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What Doesn't Kill Us: The New Psychology of Posttraumatic Growth
Surviving a traumatic experience is difficult and takes time to move on from, but this book makes the argument that with proper care and understanding, survivors can grow and reshape their lives in a positive way. For the past twenty years, pioneering psychologist Stephen Joseph has worked with survivors of trauma. His studies have yielded a startling that a wide range of traumatic events-from illness, divorce, separation, assault, and bereavement to accidents, natural disasters, and terrorism-can act as catalysts for positive change. Boldly challenging the conventional wisdom about trauma and its aftermath, Joseph demonstrates that rather than ruining one's life, a traumatic event can actually improve it. Drawing on the wisdom of ancient philosophers, the insights of evolutionary biologists, and the optimism of positive psychologists, What Doesn't Kill Us reveals how all of us can navigate change and adversity- traumatic or otherwise-to find new meaning, purpose, and direction in life.
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
November 11, 2011
Whether you're a survivor (or as author Stephen Joseph would say,"thriver") of trauma or a psychotherapist working with people who have experienced trauma, this is an essential read.
While "Trauma and Recovery" by Judith Hermann (excellent book!) explains the ins and outs of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, "What Doesn't Kill Us" has more of a 'positive psychology' approach. If you are drawn to the works of Viktor Frankl ("Man's Search For Meaning") and Abraham Maslow (ie, self-actualization) as I am, you will love this book.
Trauma isn't so much about horrific things that happened to a person, but more so what one does with it in regard to creating a meaningful life in the present and future...an opportunity for growth and a new/deeper way of living.
While "Trauma and Recovery" by Judith Hermann (excellent book!) explains the ins and outs of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, "What Doesn't Kill Us" has more of a 'positive psychology' approach. If you are drawn to the works of Viktor Frankl ("Man's Search For Meaning") and Abraham Maslow (ie, self-actualization) as I am, you will love this book.
Trauma isn't so much about horrific things that happened to a person, but more so what one does with it in regard to creating a meaningful life in the present and future...an opportunity for growth and a new/deeper way of living.
October 14, 2018
Absolutely LOVED this book and recommended it in my newsletter. This book is already an all-time favorite that I return to again and again. Wise, powerful, and truly helpful.
January 25, 2014
Can't recommend this enough to anybody who has gone through major loss or trauma.
October 30, 2023
Interesting book abot ptsd, I enjoyed it, but I knew a lot of informations about this topic.
December 13, 2011
An ABSOLUTE must read if you're ever faced with a traumatic experience or if you're trying to understand someone who's going through such an experience.
What's so wonderful about this book is that it's not written in a cold clinical manner unlike so many other books. Instead it's written with a guiding hand, one that provides comfort while explaining both the medical and psychological aspects and how they relate and feed off one another. It provides insightful excerpts from a variety of persons who've all experienced some event in their life. Explaining their exact thoughts and how they affected each person differently and how each person responded accordingly. And it doesn't mearly tell you how they felt, but through their words you could feel their plight, feel the anxiety, and truly grasp the scope of PTSD.
But going farther than simply explaining PTSD, we learn how to cope, and we learn what stems from coping is a new perspective on life. How to appreciate things on a higher level, how to reprioritize what truly matters to oneself. Now, that's not to say PTSD is suddenly "fixed" and all is right again with the snap of the fingers. No, we learn and we grow through our trials and tribulations. It's a demanding process, but a worthwhile one. And the author never lets us forget these facts.
I myself have PTSD and have highlighted, annotated, and tabbed pages and pages within this book. It's helped me understand things so much better, and better yet I didn't feel like a case study while reading it. I didn't feel like I was being dissected. Instead, it kept my dignity intact. I wasn't "The patient" or "the subject" and neither were the other persons in the book. Instead we're given the respect due from going through (for lack of a better term) "the ringer."
Truly, I'll be reading this book again soon. Because for me, there's such a profound difference between awkwardly having to voice yourself in front of another in order to come to self realizations, as opposed to reading a book that slowly but surely leads you to a conclusion and you having that moment of epiphany where you can reflect quietly to yourself on YOUR OWN TIME.
What's so wonderful about this book is that it's not written in a cold clinical manner unlike so many other books. Instead it's written with a guiding hand, one that provides comfort while explaining both the medical and psychological aspects and how they relate and feed off one another. It provides insightful excerpts from a variety of persons who've all experienced some event in their life. Explaining their exact thoughts and how they affected each person differently and how each person responded accordingly. And it doesn't mearly tell you how they felt, but through their words you could feel their plight, feel the anxiety, and truly grasp the scope of PTSD.
