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Spirituality and Resilience in Trauma Victims

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Abstract

The way people process stressors is critical in determining whether or not trauma will be experienced. Some clinical and neuroimaging findings suggest that posttraumatic stress disorder patients experience difficulty in synthesizing the traumatic experience in a comprehensive narrative. Religiousness and spirituality are strongly based on a personal quest for understanding of questions about life and meaning. Building narratives based on healthy perspectives may facilitate the integration of traumatic sensorial fragments in a new cognitive synthesis, thus working to decrease post-traumatic symptoms. Given the potential effects of spiritual and religious beliefs on coping with traumatic events, the study of the role of spirituality in fostering resilience in trauma survivors may advance our understanding of human adaptation to trauma.

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Acknowledgments

Dr. Moreira-Almeida was supported by a post-doctoral fellowship provided by HOJE—Hospital João Evangelista, Brazil and Dr. Peres was supported by BIAL Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neuroscience and Behavior, Institute of Psychology, University of São Paulo, Rua Maestro Cardim 887, São Paulo, SP, 01323-001, Brazil

    Julio F. P. Peres & Antonia Gladys Nasello

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Alexander Moreira-Almeida

  3. School of Medicine, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Brazil

    Alexander Moreira-Almeida

  4. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

    Alexander Moreira-Almeida & Harold G. Koenig

  5. Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA

    Alexander Moreira-Almeida & Harold G. Koenig

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  1. Julio F. P. Peres
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  2. Alexander Moreira-Almeida
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  3. Antonia Gladys Nasello
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  4. Harold G. Koenig
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Correspondence to Julio F. P. Peres.

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Peres, J.F.P., Moreira-Almeida, A., Nasello, A.G. et al. Spirituality and Resilience in Trauma Victims. J Relig Health 46, 343–350 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-006-9103-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-006-9103-0

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