RecalibratingResilience
Williamhadmultipleflagsforpooroutcomes,andMargaret,hisclaimsmanager,noticed
thateverytimetherewastheleasthiccupintheprogressofhisclaimWilliamseemedtofall
apartandneedextraattentiontocalmhimdown.MargaretsuggestedthatWilliamtakea
"resilience"courseandWilliamreluctantlyagreed.ThecourseattemptedtoshowWilliam
techniquesfromawell-known"positivepsychology"approachtoresilience.William
stoppedlisteningtothelecturehalfwaythrough-helatertoldhisfriendsthatitwastoo
"touchy-freely".
Afteraparticularlytoughweek,oneofMargaret'sco-workersnotedthatshewasacting
particularlystressed.Margaretwasabithostiletosomeofherclaimantsandwasheard
muttering,"Whycan'ttheyjustgetonwiththeirliveslikeIdo".Margarethadheardabouta
resilience-buildingpracticethatwasofferedthroughwork.Itfeatureda“mindfulness”
meditationpractice.Shesignedupforaclassandtriedtofitthetechniqueshelearnedinto
herdailyroutine.Butshehadalwaysbeenabusyperson,andhousework,herkids,andher
husbandtookupalltheenergyshehadafterwork.Shehadpreciouslittle"metime"
anyway,andmakingtimeformeditationjustdidn'thappen.
TheproblemwithbothMargaretandWilliamisn'tthattheyweregivenbadadvice.They
werejustgivenadvicethatwasn'tsufficientlyspecifictotheirpersonalitiesandsituations.
Becauseitwastoogeneral,itdidn'tbecomeenoughoftheirlivestomakeitrealanduseful.
Anewunderstandingofwhatresilienceisandhowitactuallyworkstohelppeople"bounce
©Copyright2016RobertAurbach
1
back"fromadversityrecognizesthat"one-size-fits-all"doesn'tworkformanypeople.What
isneededisabetterunderstandingofhowtousethemind'sreactiontochallengesinan
individualizedway.1
What'swrongwith"resilience?"
Itseemsprettyobviousthatwe’dallbebetteroffifwewerealittlemorepersonally
resilient.Itwouldbegreatforinjuredworkers.They'dbelesslikelytobeadverselyaffected
bytheirexperienceofthecompensationsystemandlesslikelytosuffersecondary
psychologicalimpactsfromtheirinjury.Resilientpeoplewhosufferaninjuryarelesslikely
tomisswork,lesslikelytohavetimeofffrominjury,lesslikelytobelievesomeoneelsewas
atfaultintheaccident,morelikelytorecoverandreturntoworkquicklyandmore
emotionallyandphysicallyabletocopewiththereturntoworkprocessi
It'dbegreatforclaimsstafftoo.Sometimesweforgetwhatadifficultjobclaimsadjusting
is,andtakehighabsenceandturnoverrates,presenteeismandburnoutasnecessaryevils.
Amoreresilientclaimsstaffismoreengagedandproductive,lesslikelytobeadversely
affectedbytheworkandmorelikelytotreatclaimantsappropriately.
Thetroubleisthat"resilience"hasbeenelusiveinatleasttwoways.First,it'sa
characteristicthatisn'tgenerallywell-described,exceptbyitseffects.Weknowwhat
resiliencedoes,butwehavenodescriptionofhowresilienceworks.Withoutadefinitionof
whatresilienceis,thephenomenonisina"blackbox"thatisnothelpfulformakinguseof
theconcept.
Second,theadvicegivenregardingresiliencesuffersfromcircularity,generalityand
difficultyinapplication.Commonadvicelike,"Ifyouwanttobemoreresilient,bemore
optimistic"soundsalittletoomuchlike"Ifyouwanttobewealthy,justgetmoremoney."
It'snotveryhelpful.Ofcoursewe'llbeabletobouncebackfromthingsbetterifwe're
optimistic.Theconundrumishowsomeonebecomesmoreoptimistic,especiallywhenthey
arestressedbybeinginthemiddleofrecoveryfromaninjury.
1
Manythankstothepeoplewhoreadearlierdraftsofthisarticleandmadeexcellentsuggestionsfor
improvements.Sinceafewdon'twanttobementionedbyname,I'lljustthankyouallcollectively.
©Copyright2016RobertAurbach
2
Backinthe1980sand1990sresearchersinchilddevelopmentappropriatedtheterm
"resilience"frommaterialssciencetodescribethephenomenonofvulnerablechildrenfrom
disadvantagedenvironmentswhosomehowmanagedtothriveandsucceed.Lotsof
correlationstudiesweredonetodiscovertraitsthatappearedmostfrequentlyinthat
population.Correlationstudiesareusefulforlookingatawholepopulation,butnot
particularlyhelpfulinunderstandingtheimpactonindividuals.Forinstance,weknowthat
smokingiscorrelatedwithincreasedincidenceofcertaindiseases,butthatinformation
doesn'ttelluswhathealthimpactsanindividualsmokerwillhave.Notwithstandingthis
limitation,thecorrelationstudiesbecamethesourceofadviceforindividuals.Naturally
enough,manypeopledidn'tfeelasthoughthey"fit"theresilienceadvicetheywerebeing
given,andresiliencetraininghasbeeninconsistentinitsuptake.
