Posttraumatic Growth in Suicide Bereavement and Childhood Sexual Abuse Using Creative Experiential Therapy

In the aftermath of traumatic events, such as the loss of a loved one to suicide, or childhood sexual abuse, the devastating consequences can wash over years, leaving those affected struggling to re-engage meaningfully in life. Posttraumatic growth (PTG) theory affirms people’s capacity to learn and grow from extremely adverse events that perturb their assumptive world and sense of self. Growth after trauma involves complex ongoing psychological integration processes to restore the sense of self and construct an adaptive, evolving life narrative. Two case studies addressed these concerns, providing clinical practice qualitative data insights to inform the evolvement of long term PTG counselling support. Both case studies provide insight into using creative experiential therapeutic processes in clinical practice to facilitate PTG. Current research substantiates the benefits of employing verbal and non-verbal, sensory, embodied creative experiential processes to support post-trauma narrative reconstruction. The group case study was developed for those bereaved by suicide post two years and is structured around a creative experiential process termed the object poem. The individual case study used a range of creative psychodrama interventions to support restoration of self, many years after childhood sexual abuse. Although different in aetiology, suicide bereavement and childhood sexual abuse share similar themes of grief; loss; trauma; and disruption to life, sense of self, and relationships with others. Clinical practice data findings illustrate the positive benefits of creative experiential therapy in facilitating PTG themes; however, further research is recommended given case study limitations.