrate our pain into our beliefs by giving it a logical explanation in our mind. But Shanper says that if we get stronger after trials, it is “in spite of” hardships, not because of problems. “What doesn’t kill us actually weakens us.” Similarly, wool writer Virgie Townsend explains it this way: “It is human nature to believe that our difficulties have additional meaning, that they are not in vain. While suffering is undesirable, it is supposed to help us grow. We want our pain to be meaningful, educational in some way.”

Whereas, as Noam Spanser put it: “When trauma and deprivation leave a mark, it’s usually a bruise under the skin.” We don’t face pain and hardship to grow, develop, and become stronger; We must realize that we need compassion, support, love, work, and we must not forget that what does not kill does not strengthen.

Source: psychcentral, psychology today, swaddling.

You may be wondering: How can we focus on difficult moments such as social trauma, loss, and grief?