Wherethereisapromiseofasilverbullet,acottageindustrywillusuallydevelop.Several
programshavebeendevelopedandsoldas"resiliencetraining".Theymaybesupportedby
researchthatshowsthat,amongstthosewhoparticipatedinthestudyanddidwhatthey
weretold,goodthingshappened.2Forexample,we'retoldthatmindfulnessmeditationwill
improveresilienceii,andthat'scorrectforthosewhopracticeitandmakeitpartoftheir
lives.Thetroubleisthattheresearchdoesn'tmeasuretheresultsonthosepeoplefor
whommindfulnessmeditationisnotsomethingthattheyarewillingtoconsistently
practice.Thoseresistantpeoplearen'tstudied,ordon'tenterorstayintheresearch
program,andarethereforeexcludedfromconsiderationinthereportingofresults.The
studiesonlyshowthatthetechniqueworksforthepeoplewhoarewillingtodevote
themselvestotheapproach,andissilentwithregardtotherestofus.Andaquicksurveyof
peoplearoundyouwillshowthatsomepeopleliketheideaandwilltryit,somepeople(like
William)thinkit’s“notforthem”,somepeople(likeMargaret)simplywon’tmakethetime
forconsistentpractice,
Thesameistruewithnumerousotherprograms.Thepositivepsychologymovementhasits
resilienceprogram,anditworksjustfine–forthosetowhompositivepsychologyisa
comfortablewaytolookattheworld.Therestofusarelikelytobeturnedoff,andifwetry
2
Let'sleaveaside,forthemoment,theconcernthattheinstrumentsthatmeasure"resilience"actually
measuresomethingelse–wecan'tmeasureresiliencedirectly,becausewehaven'tyetdefinedwhatitisor
howitworks.
©Copyright2016RobertAurbach
3
itatall,failtoincorporatethepracticeintoourongoing"resiliencetoolbox".There'sagood
reasonforthis.Wearen'tallthesame,andtheskillsofresilientpeoplearen'tallthesame.
One-size-fits-allapproachestoresilienceareinherentlyflawed,notbecausetheyarewrong
–butratherbecausetheyarenotsuitableforeveryone.Approachesthat"goagainstthe
grain"willnotbepracticedenoughtobecometheengrainedandautomaticresponsesto
distressthatbuildpersonalresilienceintherealworld.
Whatweneedisamorepersonalizedapproachtoresilience.Mostofushavesome
resilienceskillsandWilliamandMargaretarenoexception.Sometimesthoseskillsaren’t
enoughtoinsulateusfromdifficulty.Thekeyistobuildup"fallback"skillsinourtoolboxso
thatwehavesomethingtotrywhentheusualstrategyisn'tworking.Todothat,wehaveto
assesswhatskillswehaveandwhatotherskillsmightfitinwiththewaywelookatthe
world.Thenwecanpickaresilienceskillthatsuitsustotrytofurtherdevelop.
Theprocessofbuildingresilienceskillsisjustlikebuildinganyotherskill,andwedoit
accordingtoprinciplesthathavebecomebetterunderstoodastheunderstandingofthe
mindhasadvanced.
Whatisindividualresilience?
Tounderstandwhat'sgoingon,wehavetolookathowweprocessinformationandlearn.
Ourbrainsareincredibleparallelprocessorsofinformation.Williamtakesinalloftheinputs
fromtheexternalworld(sensorydata,eventsofallkinds,interactionswithothers)andall
ofourinternaldata(thoughts,emotions,sensationswithinthebody)andhavetolinkthem
togetherforthenot-sosimpletaskoffocusingonthatwhichismostimportantatthetime.
We'veallexperiencedthisfocuswhenweareabletoshutoutthingsthatnormallywould
attractourattention.(Rememberhavinggottenacutorbruiseandnotbeingabletorecall
whenorhow?)Weknowwhathappenswhenwelosethefocus(“wearedistracted")and
findourselvesdoingsomethingotherthanwhatwestartedoutintendingtodo.The
importantparttounderstandisthatallthethingsthathappenatonetimeareconnectedin
themindsothatweareabletomakechoicesaboutwhatattractsandholdsourattention.