But going farther than simply explaining PTSD, we learn how to cope, and we learn what stems from coping is a new perspective on life. How to appreciate things on a higher level, how to reprioritize what truly matters to oneself. Now, that's not to say PTSD is suddenly "fixed" and all is right again with the snap of the fingers. No, we learn and we grow through our trials and tribulations. It's a demanding process, but a worthwhile one. And the author never lets us forget these facts.
I myself have PTSD and have highlighted, annotated, and tabbed pages and pages within this book. It's helped me understand things so much better, and better yet I didn't feel like a case study while reading it. I didn't feel like I was being dissected. Instead, it kept my dignity intact. I wasn't "The patient" or "the subject" and neither were the other persons in the book. Instead we're given the respect due from going through (for lack of a better term) "the ringer."
Truly, I'll be reading this book again soon. Because for me, there's such a profound difference between awkwardly having to voice yourself in front of another in order to come to self realizations, as opposed to reading a book that slowly but surely leads you to a conclusion and you having that moment of epiphany where you can reflect quietly to yourself on YOUR OWN TIME.
May 7, 2014
As a "thriver", I liked this book but at the end the author lost me. When trauma occurs we know that our body's neurotransmitters that balance our response to stress are compromised. This means sometimes pharmaceuticals are the only option as opposed to behavioral therapeutic techniques. I find it odd a man with a Ph.D. would carelessly recommend keeping your "feet firmly grounded on the floor" as an alternative to taking medicine that could easily alleviate a debilitating mental problem. To each his own I suppose, or in my case, her own.
December 28, 2020
Interesting concepts on how to turn trauma into learning opportunities and ultimately growth. Gives a much needed different perspective on PTSD and how working through it can change you
July 17, 2013
I have been researching post-traumatic growth for the past 8 years and Joseph provides a remarkable and accessible treatise on the what, who, why and how.
January 28, 2015
I read this over several months. It sheds light on how one's perspective contributes to either 'Growth' or 'Stress.' A valuable read if you are trying to understand trauma.
October 27, 2023
A look into the significant growth that can occur after trauma.
“In short, while the adoption of PTSD as a diagnostic category has been beneficial in terms of increasing access to psychological therapies for those who need them, it has been detrimental in these three ways: in taking responsibility away from people, in creating a culture of expectation, and ignoring the personal growth that often arises following trauma.
The aim of this book is to correct the imbalance—to show that trauma can have both negative and positive implications, and that the negative and positive go hand in hand. I challenge the trauma industry by offering a new perspective: namely, that posttraumatic stress is a natural and normal process of adaptation to adversity that marks the beginning of a transformative journey. Recovery from trauma consists of finding new meaning, creating new webs of understanding, and finding reparative methods centered on the sharing of memories. Viewed in this light, posttraumatic stress can be understood as a search for meaning in which the drive to revisit, remember, and think about the trauma is a normal urge to make sense of a shocking experience, to grasp new realities and incorporate them into one’s own life story. At the heart of this book is the idea that posttraumatic stress is the engine of transformation—of a process known as posttraumatic growth. …
Drawing on the wisdom of the ancient philosophers, the insights of existential and evolutionary psychologists, and the optimism of modern positive psychology, I present the new psychology of adversity—a fresh, inspiring, and humanizing perspective on how to manage life and its inevitable challenges.”
~ Stephen Joseph from What Doesn’t Kill Us
I got this book after I saw Stephen Joseph’s testimonial in Positive Psychology and the Body by Kate Hefferon. It was another one of those title/sub-title combos that just jumped out at me.
Of course, the title is a play on Nietzsche’s famous dictum: “What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.” While the sub-title perfectly captures the focus of the book: “The New Psychology of Posttraumatic Growth.” (Get a copy of the book here.)
Stephen Joseph is one of the world’s leading researchers on the science of posttraumatic growth. He is also a professor and therapist.
He started his career studying posttraumatic stress. In the process, he saw that many people experienced significant growth as a result of the stress they endured. At which point, he started developing his ideas on posttraumatic growth. Fast-forward a few decades and here we are.
btw: Martin Seligman followed a similar track. He started out studying learned helplessness, discovered that some people, no matter how much stress they endured, maintained optimism and then shifted his research to Learned Optimism to figure out what made THOSE people tick.
Some of my favorite big ideas from this book include:
1. Eudaimomic Treadmills - There are none.
2. Posttraumatic GROWTH - Stress = engine.
3. The Shattered Vase - Antifragile mosaics.
4. Harvesting Hope - The 1 + 2 + 3 for trauma survivors.
I’ve added What Doesn't Kill Us by Stephen Joseph Ph.D. MP3s on 600+ of the BEST self-development books ever. You can get access to all of those plus a TON more over at https://heroic.us.
