Everyone has struggles, whether it’s anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress. Instead of fighting the struggle, embracing it can help people make peace with their past experiences and thrive rather than just survive.
That’s premise of Ken Falke and Josh Goldberg’s book “Struggle Well: Thriving in the Aftermath of Trauma,” which was inspired by Boulder Crest Foundation’s flagship initiative Warrior PATHH. Short for Progressive and Alternative Training for Healing Heroes, the program provides combat veterans and first responders with the tools to learn how to live a great life.
Warrior PATHH was developed in partnership with Rich Tedeschi, who coined the term posttraumatic growth in 1995. The study of modern individuals who reached the state of post-traumatic growth, such as Holocaust survivors and prisoners of war, led to the development of the program.
“What posttraumatic growth really suggests is simply this — that when times are tough, when trauma has hit us, that you stop, you take the opportunity to learn from that and then you create a plan to grow through it,” Falke told WashingtonExec’s Amanda Ziadeh.
Falke and Goldberg’s book shares how individuals experiencing traumatic situations can analyze their situation and ultimately learn and grow from it.
“’Struggle Well’ as a book is based on the science of what we do in Warrior PATHH, and then it also weaves my personal story and my co-author’s personal story throughout the book,” Falke said.
Falke’s parting words emphasize the importance of understanding how to handle stressors and preparation for life’s difficult moments.
“Things happen and we need to be most prepared, as the book will teach you, on how to get through them,” he said.
