George Bonanno reframes trauma by showing why it can’t be understood in isolation. Resilience is the missing half of the story. He explains how most people recover without lasting damage, why resilience is a flexible outcome rather than a fixed trait, and how fear-based narratives around trauma often prolong suffering. With insights on adaptive coping, storytelling, and the cultural myths that distort our understanding, this conversation offers a more complete, empowering view of how we respond to adversity.
Timestamps:
00:00 Trauma Becoming A Buzzword
02:49 Looking At Trauma In Isolation
05:40 Defining Trauma & Resilience
08:59 Resilience Is An Outcome, Not A Trait
17:33 Trauma Is An Invention
20:37 Narrative vs. Physiology
23:19 Pain, Trauma, & Mental Wiring
30:41 Finding Comfort In Feeling Bad
34:43 System vs. Individual
36:49 Media Pushing Trauma
41:54 Loneliness & Virtual Connections
46:28 Searching For Meaning vs. Problem Solving
50:22 Finding Growth In Suffering
53:00 Benefit Of Distanced Self-Talk
55:53 Consumption vs. Creation
1:00:16 Feeling Pain, But Not Attaching To It
1:03:05 Connect With George Bonanno
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