If you have been through something traumatic: relationship loss, cancer diagnosis/chronic disease, career change or tragedy, you may have heard of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and yet it can be helpful to also be aware of Post-Traumatic growth (PTG).

From early childhood, relationship and medical traumas, I have experienced post-traumatic stress and growth.

“PTG gives me permission to fly my freak flag, change my career, dance in my kitchen, pick my battles and move beyond stuck pain into deeper connections. I have found a gift in my traumas with softer definitions of what it is to be successful and compassionate. I can barely understand it myself but I value it.” Emily Schottman, cancer survivor

After any life change in which your sense of direction and safety are fogged out, it is especially important to feed your brain new information from all five of your senses. I learned this both as a Neuro-Optometrist specializing in Vision Therapy, and as a Counselor.

Since many of my NPR-listening clients are already great at auditory processing, I add visual techniques to speed up the process of PTG. A great FREE resource to begin is the brilliant Dan Siegel’s Mindsight concepts. His message is that when you can become aware of your own perceptions, creating more empathy for yourself and others, you become more whole and, well, mentally well!