Has anyone's trauma made them hyper-successful in multiple areas of life? how do you go about working on your trauma if it's a major reason for your success?
Not sure I've seen a post like this but I've just found out about CPTSD and wonder if there's a different perspective to be had.
I was reading this thread titled: What’s something “abnormal” you’re really good at due to CPTSD?
https://www.reddit.com/r/CPTSD/comments/1hmhqbs/whats_something_abnormal_youre_really_good_at_due/
Reading down that thread I've got a lot of the abnormal traits and skills listed.
- Deep, analytical thinking: I've thought of ALL possibilities before a situation actually arises so by the time it actually does I'm so prepared people wonder how I'm so calm in periods of conflict and battle. It's because I already won the battle in my mind 1000 times
- Hyperawareness: I'm aware of everything. At all times. People, sounds, vibes, quirks, shifts in temperature. My mind is on hyper alert all the time. Kind of like a superhero with heightened senses, I'm able to read and process the world around at speeds most people can't
- Rapport building: This isn't necessarily genuine all the time (as I'll explain later) but I'm definitely on the people pleasing spectrum. which means I'm able to put people at ease very quickly. I know their needs and wants and can tap into it in ways that has brought a lot of people on my side very quickly. People are very trusting of me. I've been able to get people to give me things within such a short space of time it seems unfathomable (like people giving me keys to their house within hours of meeting them)
- Social Memory / Facial recognition: Funny how all these traits seem interlinked but once I see someone's face there's a good chance I'll never forget it. I'm a Super Recogniser. In the top 2% of general population for recognising faces. I'm able to see someone face in passing, never see them for 5 years and then see them again on a random street and I'd be able to say "I recognise you". This means I routinely go to social functions and I'm able to strike up convos of me remembering people but they don't remember me
- Creativity: Because of all of the above I have high levels of openness to experience. I can think of creative routes to problems quite quickly because I try and process as much information and infrastructure which allows me to see between the lines.
Trauma
My dad was an explosive violent type. I've seen rampant infidelity and domestic violence inflicted upon my mother. Dad was also very distant emotionally.
Of the 4Fs I'm probably a mild mix of the Flight, Freeze and Fawn but it's highly situational for me. I am very decisive about certain things, not afraid to go after a lot of things I want, not afraid drop things instantly if it's not serving me.
But at the same time, there are situations when it's the complete opposite. My behaviour a lot of things depends upon whether I feel I can extract value from it.
Anyway... what has this all led up to?
Now on to. success. Firstly, for sake of clarity I'm talking about external barometers of success. Career, money, physical health etc
- I'm a filmmaker who's written and directed works that have got distribution on major streaming platforms
- Produced films with big name actors that have been released in cinemas
- Produced ads for biggest brands in world
- Well above average salary. Set to exponentially increase
- Also an athlete (not pro)
Just turned 30 and to a lot of people I'm a super high achiever which I'm not denying but I just wonder how any of my achievements would be possible without the trauma. I work and am around even higher achievers and in my experience there's usually a trauma that drives them to succeed at such an elite level.
Completely well-adjusted people usually don't have the drive to sacrifice and do what's necessary to achieve abnormal results and why would they? Most people get to a certain level of life and say "I'm fine".
But in my experience, high achievers perpetually experience a sense of not being quite good enough hence their constant striving for more. It's a trait seen in multi-millionaires, CEOs, athletes, entertainers etc.
This is going to sound incredibly toxic but I think it's truth. I don't see how an untroubled childhood is conducive for *abnormal* levels of success. The drive just won't be there.
Now - how does someone reconcile this and still try and improve areas in their life that trauma affected that they do want to improve? Or is it a fools errand? Can you really have the edge to succeed while simultaneously being well adjusted?
Would love to hear more of a discourse on this as I'm yet to read or hear anything. So if anyone also has any readings or works that discuss childhood trauma as a driver for hyper success.