“In short, while the adoption of PTSD as a diagnostic category has been beneficial in terms of increasing access to psychological therapies for those who need them, it has been detrimental in these three ways: in taking responsibility away from people, in creating a culture of expectation, and ignoring the personal growth that often arises following trauma.
The aim of this book is to correct the imbalance—to show that trauma can have both negative and positive implications, and that the negative and positive go hand in hand. I challenge the trauma industry by offering a new perspective: namely, that posttraumatic stress is a natural and normal process of adaptation to adversity that marks the beginning of a transformative journey. Recovery from trauma consists of finding new meaning, creating new webs of understanding, and finding reparative methods centered on the sharing of memories. Viewed in this light, posttraumatic stress can be understood as a search for meaning in which the drive to revisit, remember, and think about the trauma is a normal urge to make sense of a shocking experience, to grasp new realities and incorporate them into one’s own life story. At the heart of this book is the idea that posttraumatic stress is the engine of transformation—of a process known as posttraumatic growth. …
Drawing on the wisdom of the ancient philosophers, the insights of existential and evolutionary psychologists, and the optimism of modern positive psychology, I present the new psychology of adversity—a fresh, inspiring, and humanizing perspective on how to manage life and its inevitable challenges.”
~ Stephen Joseph from What Doesn’t Kill Us
I got this book after I saw Stephen Joseph’s testimonial in Positive Psychology and the Body by Kate Hefferon. It was another one of those title/sub-title combos that just jumped out at me.
Of course, the title is a play on Nietzsche’s famous dictum: “What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.” While the sub-title perfectly captures the focus of the book: “The New Psychology of Posttraumatic Growth.” (Get a copy of the book here.)
Stephen Joseph is one of the world’s leading researchers on the science of posttraumatic growth. He is also a professor and therapist.
He started his career studying posttraumatic stress. In the process, he saw that many people experienced significant growth as a result of the stress they endured. At which point, he started developing his ideas on posttraumatic growth. Fast-forward a few decades and here we are.
btw: Martin Seligman followed a similar track. He started out studying learned helplessness, discovered that some people, no matter how much stress they endured, maintained optimism and then shifted his research to Learned Optimism to figure out what made THOSE people tick.
Some of my favorite big ideas from this book include:
1. Eudaimomic Treadmills - There are none.
2. Posttraumatic GROWTH - Stress = engine.
3. The Shattered Vase - Antifragile mosaics.
4. Harvesting Hope - The 1 + 2 + 3 for trauma survivors.
I’ve added What Doesn't Kill Us by Stephen Joseph Ph.D. MP3s on 600+ of the BEST self-development books ever. You can get access to all of those plus a TON more over at https://heroic.us.
May 29, 2020
The writing is accessable to the layman and the research is solid; but what really bumped it up to 5 stars for me were the useful, research-backed methodologies outlined for the careful reader to utilize in facilitating their own post-traumatic growth. This is not only an excellent and informative read, but a valuable cognitive behavioral therapy/ mental health management workbook necessary for anyone interested in creating, managing, and maintaining a resilient life attitude.
May 22, 2022
Not exactly what I thought it was, but a good introduction to a phenomenon that should be better known. The cultural understanding of post-traumatic stress is very stereotyped. It's understood to be this crippling ailment that undermines someone's life to a point they become unable to enjoy it, but it's not always the case. This is great for any novelists who want to research what makes characters push through adversity and trauma in order to start anew.
May 8, 2020
Highly recommended. A good read.
May 15, 2020
Fantastic book! I'm sure I'll be returning to my copy over and over again.
October 23, 2020
Interesting premise, but way too much repetition. This reads like a series of journal articles strung together into book format.
May 12, 2022
Fascinating to recognise this phenomenon in your own personal growth and when helping others.
September 29, 2022
Excellent book that helps to understand that traumatic experience can also lead to positive changes, promoting growth, helping to find meaning, connecting with ourselves and others.
January 11, 2023
A very neglected reality: that trauma is a catalyst for personal growth. Any who's stuck with trauma or PTSD would benefit from this book.
July 1, 2023
Čtivě podaný přehled znalostí o tom, jak lidé po prožití traumatu mohou vyrůst a žít lépe než před ním.