Williamhasafloodofinputssurroundinghisclaim–pain,anxietyandasenseoflossof
controlarisingfromhisinjury,aseparationfromhisidentityasaworker,economicstress,
©Copyright2016RobertAurbach
4
messagesaboutwhathe’ssupposedtodofromhisclaimsmanager,doctors,lawyer,family
andfriends(thatmaybeconflicting)andtheweightofalltheexpectationsfromhisownlife
andtheculturalenvironment.Alltheseinputs(andnoticethatmanyofthemarenegative)
arepresentedatthesametimeandsoWilliam’smindhastolinkthemtogethertofocus
andstaypresent.
Whenthemomentpasses,theconnectionsmaypersistforawhile,untilthebrainrecycles
theconnectioncapacitytoprocessnewexperiences.Butsupposetheconnectionsbetween
somethoughts,emotions,sensationsandexperiencesoftheoutsideworldrepeatover
time.ItmaybethatWilliamexperiencessomerepetitionoftheconnectionsinthecourseof
tellinghisclaimsmanager,doctorsandlawyerallaboutit,butmostofWilliam'srepetition
oftheconnectionswillcomethroughhisruminatingoverwhat'she'sexperienced.Claims
maysitforweeksonholdwhileliabilityisdetermined.Healingtakestime.Litigation(if
there’sadispute)takesalotmoretime.Therepetitionofnegativemessagescontinues
throughruminationsandinternal"self-talk",andWilliamisn'tgiventheopportunityforthe
messagestojustfadeaway.
Withenoughrepetition,physicalchangesoccurintheconnectionswithinthebrainand
thoserepeatedconnectionsbecome"wired-in"-faster,moreautomaticandlesslikelytobe
subjecttoconsciousconsideration.Wesay"practicemakesperfect"todescribehowa
musicianlearnstoplaytheirinstrument,howaworkerlearnstobeefficientandeffectivein
hisorherjoborhowwelearnthe"reflexesandinstincts"tomakeusreactappropriately
whensomethingunexpectedhappenswhenwedrive.Thisprocessoccurswithmuchmore
complicatedactionsthanjustphysicalskills,aswhenwelearnto"read"anotherperson's
moods,useheuristictoolstomakequickjudgementsorinvokeselection,confirmationand
otherbiases.iiiWilliamlearns,inthesamewaytoassociatehispain,hissenseof
helplessnessandhisreactionstothesysteminwhichthisisallhappening.
Whenwerepeatedlyassociatethesamethoughts,emotionsandsensations,allofthemget
linkedtogetherinasortofwebofassociation.Theprocesstakestimeandrepetition,which
iswhyit'shardtomakeorbreakahabit.Theneuroscientistsmightcalltheresulting
associatedthoughts,emotionsandsensationsa"facilitatedneuralnetwork".One
characteristicofsuchnetworksisthatthestimulationofonepartofthelinkednetworkhas
©Copyright2016RobertAurbach
5
atendencytostimulatethewholelinkedsetofexperiences.It'snotunusualforMargaretto
sayordosomethingshethoughtwasinnocentandtriggeradisproportionateor
inappropriatereactionfromaworkerlikeWilliam.Margaretmayhaveinadvertentlysaid
somethingsimilartowordsthathiswifeusedwhentheyhadanargumentathomethe
nightbefore.Theargumentwasassociatedwithanxietyworryandaflare-upinWilliam's
pain.WesayMargaret"pushedWilliam'sbutton"andmeanthatsheinadvertentlyinvoked
awebofassociationsandthatWilliamliterallyfeltthepainasaresultandlashedoutather.
Theexpressionofangerthatfollowedwasn'tevenreallydirectedher–Margaretisjustthe
triggerforassociationsbetweenpain,anxietyandtensionathome(apsychosocialfactor)
madeatanothertimeandplace.
Theabilityofthemindtomakefacilitatednetworksofthought,emotionandsensationmay
alsocreatemaladaptiveresponses.Currentneuropsychologicalresearchsuggeststhat
chronicpainandPTSDmaybeexamplesofsuchmaladaptivesystems.iv
AnewdefinitionofResilience
Ifrepetitionisthekeytothiskindoflearnedassociationbetweenthethingsthatwe
experience,wehavetowonderhowtherepetitionoccurs.Manytimeswephysicallyrepeat
thesameactionsoverandover,asintakingthesameroutetoworkeachday.Mostofus
haveexperiencedstartingoutonthatroute,intendingtogoelsewhere,butinamomentof
distractionaccidentallytakingafamiliarturntowardtheworkplace.Theroutetoworkhas
becomeengrained,andwefollowthefamiliarrouteunlessweconsciouslyoverridethe
habit.Neuroscientistssuggestthatittakesabout12weeksoffocusedefforttoengraina
habitsothatitbecomesengrained–which,notcoincidently,isthesameamountoftimeit
takesforaninjuredworkertobecomesignificantlylesslikelytoreturntowork.
