Jim Rendon — author of Upside: The New Science of Post-Traumatic Growth — discusses exciting, new research on how traumatic experiences can be opportunities for personal transformation.    Here's what we talked about:    2:15 – The amazing story of Jim’s father and how it got him interested in what happens to us after we survive trauma.    11:37 – The surprising responses from prisoners of war and combat veterans that started the study of post-traumatic growth, and why it hadn’t really been studied before.    15:46 – The 5 distinct areas of post-traumatic growth, why they’re so hard to measure and the ways we try to measure them anyway.    20:29 – PTSD: what goes on in the brain and the body after trauma, and how we can manage it to help post-traumatic growth.    25:47 – What is trauma? The complicated nature of trauma and why we never think it’s going to happen to us.    29:31 – Deliberate rumination: how to turn a traumatic ordeal into an opportunity for transformation.    36:13 – The importance of social support in healing, what to do if you aren’t getting the kind of support you need and how to give better support to loved ones.   40:35 – Alternative therapies: the many different paths to healing and understanding trauma.    44:05 – A real life story about the power of perseverance and a positive attitude in post-traumatic growth.    55:32 – Your life story: why who we are has changed and will change again over time…whether it’s with trauma or without.    57:49 – Do we need post-traumatic growth to be happy? How trauma gives our lives more meaning, even when it doesn’t happen directly to us.    Want the Written Version? Join The Transcribe Tribe for FREE transcripts at www.undergroundwellnessradio.com.    Hosted by Sean Croxton of Underground Wellness.