WE DISCUSS WITH DR. BONNANO ABOUT TRAUMA AND RESILIENCE

·40 min·3 clips

Professor Bonanno reveals that most people function well after a loss, contradicting long-held beliefs about grief.

The episode begins with host Dr. Carlos introducing Professor George A. Bonanno, a clinical psychology researcher at Columbia University, to discuss his book 'The End of Trauma'. Bonanno shares how his research started with bereavement studies, where he found that most people cope effectively after a loss, challenging assumptions about grief being debilitating. He explains that his work expanded to other traumas like terrorist attacks and sexual abuse, revealing similar patterns of resilience. Bonanno clarifies that PTSD is real but affects only 5-30% of people exposed to events, while around two-thirds show a stable trajectory of healthy functioning. He distinguishes resilience from other outcomes like acute recovery or worsening patterns. Bonanno debunks the myth of 'resilient people', emphasizing that resilience is a process rather than a trait, and introduces the flexibility sequence: context sensitivity, repertoire, and feedback. He describes how this sequence involves assessing a situation, selecting coping strategies, and adjusting based on feedback. The discussion includes comparisons to Special Forces operators and athletes who use similar adaptive mindsets. Bonanno addresses societal issues, noting concerns about self-diagnosis and the concept of hidden traumas, which he views as potentially limiting. He connects human evolutionary strategy, where infants' prolonged development allows for flexibility and adaptation, to resilience. Towards the end, Bonanno discusses applications for therapy, mentioning ongoing work on flexibility training and ecological momentary assessment studies to refine interventions. The episode concludes with promotional remarks about the book and social work standards.

As heard by us

A careful trauma discussion that treats resilience as a question, not a slogan.

California News frames this conversation with Professor George A. Bonanno as a steady look at trauma, resilience, and the thinking behind The End of Trauma, How the New Science of Resilience is Changing How We Think About PTSD. Dr.

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You want a serious talk about trauma that still leaves room for resilience.

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