Butsometimeswe"learn"thingsinapowerfulwaythathaven'tbeenrepeatedoverand
over.Williammightonlyhavebeentoldthathe"willneverworkagain"byhisdoctoronone
occasion.Nonetheless,themessagemaybecomeamantra,repeatedoverandoveruntilit
©Copyright2016RobertAurbach
6
becomesaself-limitingbelief.3So,howdoesthisunrepeatedmessageget"wiredin"with
therestoftheexperienceofrecovery?
Whilethemessagemayonlybeutteredoncebythedoctor,repetitionstilloccurs.The
messagemayberepeatedtohislawyer,aclaimsmanager,familymembersandfriends.
Moreimportantly,themessagebecomespartoftheinnerdialogueor"self-talk"thatweall
experience.Wetellourselves,overandover,whatwehaveheard,repeatingitatthespeed
ofthought.4Itbecomesourexplanationforwhatwedoanddonotdo.It'sespecially
commonforsuchrepetitiontooccuratnight,whileWilliamislyinginbedtryingtofall
asleep.
Ourself-talkalsobecomesaperceptualfilterthatinfluenceshowweperceivetheevents
goingonintheworld,sothateverythingisinterpretedasbeingconsistentwiththe
message.Ourrepetitionthroughself-talkbecomespartofwhatandwhoweperceive
ourselvestobe."Victim","disabledperson","loser","survivor","worker",and"winner"are
alllabelsthatwegiveourselves.Thelabelscomefromourself-talkandexpressareaction
totheretentionorlossofasenseofcontroloverthecircumstancesthatconfrontus.If
Williamisabletomaintainhisimportantsenseofbeingincontrol,hemaintainshisidentity
andislikelytomakestrongefforttogetbackto"normal".Ifhebecomesoverwhelmedand
loseshissenseofpersonalcontrol,thereturntonormalcymaybecometoohardtoachieve.
Somepeoplegiveup.William’sredflagssuggestthathehasalotofnegativeinputsalready,
andthathemaybeclosertobeingoverwhelmedthanothers.Hisself-talkisalready
negativebeforehestartedtheclaimsprocessandheislikelyfairlyclosetolosingcontrol
already.
Ifself-talkistheprinciplemodeofrepetitionthatcreatesmentalhabits,interpretationsof
eventsandthelimitationsandlabelsweapplytoourselves,thenitfollowsthatself-talkhas
3
Theresearchonadversechildhoodevents(ACE)documentsthepotencyofmessagesofpowerlessnessor
worthlessnessonchildren.Educationalresearchershaveshownusthattheoppositeistrueaswell–astrong
familialormentorshiprelationshipcanhelpachildovercometheinfluencesofseriouslydisadvantaged
developmentalenvironments.
4
Thisisparticularlytruewhentryingtogettosleep–andmanyinjuredworkershavesleepdisruptionaspart
oftheirsymptoms.
©Copyright2016RobertAurbach
7
ahugeinfluenceonourabilityto"bounceback"fromadversity.Thatleadstoafunctional
definitionofhowresilienceactuallyworks:
Individualresilienceistheabilitytoquiet,changeormodulateself-talkabout
eventsandsituations.
IfMargaretorWilliamcancalmorchangetheirnegativeself-talkitwillnotgetsufficient
repetitiontobecomepartofanetworkofautomaticbeliefs,interpretationsofexperience
orperceptualfilters.Withouttheundueinfluenceofnegativemessagesonperceptionsof
what'shappeningnow,theywillbeabletoexperiencetheworldastheywouldhavebefore
thenegativeevent–andformostofus,thatmeansthattheywill"bounceback"andcope
astheydidbefore.
Mostofushavefairlywell-developedskillsaroundshuttingdowntheadversevoicesinour
heads.Forallofus,therearecircumstancesthathavetheabilitytooverwhelmthedefenses
wehaveinplace.Self-doubt,indecision,anxiety,depressionandothersymptomsfollow
whennegativeself-talkisinadequatelycontrolled.Thetricktobeinga"resilientperson"is
havingasetofbehaviorsthatwillworkinawidevarietyofcircumstancestochangeorquiet
theinnervoice.Oneresilienceskilldoesn'tprovidedefenseindepth–ifit'soverwhelmed
byevents,weneedanotherskilltofallbackupon.Resilientpeoplehavemultiplestrategies
forquietingadverseself-talk.
Stylesofresilience
Lookaroundatresilientpeople5.Theydon'tlookthesame.There'stheentrepreneur,who
lostafortunebutisunconcernedbecauseheorshecanalwaysmakemoremoney.Thereis
theZenmaster,forwhomnoneofthetroublesofthisworldareofgreatconcern.Theyare
bothveryresilient,yettheirapproachesaresignificantlydifferent.Thesinglemom,working
twojobsandstudyingatnightisresilienttoo.Yetshedoesn'tlookatalllikethe
entrepreneur,theZenmasterortheeternaloptimistwhoissurethatsomethinggoodis
justaroundthecorner.
