From cumulative strain to available resources: A narrative case study of the potential effects of new trauma exposure on recovery

Abstract

This article presents a narrative case study of a client with a history of multiple traumas and severe symptomatology, coupled with an ongoing recovery process. A hermeneutical–phenomenological approach was used to analyze two interviews with the participant over a period of 1 year, following a trauma treatment program. Her husband’s suicide in between the two interviews allowed for an exploration of the possible effects of new trauma exposure on the process of recovery. Analysis of the data revealed how the participant’s early trauma experiences had resulted in escalating symptomatology. Through her relationship with her husband, she gradually became ready to engage in therapy in a way that allowed her to benefit from it. Her husband’s suicide forced her to reconsider her own part in her recovery, resulting in a strengthened feeling of inner security and self-efficacy parallel to what is seen in posttraumatic growth. The results contribute our understanding of individual processes of change and recovery, including processes of growth following cumulative trauma. Plausible mechanisms for growth in the present case was the ability to recognize and tolerate feelings, making sense of one’s own reactions, as well as a sense of control and trust in available resources.