The Universe Beyond Trauma

This chapter states that surviving trauma reveals what we would call resilience today. At the conclusion of this discussion, it is crucial to emphasize that the skills underlying resilience can be strengthened at any age, as it is never too late to build resilience. Therefore, we can say that it is never too late to embark on a path of healing and evolution either. Resilience is intertwined with the ability to learn, develop relationships with others, motivate oneself in achieving goals, set aspirations and have determination in pursuing those goals. All of these aspects can be fostered through a caring journey. According to Fromm, in the course of life, with its joys and sorrows, it is essential to discover one’s individuality, understand true personal passions, inclinations and ideas, and define a creative purpose in life. This process can also result from psychotherapy. On the one hand, the traumatic memory is reprocessed in therapy within a safe and empathic space. On the other hand, it is important to remember what Fromm said about coping with life’s challenges. One of the goals of psychic development is the ability to cope with insecurity and loneliness, which is an ongoing, painful, and difficult learning process for those who have experienced or know depressive feelings. As we have discussed in previous chapters, cultivating relationships is crucial for mental health, but it is equally important to appreciate distance from others at times, without seeing it as a condemnation. This, according to Fromm, represents an achievement. On the path of evolution and well-being, each constructive step can be metaphorically represented as the abandonment or death of an earlier evolutionary stage. However, this abandonment does not imply a definitive loss. On the contrary, the previous stage is reworked and subsumed into a new evolutionary level. On the path to wellness, each step represents an opportunity for growth. This concept also applies to the treatment of trauma and crisis. Psychotherapy, with its various orientations, and psychopharmacology are both tools designed to address mental distress. Studies have shown similar results for both approaches, and dropout rates are comparable. Importantly, psychotherapy and psychopharmacology are no longer pitted against each other today, but a synergistic integration of both is sought, taking into account the individual needs of patients.