5
ThesecommentsapplyinWesternculturesbutwouldneedtobere-examinedwithculturalsensitivityin
othercultures.
©Copyright2016RobertAurbach
8
Differentpeoplehavedifferentstylesorstrategiesfortheirfavoredwayofcalmingadverse
self-talk.Thepreferencesandmixofresilienceskillsthattheypossessareafunctionofwhat
lifehastaughtthem–lessonslearnedfromtheperson'supbringing,formaltraining,life
challengesovercomeandfailuresexperienced.Thereareno"right"or"wrong"preferences
amongstthesestylesandmostpeoplehavesomeskillinmorethanonestyle.An
understandingofourpreferencesamongsttheseskillsismerelyaguidetowhatis
comfortableforusatthislifestage.Ifwetrytobuildaskillthatisinthe"preferred"range
thereisabetterchancethatitwillbepracticedenoughtobecomehabitual.Trytolearna
resiliencestrategythatdoesn'tappeal,andthechancesofpracticingitenoughto“makeit
youown"arediminished.
Thelistingofresilience"styles"thatfollowsisnotabsolute.Itisaconvenientwayof
understandingandclassifyingresilienceskillsthatappearstoleadpeopletobetter
understanding.6
Thereisalsoacontinuumoffocuswithineachskillcategory.Eachskillcanbefocused
internally,wheresomeonereliesontheirownresources.Anentrepreneurhasgreatbelief
inhisorherabilitytomasterabusinesssituation.Strongbeliefcanbefocusedexternally,as
inapersonofgreatreligiousfaith.Eachofthestylesdescribedhasarangeofapproaches
differentiatedbythisdimensionof"internal"and"external"focusing,whichcanlend
additionalassistanceinselectingasuitablenewresilienceskilltobuild.
Believerskills
Strongbeliefcancalmordrownoutnegativemessagesfromtheworld,allowingthe
possessorofthatbelieftocontinueonasifthenegativemessagewasnotpresent.
Entrepreneursandpoliticiansareclassicexamplesofpeoplethatappeartohavegreatfaith
intheirownabilities.Theyoftencanshrugofforfailtocreditexternalcriticisms.People
withthispreferencemayassessawiderangeoflifechallengesasbeingwellwithintheir
capabilities,withvaryingdegreesofaccuracy.Internallyfocusedbelieverskillscanquiet
self-doubt,allowingdecisiveaction.
6
Resultsofasurveyof113peoplewhoparticipatedinthebetatestingoftheResilienceStylesPreference
profilingtooladministeredtotheMayoClinicImpairmentWithoutDisabilityconference,October2015.
©Copyright2016RobertAurbach
9
Believerskillscanalsobeexternallyfocused.Strongspiritualfaithorstrongbeliefinacause
oridealcanallowpeopletopersevereinthefaceofnearlyoverwhelmingopposition.The
focusonanexternalbeliefdoesatleasttwothings–itcreatesaconfirmationbias,where
weinterpreteventsasconfirmingwhatwealreadythoughtwouldhappen.IfWilliamhasa
beliefthattheinsurerisgoingtoactinappropriatelyhewillseeeverydecisionthatdoesn't
favorhimasconfirmingthatbelief.Hehasnoneedtolookforanotherexplanation,sothere
isnoinnerdoubtorconflict.Wherethebeliefisinanexternalsourceofinterventionor
protectionitcanprovidestrongreassuranceinthefaceofdoubtandanxiety.7
Williamsufferedashoulderinjurywhileworking.Throughacombinationofcircumstances
theinjurylefthimwithpermanentlimiteduseofthatshoulder.Theworkthatwasknownto
himisnowunavailable,andhe’sgonethroughadifficultperiodwherehelosthisidentityas
aworkerandhissenseofpurpose.Williambecameabletoletgooftheexperienceand
moveonwithhislifewhenherealizedthathehadadeepandabidingbeliefinthepowerof
individualstohelpothers.Henowrunsafoodbankforinjuredworkersandtheirfamilies,
hasestablishedamemorialfordeceasedworkersandactivelycounselsinjuredpeoplethat
thesystemhas"thrownonthescrapheapoflife".Hisownlifeisnowfullandfulfilling,and
whentherearedarkdaystheyarequicklylightenedbytherecollectionoftheimportanceof
hiswork.
Reframerskills
Sometimesthenegativemessagefromtheworldcanbetamedifthereisawayof
understandingwhatishappeningthatmakessenseoftheworld.Forpeoplerelyingon
reframerskills,theabilitytofindanexplanationoralessontobelearnedputsthem
comfortablybackincontrolofthesituation.Theexternallyfocusedreframerwillreplayan
unpleasanteventforthepurposeoffindingameaning.Oncehavingfounda"silverlining"
tothecloudoralessonfromtheevent,theinnervoiceisquietedandtheeventcanbe
safelyfiledawaywithoutadisruptionofthereframer'ssenseofselforplaceintheworld.
