Models

I realise media-representation of people who have undergone trauma tend to fall under two categories--1) The hero who overcomes and becomes something more; 2) The villain who succumbs to his/her demons.

Sure. You might argue that it is only a movie and that surely people would be more mature than that. The thing is, the whole point of a trauma is that people are emotionally vulnerable. It'd be quite interesting if there were support groups for every single kind of trauma in the world. But then trauma-types vary from incident to incident, and so the support groups never provide a good fit.

In any case, you can expect that these people would still yearn for fellow empathisers. Yet, there is often none. That is typically good because no one should ever wish for pain to be more commonplace. That's how you turn toward 2).

The point, though, is that the only kind of "role model" that many of these people ever find would be through media representation. Yet, the media often expects them to become heroes (or villains). The truth, though, is that what many of these people need to achieve is a sense of anonymity. They need to appropriately suppress their demons and appear "normal". It is difficult when the media demands for them to become heroes. 

They will be! In that they have fought and survived. But it is often nothing close to getting cheers and public adulation. It is all an internal, thankless fight. Perhaps sometimes perpetually ongoing, to no end. 

Still, you can be a hero--if you scale down the pomp and pageantry attached to that concept. You see, others who get into similar trauma will look for role models. That is where you have to earn the right to be their hero. Fight to become that role model you wished you could have found. That is the best you can do to vindicate yourself of what happened.