\u201cResilience refers to a person\u2019s ability to recover reasonably soon after going through a psychological trauma or distressing experience that can affect them both physically and emotionally,\u201d Dr Laxton explained.<\/p>\n
The question one might ask is this, \u201cHow long does it take for an individual to recover from such an experience to the point where they are able to function normally again?\u201d<\/p>
The simple answer is that the more resilient someone is, the quicker they are likely to recover.<\/p>\n
According to Dr Laxton, it is difficult to determine when and to what extent a person has recovered from psychological trauma, or how long this could take.<\/p>\n
This is because there is no objective standard of what constitutes \u2018normal\u2019 recovery time or functioning across the population.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
ALSO READ:<\/span><\/p>\n Ready to support victims of crime<\/a><\/p>\n Handy holiday health checklist for a stress-free festive season<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAfter experiencing psychological trauma, whether it is the experience of being a victim of a crime or perhaps having an upsetting heated argument, there are three common ways in which people react.<\/p>\n \u201cEither the individual will explode with anger or alternatively they could become withdrawn and unable to respond at all \u2013 these two reactions indicate a lack of resilience and an inability to control their response to address the situation and move on from it.<\/p>\n \u201cThe third type of response would be for the individual to temporarily experience potentially overwhelming and distressing emotions, and then find a way to move on from the experience.<\/p>\n \u201cOptimism, humour, forgiveness and finding ways to redefine the negative experience as a learning and growing experience, are some of the tools that can help the person to positively process what has happened and heal from the psychological trauma.<\/p>\n \u201cSome people even experience post traumatic growth after an incident that spurs them on to evolve to a higher level of functioning and emotional maturity,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Asked what determines individual levels of resilience, Dr Laxton explained that there are various contributing factors, including genetics, parenting styles and the trauma itself.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople are born with a certain level of innate resilience, however, some of the genetic \u2018markers\u2019 of resilience potential may be switched on or off depending on the developing child\u2019s experiences.<\/p>\n \u201cIn families, we tend to find that adolescents will usually display a similar level of resilience as their parents.<\/p>\n \u201cChildren often imitate the way their parents interact with the world,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cAll these contributing factors can result in the individual either building up resilience or developing a fragile personality.<\/p>\n \u201cFailure to develop resilience may lead to unhealthy responses to psychological trauma in later life, such as substance abuse as a means of dissociating from a traumatic event, which in itself can have unhealthy and even devastating self-destructive consequences.<\/p>\n \u201cIt can be hard to control \u2018knee-jerk\u2019 reactions to negative experiences.<\/p>\n \u201cSome helpful tools or mechanisms are available, but require effort, and, oftentimes, professional support.<\/p>\n \u201cGaining insight into your background can help in identifying the impulses one feels in stressful situations, and go some way towards developing more appropriate coping responses.<\/p>\n \u201cLearning to identify the triggers that provoke unhealthy responses, and finding ways to distance yourself from these, are useful in developing effective coping strategies and, in time, can help to build resilience.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hav<\/strong>e a story?<\/strong><\/p>\n Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor)\u00a0<\/span>germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za,<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>Leigh Hodgson (News Editor)\u00a0<\/span>leighh@caxton.co.za\u00a0<\/a><\/strong>or Ashley Kiley (Journalist)\u00a0ashleyk@caxton.co.za.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Also follow us on:<\/p>\n
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