7
Adversechildhoodeventsareprobablysodevastatingbecauseofthebetrayaloftheexternallyfocused
beliefthattheparentwillprotectthechildfromharm.
©Copyright2016RobertAurbach
10
Theinternalmanifestationofreframingisoptimism.Stabilityisachievedbyfocusingonthe
bestofpeopleandtheunfoldingofeventsinthefaceofadversity.8Whensomething
unpleasanthappens,theinternalreframeholdsontotheunderlyingprincipleandcreates
anexplanationthatexplainstheeventasanaberration.Ifanoptimistisdisappointedby
someone'sbehavior,theycanquiettheconcernbydefiningsayingthat"peoplearestill
good,butthatpersonmustbehavingabadday".Withtheexplanationinplace,thebelief
systemremainsandtheoptimist'ssenseofcontroloverhisorherlifeisunshaken.9
Margretwashavingameetingwithseveralcolleagueswhenshementionedthepointof
viewoftheclaimantwithregardtoanaction.Oneofthecolleaguesvirtuallyyelledthe
word"Irrelevant!"inresponse.AfewmomentslatertheMargarettriedtoraisetheissue
againandgotthesamevehementresponse.Shelostsleepthatnight,playingthescene
overandoverinhermind,tryingtounderstandwhathadgonewrong.Whensherealized
thatshehadinadvertentlytriggeredinthecolleagueasetofestablishedassociationsthat
includedsignificantangershewasabletogettosleepandseekhelpforthecolleaguethe
nextday.Itturnedoutthecolleaguehadherselfbeenpreviouslyinjuredandharboredalot
ofangeratthetreatmentshehadreceived.Margaretwasabletoregainherpersonal
controlinthesituationandquietherreactiontotheconfrontation.
Achieverskills
TheAchieverusesconstantactivitytoremovetheopportunityfornegativemessagestobe
considered.Whileengagedinactivity,planningorpreparation,theachievercanpushout
concernsaboutsuccess,consequencesandappropriateness.Theexternallyfocused
achievermayfilltheirtimewithwork,study,parentalduties,activitiesoracombinationof
them.Thesinglemom,whoworkstwojobs,takescareofherchildrenandstudiesinthe
eveningsimplyleavesnoroomorenergyforruminationaboutanythingbutthetasksat
hand.
8
Thevarious“positivepsychology”approachestoresiliencefitintothiscategory.
Youwillhavenoticedthatthebehavioursoftheexternallyfocusedreframerandtheexternallyfocused
believerlookverysimilar.Therearepracticaldifferencesbetweenthem.Thereframerisfocusedonan
overridingprincipletomaintainasenseofcontrol,wherethebelieverisfocusedonanexternalentityor
mission.Thereframerusesthecreationofanexceptiontotheprincipleasanexplanation,wherethe
perceptualfiltersofthebelieverprovidecomfortthroughconfirmation.Bothdeepfaithandoptimismcanbe
hardtoachieve.
9
©Copyright2016RobertAurbach
11
Achieverswhoareinternallyfocusedtendtosetasidetheirconcernswhenengagedin
activitiesthathavebeendeterminedbyprimarilyinternalmotivations.People"driven"to
achievetheirowngoals,suchasamateurmusicians,sportsmen,andcraftsmencanignore
theirconcernsandregainameasureoftheirsenseofcontrolwhileengagedintheiractivity.
Peoplewhohaveretiredfromworkinglifearetoldto"getahobby"todealwiththeirsense
oflostpurpose.
Therewasafemalebodybuilderinthenewsrecently.Shedidn'tstartoutwithbodybuilding
inmind.Infact,shewasaninjuredworkerwhodetestedthegym.Herinjuryrequired
physicalrehabilitationafterhealingandthegymhertherapistutilizedhadastrong
emphasisonphysicaldevelopment.Thesocialsituationgothertotrytofitin.Onedayshe
realizedthatthe"hated"exerciseshadresultedinapositivechangeinherphysical
appearance.Suddenly,thegymsessionsweremorerewardingandbecameamotivating
forceinherlife.Hersenseofdoubtsanddesperationconcerningreturningtowork
disappearedasshethrewherselfintoherexerciseandthesocialaspectofgym
participation.Afterrecoveryandreturntoworkshecontinuedhernew-foundroutineand
eventuallybecameacompetitivebodybuilderatasufficientlyhighleveltoattractmedia
attention.
Distancerskills
Thedistancerisabletoavoidthenegativemessagesoftheinnervoicebyselectively
focusingonsomethingelse.Thequietingoftheinnervoice,relativetotheobjectoffocus,
createsa"breathingspace"allowingtherestorationofasenseofcontrol.Bycreatingthis
"timeout"thedistancerisabletogetperspectiveandactgoingforwardinamore
consideredmanner.
