2026/6/22
By Annie Li, USA Trained Counselor
Have you ever had moments like this in your life? You can’t stop yourself from getting hurt repeatedly even though you try to sacrifice as much as you can for your intimate relationship. You have grown up so much, but you still feel small when you are with your parents. Any comment from others makes you doubt yourself. You don’t see the meaning of your work and feel hopeless.
Having those moments doesn’t mean that you are not normal. On the other hand, it is telling you that there might be traumas from the past that are still impacting you. How can we get unstuck from the past trauma and build our resilience for the future?
The Nature of PTSD
The nature of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is essentially a functional disruption of the brain’s alarm system and memory processing system after experiencing a major trauma.
It is not a sign of weakness in character, but rather a physiological and psychological brake failure, leaving the individual trapped in past dangers and unable to return to a safe life in the present.
PTSD is characterized by delayed onset and long-term persistence. It usually manifests gradually days, months, or even half a year after the traumatic event. This post-traumatic stress can evolve into a long-term psychological disorder, severely affecting an individual’s social functioning and interpersonal relationships without effective intervention.
The Nature of Resilience
Resilience is a positive adaptation regardless of adversity. Psychological processes such as positive emotions, active coping, social support, meaning-making activities, humor and exercise can develop and support resilience which also helps reduce the intensity and duration of stress reactivity.
There are various studies about neuro-psychological mechanisms that nurture resilience such as reframing, using humor, exercise, meditation and mindfulness. These ways not only help individuals extinguish and contextualize traumatic memories by increasing activation in the prefrontal cortex regions and decreasing amygdala activation. Resilient individuals are better able to extinguish and contextualize traumatic emotional memories and can more readily retrieve positive memories. In some instances, when stressful events are not changeable, the use of emotional palliative coping strategies such as acceptance, distraction, and spirituality are the best ways to cope.
Engaging in meaning-making activities like religious faith-based practices also bolster resilience and facilitate recovery.
Six Ways to Bolster Resilience
There are some specific ways to bolster resilience in our daily practice.
1. Use a constructive, narrative way of storytelling, even with oneself. Control to whom and when one shares the trauma story with supportive others.
2. Be an observer of your mental and emotional processes. Be self-reflective when monitoring and managing memories.
3. Engage in silver lining thinking. When telling someone your story, try to highlight those bad events that have good endings or positive takeaways.
4. Use the language of possibilities. For example, use verbs of personal agency such as catch, interpret, or plan. Utilize RE-verbs such as retell, re-story, reclaim, re-frame, reconnect. Include examples of in spite of behaviors and outcomes.
5. Engage in memory-making activities and undertake a survivor’s mission.
6. Seek out and employ a social network that will support your journey to resilience.
Trauma is everywhere. And yet so is resilience. If you feel overwhelmed, seeing a therapist or a counselor will help you learn a variety of skills and engage in activities that bolster positive emotions and benefit mental health after discussing the lingering impact of traumatic and victimizing experiences.
References
Meichenbaum, D. (2026). Ways to bolster resilience across the life-span.
