This book analyzes the individual and collective experience of and response to trauma from a wide range of perspectives including basic neuroscience, clinical science, and cultural anthropology. Each perspective presents critical and creative challenges to the other. The first section reviews the effects of early life stress on the development of neural systems and vulnerability to persistent effects of trauma. The second section of the book reviews a wide range of clinical approaches to the treatment of the effects of trauma. The final section of the book presents cultural analyses of personal, social, and political responses to massive trauma and genocidal events in a variety of societies. This work goes well beyond the neurobiological models of conditioned fear and clinical syndrome of post-traumatic stress disorder to examine how massive traumatic events affect the whole fabric of a society, calling forth collective responses of resilience and moral transformation.

Psychotherapist and trauma survivor Jasmin Lee Cori offers new insight into trauma-related difficulties (including PTSD, depression, substance abuse), provides self-care tools, candor about therapy and medications, and addresses spiritual issues. While there are many different approaches to healing trauma, few offer a wide range of perspectives and options. With innovative insight into trauma-related difficulties, Jasmin Lee Cori helps you: Understand trauma and its devastating impacts; Identify symptoms of trauma (dissociation, numbing, etc.) and common mental health problems that stem from trauma; Manage traumatic reactions and memories; Create a more balanced life that supports your recovery; Choose appropriate interventions (therapies, self-help groups, medications and alternatives); Recognize how far you've come in your healing and what you need to keep growing. Complete with exercises, healing stories, points to remember, and resources, this is a perfect companion for anyone seeking to reclaim their life from the devastating impacts of trauma.

Understanding and Healing Emotional Trauma is an interdisciplinary book which explores our current understanding of the forces involved in both the creation and healing of emotional trauma. Through engaging conversations with pioneering clinicians and researchers, Daniela F. Sieff offers accessible yet substantial answers to questions such as: What is emotional trauma? What are the causes? What are its consequences? What does it mean to heal emotional trauma? and How can healing be achieved? These questions are addressed through three interrelated perspectives: psychotherapy, neurobiology and evolution. Psychotherapeutic perspectives take us inside the world of the unconscious mind and body to illuminate how emotional trauma distorts our relationships with ourselves and with other people (Donald Kalsched, Bruce Lloyd, Tina Stromsted, Marion Woodman). Neurobiological perspectives explore how trauma impacts the systems that mediate our emotional lives and well-being (Ellert Nijenhuis, Allan Schore, Daniel Siegel). And evolutionary perspectives contextualise emotional trauma in terms of the legacy we have inherited from our distant ancestors (James Chisholm, Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, Randolph Nesse). Transforming lives affected by emotional trauma is possible, but it can be a difficult process. The insights shared in these lively and informative conversations can support and facilitate that process.This book will therefore be a valuable resource for psychotherapists, psychologists, counsellors and other mental health professionals in practice and training, and also for members of the general public who are endeavouring to find ways through their own emotional trauma. In addition, because emotional trauma often has its roots in childhood, this book will also be of interest and value to parents, teachers and anyone concerned with the care of children.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can present with a number of symptoms, including anxiety, depression, flashbacks, and trouble sleeping. If your partner has PTSD, you may want to help, but find yourself at a loss. The simple truth is that PTSD can be extremely debilitating—not just for the person who has experienced trauma first-hand, but for their partners as well. And while there are many books written for those suffering from PTSD, there are few written for the people who love them. In Loving Someone with PTSD, renowned trauma expert and author of I Can’t Get Over It!, Aphrodite Matsakis, presents concrete skills and strategies for the partners of those with PTSD. With this informative and practical book, you will increase your understanding of the signs and symptoms of PTSD, improve your communication skills with your loved one, set realistic expectations, and work to create a healthy environment for the both of you. In addition, you will learn to manage your own grief, helplessness, and fear regarding your partner’s condition. PTSD is a manageable disability. While it isn’t your responsibility to rescue your partner or act as his or her therapist, this book will help you be supportive and implement strategies for lessening the negative impact of PTSD—not just for your partner, but for your relationship, and, importantly, for yourself.

This book addresses the multifaceted nature of trauma by bringing together the many theoretical perspectives that explain how people cope with traumatic life experiences. Practitioners working across the people professions frequently find themselves working with service users, patients and clients who are survivors of trauma. Ranging between attachment, person-centred and anti-oppressive approaches, this text will help students and practitioners widen their approaches to such clients' experiences. Whether you are a student or practitioner of counselling, social work or mental health, this book provides the foundations for understanding people's responses and resilience against traumatic life experiences.

This accessible guide explores how our brains react to stress and offers a fresh perspective on how we define "trauma." Probing how the words we use can influence our understanding of distress, this text focuses on expanding awareness of excess stress and reducing judgment of its potential impact on relationships and day-to-day life. Helpfully split into three parts, the book introduces the terms "cortisprinkled," "cortisaturated," and "cortisoaked" and provides a rationale for why these states of brain occur. The role of culture and society are highlighted, and an in-depth focus on coping and offering support to others is presented. Whether caused by sexual assault, social rejection, abuse, the taboo of sexuality, disadvantaged status, or other difficulties, chapters detail specific coping skills and step-by-step strategies to deal with a variety of stress responses. Advice is offered on reconnecting with sexuality, phrasing difficult questions, and ways to offer validation, with concrete recommendations on incorporating healthier practices into everyday life. Both metaphor and real-world vignettes are interwoven throughout, making Redefining Trauma an essential and understandable resource for therapists and their clients, parents and support givers, and anyone looking to develop practical, informed methods for dealing with stress and trauma and reclaim life with intention.

Understanding Trauma and Dissociation is a groundbreaking guide to unraveling the mysteries of trauma and dissociation and offering real hope for the chance to heal. Dr. Lynn Karjala, a renowned therapist, provides a comprehensive understanding of the debilitating physical and psychological effects of trauma ... Her innovative approach employing both conventional and mind-body techniques for trauma treatment makes this book a must-read for anyone interested in helping trauma survivors heal and recover.--Publisher.