This investigative documentary explores the emergence, phenomenon, and possibilities of Post Traumatic Growth; what could be considered the inverse of PTSD — reframing trauma as something not to be fixed or avoided, but made an ally of; to learn from, to pass through, to integrate into the human experience to gain greater depth, resilience, and connection.

Featuring interviews with doctors, professors, spiritual teachers, former special forces operators, and storytelling champions of the human spirit — These documented stories of PTG help us to remember that we are a far more resilient species than our current systems, conditions, and narratives imply. Born into this complex time, we often interpret darkness as a curse. But our adversity, when seen in a different light, may contain unseen solutions to our lives.

The title of the series refers to the 16th-century poem, The Dark Night of the Soul, which describes how an inner light led a saint on a journey to finding connection, beauty, and a deep sense of meaning or purpose by travailing through what we so often avoid; shadows, traumas, and fears. “The only light in this darkness was that which burned in his soul...”