September 10, 2016
Schwartz presents his personal research and findings that help identify the conditions which most closely correlate with post-traumatic growth. His definition of trauma, as something that causes a deep horrific reaction, is useful in framing the discussion around the person's experience rather than judgments of whether what was suffered is worthy of the trauma label.
This book helps to steer the conversation around trauma survival away from the idea that victims will inevitably experience decline or retain the label PTSD for life. as someone who has experience, I found the text helpful when analyzing my own growth and continuing to adopt a growth mindset. In places,I felt the author could have made his points more concisely.
While I didn't finish this before my library loan expired, I believe I learned what I need from it. Three stars.
This book helps to steer the conversation around trauma survival away from the idea that victims will inevitably experience decline or retain the label PTSD for life. as someone who has experience, I found the text helpful when analyzing my own growth and continuing to adopt a growth mindset. In places,I felt the author could have made his points more concisely.
While I didn't finish this before my library loan expired, I believe I learned what I need from it. Three stars.
July 6, 2018
The primary thesis of this book is that there are three long term responses to traumatic events. The most common is that people get through, and continue on in life. The second, getting a lot of press today are people who find themselves at a lose, losing capabilities, with the most extreme being PTSD. While this book looks at both these responses. it focuses on a third outcome (one much more common that PTSD), that people grow substantially as a result of the trauma. I would highly recommend this book if you are trying to love someone who wrestling through something that is traumatic for them. I appreciated the liberal use of footnotes which contain references to the studies / data which underlie the authors assertions.
January 24, 2016
Dr. Joseph provides an excellent overview of the psychology of post-traumatic growth, demonstrating that in fact most people who experience trauma--which is to say most of us, at some point in our lives-not only recover, but grow and develop resilience as a result. He discusses the necessity to take responsibility for our own nine healing, to find meaning in our lives, and to 're-author' the stories of our lives in a way that makes us their hero rather than the victim. This is an outstanding book on a vitally important subject by a highly esteemed psychologist at the University of Nottingham, England. It is also very clearly written making it useful and interesting for both the mental health provider and the lay person alike.
May 8, 2013
Fantastic information, and relevant to all of us as we all experience tragedy at one point or another. My only criticism is the organization of material; I felt that Joseph repeated information, and it wasn't completely clear as to what would be covered in each chapter. As a result, I found the same pieces of information cropping up again and again. It seemed like he was bursting with ideas and put them all down without later cleaning them up and keeping his narrative succinct. Overall, a wonderful read, especially the postscript, which details what you can do for yourself if you are someone fresh from a traumatic experience.
June 11, 2012
The author, an English professor of psychology, is a proponent of the "new" Positive Psychology. Like our Grandmas always told us, it's not so much what happens to someone as how they handle it/what you do with it that is the true test of character. Instead of abetting survivors of trauma to wallow endlessly in their misfortune, the new school of thought believes in encouraging them to "use" their experience/insight to do something positive. Seems like common sense doesn't it? Common sense is not so common in the world of psychotherapy, apparently.
June 27, 2014
I came away from Dr. Stephen Joseph's book inspired and encouraged as I take up studies for an MS in Clinical Psychology, focusing on post traumatic stress injuries and posttraumatic growth. Dr. Joseph clearly presents a brief history of PTSD and descriptions of that diagnosis' positive and negative effects. He also provides a balanced review if the research regarding posttraumatic growth. I heartily recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject of PTSD and Posttraumatic Growth.
April 19, 2012
Maybe I had hopes that were too high for this book. I liked it, but because of all the other extensive reading I've done on trauma, much of this was review and nothing new. I liked how things were couched, though, as well as the physiological explanations/causes that have been found in recent years.
September 1, 2022
I have 5 stars because the information in this book is true. PTSD is difficult to experience, and many people don’t know how to recover, and unintentionally use their diagnosis as a crutch. This book is educational, not self help, but knowledge is power, and knowing that you can achieve growth after trauma is empowering. This message needs to be spread!
May 22, 2013
Excellent overview of the work that has been done on posttraumatic growth. Certainly beneficial to read from both a scholarly viewpoint as well as from a personal viewpoint: because life always changes.
January 15, 2014
"Psychologists have found that we are biased toward assimilation and maintaining our worldviews. This phenomenon is known as cognitive conservatism. We seek out information that fits with what we already think, and we try to ignore, deny, and distort information that does not fit."
August 25, 2016
Started slow, but wound up highlighting a lot.
Good book. The first couple of chapters were a little slow but then it picked up. The insights into trauma as it relates to people's worldview were insightful.
Good book. The first couple of chapters were a little slow but then it picked up. The insights into trauma as it relates to people's worldview were insightful.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews