What is Post-Traumatic Growth After Stroke?

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“That which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

This quote, attributed to Friedrich Nietzsche is often found in stroke recovery resources.

It can be inspiring, yet also hard to wrap your head around as you grapple with the physical limitations that you immediately face after a stroke.

How will I be stronger when I’m constantly fatigued,  struggling to walk up the stairs, and fighting with my hand to make it do what I want it to do instead of clenching into a fist?

While you may not be physically stronger after a stroke, there’s ample evidence that stroke survivors may become more resilient as a result of their stroke – that is, if they’re open to it.

What is Post-Traumatic Growth?

Post-traumatic growth is generally defined as experiencing some positive psychological changes after a traumatic life event.

Although subjective and different from person to person, post-traumatic growth is often identified through several factors, including:

• an increased appreciation for life,
• deeper relationships with others,
• a sense of personal strength, 
• spiritual changes, and more.

On an episode of the Hidden Brain podcast (Healing 2.0 What We Gain from Pain), psychologist Eranda Jayawickreme shares how post-traumatic growth is measured in research, along with some common misconceptions associated with it, such as how suffering and trauma don’t always lead to growth.

Research on Post-Traumatic Growth after Stroke

Post-traumatic growth has been studied in the context of many life-altering traumatic events and research indicates that a significant portion of individuals with an acquired brain injury, such as a stroke, do report post-traumatic growth in their recovery.

This happens, in part, because of the intense psychological struggle that comes with stroke. When your previous sense of self is shattered, the process of rebuilding that identity can lead to post-traumatic growth over time.

Additional factors, such as time since the injury, education, and strong social support, also play a role in determining the extent of post-traumatic growth for stroke survivors.

Although there’s potential for positive psychological changes after stroke, a 2025 review of existing research on post-traumatic growth in stroke survivors found that it’s not a guaranteed result.

Instead, researchers reported that their findings “highlight that [post-traumatic growth] is an ongoing process, emerging immediately after a stroke and gradually increasing over time.”

My Experiences with Post-Traumatic Growth after Stroke

Anyone who has sat through a stroke survivor support group meeting and listened to someone spill their heart out knows how hard it hits because you were once that person feeling those deeply crushing and disappointing thoughts.

After stroke, I’ve often found myself having deeper conversations with friends in difficult situations, such as losing a job, recovering from brain surgery, and more.

Without my experiences in stroke recovery, I couldn’t have related to their disappointments and frustrations as closely as I do now.

These days, I’m also quicker to reach out to friends and co-workers who may be going through a rough time. Previously, I was often unsure of what to say in these moments, but now, I remember how great it felt to receive a message from someone you haven’t heard from in a long time while you’re stuck lying in a hospital bed.

If there’s a positive outcome of having a stroke, it’s given me a perspective that I otherwise wouldn’t have had.

Personal Testimonies of Post-Traumatic Growth from Stroke Survivors

The concept of post-traumatic growth is commonly discussed in stroke survivor communities, with ample testimonials from stroke survivors saying their stroke experience has led to some potential benefits.

Adam Seeley writes “A Ranger’s Journey” on Substack, where he shares his perspectives on personal growth, particularly his insights into life after surviving a hemorrhagic stroke.

Seeley’s written about post-traumatic growth in his newsletter, describing what it is and how it can develop without you even realizing it.

“You don’t have to be grateful for what happened. You don’t have to find the silver lining or see it as a blessing in disguise,” Seeley writes. “But you might find, as longitudinal studies consistently show, that something unexpected grows in the cracks. Not despite what you went through, but because you survived it and chose to make meaning from the experience.”

You don’t have to be grateful for what happened. You don’t have to find the silver lining or see it as a blessing in disguise. But you might find, as longitudinal studies consistently show, that something unexpected grows in the cracks. Not despite what you went through, but because you survived it and chose to make meaning from the experience.”

Adam seeley

Post-Traumatic Growth: A Positive Outcome of Stroke

Post-traumatic growth is a potential benefit that can come after a stroke, but it’s not a guarantee.

Instead, simply being open to the possibility that some good can develop from the negative experience of having a stroke is a great starting point.

This belief in post-traumatic growth, that your stroke experience can make you more resilient, may be a sliver of good news in the sea of depressing thoughts and feelings that one can experience immediately after a stroke.