For the past twenty years, pioneering psychologist Stephen Joseph has
worked with survivors of trauma. His studies have yielded a startling
discovery: that a wide range of traumatic events-from illness, divorce,
separation, assault, and bereavement to accidents, natural disasters,
and terrorism-can act as catalysts for positive change. Boldly
challenging the conventional wisdom about trauma and its aftermath,
Joseph demonstrates that rather than ruining one's life, a traumatic
event can actually improve it.
Drawing on the wisdom of ancient philosophers, the insights of
evolutionary biologists, and the optimism of positive psychologists,
What Doesn't Kill Us reveals how all of us can navigate change and
adversity- traumatic or otherwise-to find new meaning, purpose, and
direction in life.