A key feature of PTSD is powerlessness. That is, after all, how we end up with PTSD in the first place. Powerlessness is a primary ingredient in the PTSD recipe, and it also happens to be the number one accompaniment to the PTSD dish. Consider these PTSD conditions:

• We feel powerless in the midst of our trauma.
• We feel powerlessness in the midst of our mind after trauma.
• We feel powerlesss over psychological symptoms.
• We feel powerless over physical symptoms.
• We feel powerless in the healing process.
• We feel powerless about finding help in the healing process.
• We feel powerless about who we’ve become despite who we used to be.

The list goes on and on. How can anyone heal with all this powerlessness swirling around? It’s tough enough to get a grip when we don’t feel we have the power to do so in any area of our lives. What’s the answer? We have to take back the power trauma stole from us. How do we do this? Constructing post-trauma identity. Simple answer, not so simple process. But it can be done!

 

What is a post-trauma identity?

In the aftermath of trauma many survivors get stuck in a loop, that’s the PTSD condition. We loop back over and over the trauma, which means we constantly relive the feelings of terror and powerlessness as our daily state of mind. No matter how hard we try to fight it, we can’t help the slippery slope into the PTSD abyss. This slide means that gradually over time we only see things from the PTSD point of view. That is, we are always powerless in every situation. We get into and stay in abusive and/or just plain bad relationships, friendships and jobs because we don’t have the strength or perception to think things could or should be different.

At it’s base the problem is this: in our assumed state of powerlessness we never perceive ourselves as the powerful beings we truly are. Our post-trauma identity - how we envision and experience ourselves after trauma - becomes stuck in the trauma loop. We see ourselves as small, powerless, trauma victims still struggling to survive. Not a nice way to see ourselves! This personal view of who we are needs to be changed. We need to develop a post-trauma identity - a persona built on strength, power, resolve, achievement and a truthful expression of the person we are beneath the effects of fate. That person exists! It’s up to us to seek out him or her and reclaim that heroic self.

Visit our blog to read How to Heal PTSD: Tap Your Inner Hero. 

 

How do I construct post-trauma identity?

Taking back your power - redefining yourself outside of trauma - is easy, and not so easy. Easy because the process is all about becoming who it is you really want to be beyond trauma; not so easy because it requires work to overcome coping strategies and habits that trauma and PTSD have ingrained in who you are. Luckily, the path is pretty straight, so all we have to do is stay on it.

Constructing a post-trauma identity is all about choosing who you are. It means looking at whom you’ve become, deciding whom you want to be, and planning a path to get you there. This is about a larger thing than trauma. The goal is for the past to become a very tiny part of your very large self. The evolution of that self must progress through the following stages:

• recognizing who you are in this moment
• deciding what needs to be changed (this includes attitudes, perceptions, behaviors)
• defining who you want to become (professionally, personally, spiritually)
• planning a series of actions
• setting goals
• developing a timeline
• putting the plan into effect

 

How can I get started constructing my post-trauma identity?

Identity is choice. You are not bestowed any identity at birth - you develop it by making (or not making) various choices. Taking back the power trauma steals from you begins with taking back your power to name yourself - not as a survivor but as something else. It means taking back the power to see yourself not as a victim but as a hero who now has a future to engage in and enjoy.

The key to developing your post-trauma identity lies in being very deliberate in perceiving whom you wish to be. This means  you must consciously:

• Imagine yourself without trauma - Who might you have been without your traumatic experience?
• Imagine yourself without PTSD - What could or would you do or have done if PTSD didn’t get in the way?
• Identify traits and characteristics you would like to possess - What kind of person would you like to be if trauma and PTSD were stripped away?
• Identify and develop goals to move you forward - What activities can you engage in that will evolve you toward the person you imagine?

 

Is there a program to guide me through constructing my post-trauma identity?

The BRIDGE THE GAP healing workshop on our blog is designed as a year long program to help anyone construct a post-trauma identity. Topics include:

• creating a healing intention
• learning to speak
• reaching out
• educating ourselves
• educating others
• seeking help
• changing perceptions
• defining identity
• setting goals
• taking actions
• developing a joy habit
• committing to who you are

Visit our blog to experience for yourself the transformational power of the BRIDGE THE GAP healing workshop.

(Photo: Tom Lin, Richard Tilson, Mark Haertl, *M-C1*, Chickface)

• Read More

  • Constructing Post-Trauma Identity
  • Tips for Constructing Post-Trauma Identity
  • BRIDGE THE GAP Healing Workshop
  • PTSD Survivors Speak
  • PTSD Professional Perspective
  • PTSD Healing Thought of the Week
  • Faces of Joy