Adistancerfocusedoninnerresourcespresentsanoutwardlycalmimage,althoughheor
shemaybeexpendingsignificanteffortinmaintainingthestate.ImagesoftheZenmaster,
ortheyogapractitionerinthesavasanaposecometomind.Thepracticeofmindfulness
meditationisamorecommonmanifestationofinternaldistancerpractice10.Internal
visualisationpracticesusedbyathletesandothersalsofitintothiscategory,andtheyare
10
Thereareelementsofpositivepsychologyintheapproachaswell.
©Copyright2016RobertAurbach
12
showntohavetopositivelyimpactperformance,suggestingthatvisualisationisaformof
neuroplasticrepetition.Inthisway,thepracticeofinternaldistancertechniquesalsoserves
totrainnewpathwaysandengrainnewbehaviours.
Theexternaldistancerusesoutwardfocustoachievethesamesortofresult.Computerized
videogamesaredesignedtoprovideafocusforattention,andareaddictiveprecisely
becausetheyallowthecreationofspacebetweenthepersonandthemessagesthatselftalkisattemptingtodeliver.Morebenignformsofexternaldistancingincludemany
hobbiesandactivitiessuchasgolf,gardeningandfishing.
ImovedfromtheAmericansouthwesttoaclimatethatcouldbestbedescribedas
"maritime"withlongperiodsofcloudy,coolandwetweather.Afteraperiod,Ideveloped
signsofseasonalaffectivedisorder,withmoodalterationsduringtheextendedwinter
months.OnedayIstoppedandnoticedaparticularlybeautifullandscapeandtookafew
minutestoappreciateit.Inoticedthatmymoodwaslifted,andthattheeffectlastedthe
entireday.Afterpractice,Ilearnedthat"stoppingtosmelltheroses"wasmorethanjusta
saying.Ipracticeditenoughtomakeitpartofmyresiliencetoolboxandtheseasonalmood
swingscanbeeasilytamedwhentheyoccurbyusingthattechnique.
Now,whatdowedowithit?
Thekeytounderstandingindividualresilienceskilldevelopmentisthatpeople'sindividual
experienceandpersonalityorganizationgivesthemanatural"preference"forsomestyles
overothers.TellingMargaretthatsheneedstodomindfulnessmeditationisunlikelytobe
helpful.Sheconsidersherselftoobusytofititin,andsheisn’tlikelytoreallytry.It’snotbad
advice,butit’sbadadviceforMargaret,becauseshewillresistpracticingthetechniqueto
theextentnecessarytocreatethefacilitatedneuralnetworksthatmakeitaviable
approachtoincreasedresilience.
You’lldetectaconflictbetweentheresilienceskillofferedandtheindividual'sresilienceskill
preferencesbytheirresponses.Margaretmightjustsaythatshe'stoobusy.Williamwill
reacttopositivepsychologicalapproachesbysayingthatit'stoo"touchy-feely".Somewill
simplydenythattheyneedadditionalhelp.Whatisbeingexpressedisdiscomfortwiththe
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approachbeingoffered.Onesizetrulydoesnotfitallwhenitcomestoresilienceskills
training.
Thetrickthenistoindividualizetheapproachesofferedandgivetheindividualsomething
comfortableenoughtopracticeandinternalize.Oncethepreferencesoftheindividualare
known,trainingforspecificskillscanbeofferedthatbuildstheir"resiliencetoolbox".For
mostofus,lifewillhavetaughtusoneormoreskillsfairlywell.Thetrickthenistopicka
secondarypreferenceamongstskillsetsandbuildthatapproach.Then,whenlife
overwhelmsourusualdefenses,wehaveadevelopedskilltofallbackupon.Development
ofthesebackupresilienceskillsdevelopsthe"defenseindepth"thatwevaluewhen
observinghighlyresilientpeople.
Fortunately,itisfairlyeasytoaskafewquestionsandgetagoodindicationforthecurrent
preferencesanindividualhasamongstresilienceskills.Withthatknowledge,it’smuch
easiertoofferWilliamorMargaretaskillbuildingprogramthatismorelikelytobe
successfulbecauseitischosentoworkwithintheirexistingpreferences.
Thatisn’ttosayit’seasyorautomatic.Anewskillmustbepracticed,withfocused
attention,onaconsistentbasisovertimetobeinternalized.Makingnewresiliencehabitsis
noharder,andnoeasier,thanthedevelopmentofanyotherhabitorskill.Ittakespractice,
andcommitmenttolearntorecognizethesignsoffailureofnormalresiliencetechniques
andtoautomaticallyreachfortheappropriateskillsetforthecircumstance.
