Boulder Crest Foundation Declares June 13 National Posttraumatic Growth Day
BLUEMONT, Va. (PRWEB) June 13, 2023 -- More than 20 percent of Americans struggle with their mental health, and far too many of them feel as though they are destined to live diminished lives. It’s time to change the conversation, and move beyond labels and diagnoses like PTSD, Depression, and Anxiety, so we can enable people to turn their struggle into strength and Posttraumatic Growth (PTG). To make that possible, Boulder Crest Foundation, the “home of Posttraumatic Growth,” is pleased to announce that as of 2023, June 13 will annually mark National Posttraumatic Growth Day.
“Our system focuses almost exclusively on diagnosis, disorder, and dysfunction. This creates a world where many feel destined to diminishment, and are supposed to get used to a “new normal,” said Josh Goldberg, CEO, Boulder Crest Foundation. “As someone who has walked the path from struggle to strength and growth in my own life, I know how damaging these messages can be. We can and must do better to spread the word about Posttraumatic Growth, and the establishment of National Posttraumatic Growth Day is a great start.”
Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) speaks to the ways in which times of struggle can catalyze growth and transformation, and allow us to live lives that are more authentic, meaningful, and purposeful than they were before. People who experience Posttraumatic Growth find themselves growing in five areas of life: New Possibilities, Deeper Relationships, Personal Strength, Appreciation for Life, and Spiritual-Existential Change.
Ken Falke, Founder and Chairman, Boulder Crest Foundation said, “As a 21-year veteran of the U.S. Navy, and someone who has worked on the challenges facing veterans since 2004, I have seen first-hand just how damaging it can be to only focus on the negative impacts around struggle. We have to transform the way mental health care is done in this country, and that starts by injecting a sense of hope and possibility into our approach, one based on the science of PTG.”
Posttraumatic Growth is one of the oldest human experiences echoed in literature, religion and philosophy. History shows countless examples of people overcoming their trauma throughout the ages: 77 years ago with returning soldiers from WWII and holocaust survivors; 50 years ago with Vietnam “Hanoi Hilton” Prisoners of War coming home like Captain Charlie Plumb and Admiral James Stockdale; 20 years ago with first responders and citizens rebuilding after September 11; and today from the aftermath of COVID. National Posttraumatic Growth Day acknowledges that what doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger and wiser.
“The establishment of National Posttraumatic Growth Day is an important part of starting to change the conversation around trauma,” said Dr. Richard Tedeschi, Executive Director, Boulder Crest Institute, and co-founder of the science of PTG. “We need to educate people about PTG, so that they see the possibilities and that there’s more than the suffering they’re going through.”
On June 13, [Boulder Crest Foundation is calling on people from all walks of life to join the PTG movement and share an example of growth in their journey directly to friends, family or peers, as well as on social media using the hashtags #PTGDay and #StruggletoStrength. On this day we celebrate shifting the conversation from disorder to growth, from PTSD to PTG, while inspiring all to transform pain into purpose and trauma into triumph. To learn more about Posttraumatic Growth, visit https://bouldercrest.org/our-philosophy.
About Boulder Crest Foundation
Founded in 2013, Boulder Crest Foundation, the home of Posttraumatic Growth (PTG), is the global leader in the development, delivery, study, and scale of PTG-based programs. Boulder Crest is a nationally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on ensuring the military, veteran, and first responder communities can live great lives in the aftermath of trauma. Suicide claims the lives of 20 veterans every day, and more first responders die annually by suicide than in the line of fire. It is estimated that 30-40% of our nation’s first responders are struggling with significant mental health challenges. The need is great – traditional approaches to mental health are not working for these communities and a new and innovative approach is desperately required. Boulder Crest is pioneering training programs based on the science of PTG. These evidence-based programs — offered at no cost to participants — train members of the military, veterans, and first responders to experience PTG and thrive in the aftermath of traumatic events.
Boulder Crest’s flagship PTG programs are called: Warrior PATHH (Progressive and Alternative Training for Helping Heroes) (PATHH) and Struggle Well. These programs are delivered at Boulder Crest’s beautiful facilities in Bluemont, Virginia and Sonoita, Arizona, across the nation through our two Warrior PATHH Mobile Training Teams and Struggle Well trainers, and in partnership with seven other nonprofit organizations, located in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Maine, South Carolina, Texas, and Washington State. In total, Boulder Crest’s PTG-based programs have been delivered in 21 states.
Since its founding in 2010, Boulder Crest consistently demonstrates a history of disruptive innovation. Boulder Crest is transforming society’s perception of mental health, trauma, and growth, by building the first, privately-funded wellness center for combat veterans and their families in 2013; creating the first-ever program based on the science of PTG in 2014 with Warrior PATHH; creating the first PTG-based think tank in 2018 with the Boulder Crest Institute for Posttraumatic Growth; establishing the first PTG-based network with the Avalon Action Alliance in 2019; and bringing PTG into the world of first responders for the first time in 2021 with Struggle Well training. Learn more at bouldercrest.org and connect on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.
What is Posttraumatic Growth
Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) is a process and an outcome experienced in five areas of life as a result of the growth and transformation that follows our mental health challenges after tough life events. The term “Posttraumatic Growth” was coined by Dr. Richard Tedeschi and Dr. Lawrence Calhoun in 1995, after a decade of research and clinical work focused on trauma survivors. Their initial research and work included people who had suffered disabilities in adulthood, bereaved older adults, and bereaved parents, many of whom were able to describe ways that they had been transformed in the aftermath of their traumas. Working closely with people who experienced trauma, Dr. Tedeschi and Dr. Calhoun began to identify a framework and a process by which PTG occurs. The science of PTG suggests that it is during times of deep struggle people are likely to engage in reflection and introspection, and carefully consider what is truly valuable and significant in their lives. To learn more, read Struggle Well co-authored by Ken Falke and Josh Goldberg and Transformed by Trauma: Stories of Posttraumatic Growth co-authored by Dr. Richard Tedeschi and Dr. Bret Moore, with Ken Falke and Josh Goldberg.
Nubia DuVall Wilson, Boulder Crest Foundation, http://www.bouldercrest.org, 1 646-357-0428, [email protected]
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