Rethinking PTSD and the new science of resilience

Psychologist George Bonanno says we have overestimated the debilitating power of post-traumatic stress disorder and underestimated our resilience.

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Life is hard. We are all going to have to face crises, conflicts, disappointments — sometimes even terrible events that can feel overwhelming, leading to depression, anxiety, sometimes even trauma.

And while these stresses can test our emotional equilibrium, it turns out that most of us will be OK. Our guest, psychologist George Bonanno, says we have overestimated the debilitating power of post-traumatic stress disorder and underestimated our own ability to recover from adverse events.

He joins us to talk about how we already possess the tools and skills to take on life’s many challenges.

Bonanno wrote a book a few years ago, The End of Trauma: How the New Science of Resilience Is Changing How We Think About PTSD.

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