Usingittochangeoutcomes
Resilienceskilldevelopmentcanbeutilizedinmanyways.Itcouldbeaninterventionfor
flaggedworkerslikeWilliam,withtheaimofpreventingsecondarypsychologicaloverlayon
theoriginalinjurythatmayturnitintoanexpensivelongtailclaim.IfWilliamhasmoreskills
inhisresiliencetoolbox,he'slesslikelytobeoverwhelmedbytheprocess,andlesslikelyto
becomelong-termdisabled.
Sincetheexperienceofprocessedinworkers'compensationsystemsishighlystressfulfor
claimsmanagersaswell,itcouldbeusedasaprophylacticinterventiontominimize
burnout,turnoverandpresenteeism.Moreover,whenMargaretislessstressed,she'sless
likelyto"inflict"hernotionsofwhatsomeone"ought"todoontheinjuredworkersinher
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portfolio.11Shewillbebetterabletoappreciatetheideathatdifferentworkershave
differentresilienceskillsanddifferentwaysofcopingintheworld.Shewillbemore
effectivebecauseshewillbebetterabletotakeeachclaimantasshefindsthemand
respondappropriately.
Inworkers’compensationsystemdesign,wecanusetheunderstandingofhowresilienceis
overwhelmedtodesignsystemsthatcreatelesssecondarypsychologicaloverlaytothe
originalinjury.
Achievingbalance
Resilienceisn'tauniversallypositiveskill.Wehavewordsforunhelpfulresilience–
"stubbornness",“obsessiveness”and"lackofinsight".Whenaninjuredworkeris
consistentlymisinterpretingtheattemptsofthesystemtoprovidehighqualityand
necessarycare,theyaretenaciouslyholdingontotheirbeliefsanddrowningoutthe
positivemessagesthattheworkers'compensationsystemistryingtosend.Thewriterof
longdetailedcomplainingemailsmaybeusingachievertechniques.Thebelligerent
claimantmaybereframingwhatwaspresentedtotheminawaythat"twiststhewords"of
theclaimsmanager.Thedisengagedclaimantmaybeusingdistancertechniques.
Disabilitycanbecomeawayoflifeandanewidentitytoreplacetheidentitythattheformer
workerlost.Theprobabilityofreturntoworkdiminishesasneuroplasticchangesreplace
thehabitofbeingaworkerwiththehabitsassociatedwithanewreality.Resilienceinsuch
instancesmaybecomeanactiveblockertoeffortstoresumptionoftheworker'sformer
identity.
Fortunatelythebrainengagesinwhattheneuroscientistscall"competitive
neuroplasticity"v.Thatis,anoldengrainedpatterncanberecycledandamoreadaptive
responseengrainedinitsplace.Thisistheequivalentofbreakinganoldhabitandreplacing
itwithsomethingbetter.Theoldbehaviorbecomeslessautomaticasanewbehavior
becomesincreasinglyengrainedandtakesitsplace.It'snoteasyandtakesfocused
11
ManythankstoReneeHarley,aseniorinjurymanagementspecialistwithalargepersonalinjuryinsurer,for
theinsightfulobservationthatclaimsmanagersmayprojecttheirownpersonalresiliencestylesonclaimants,
resultinginunnecessarymisinterpretation,misunderstandingsandfriction.
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attentionandpracticeovertime.viThepointis,thatpracticemakesperfect,eveningiving
upoldmaladaptivebehaviors.
Thepointisthatthereishope,evenforlongtermclaimantsthathavesolidifiednetworksof
associationthatholdtheminastateofneedlessdisability.Thescienceisthere.Wejust
havetobreakthroughouroldhabitsofthoughtandlearntouseit.
AfreeResilienceStylespreferenceprofilingtoolcanbefoundat:
http://www.uncommonapproach.com/resilience
i
"Four factors that influence resilience in the workplace"
https://www.comcare.gov.au/promoting/Creating_mentally_healthy_workplaces/building_a_resilient_workforce
/four_factors_that_influence_resilience_in_the_workplace
ii
John Meiklejohn , et. al., Integrating Mindfulness Training into K-12 Education: Fostering the Resilience of
Teachers and Students, Mindfulness, V3, I 4 pp 291-307; Tom Jacobs, Evidence Mounts that Mindfulness
Breeds Resilience, Greater Good in Action,
http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/evidence_mounts_that_mindfulness_breeds_resilience
iii
Daniel Kahneman, Thinking Fast and Slow, Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-4299-6935-2., 2011
iv
Norman Doidge, The Brain's Way of Healing – Stories of Remarkable Recoveries and Discoveries from the
Frontiers of Neuroplasticity, Viking Press, ISBN-13: 978-0670025503
ISBN-10: 067002550X, 2015.
v
Dodge, The Brain's Way of Healing, supra.
vi
Norman Doidge, The Brain that Changes Itself - Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain
Science, Viking Press., ISBN 978-0-670-03830-5 (hc.) / ISBN 978-0-14-311310-2 (pbk.), 2007.
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