This book is a practical guide to recovering from lingering childhood trauma. It is copiously illustrated with examples of the author's and his clients' journeys of recovering. It is a comprehensive self-help guide for working through the toxic legacy of the past

A searing memoir of reckoning and healing by acclaimed journalist Stephanie Foo, investigating the little-understood science behind complex PTSD and how it has shaped her life “Achingly exquisite . . . providing real hope for those who long to heal.”—Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, NPR, Mashable, She Reads, Publishers Weekly By age thirty, Stephanie Foo was successful on paper: She had her dream job as an award-winning radio producer at This American Life and a loving boyfriend. But behind her office door, she was having panic attacks and sobbing at her desk every morning. After years of questioning what was wrong with herself, she was diagnosed with complex PTSD—a condition that occurs when trauma happens continuously, over the course of years. Both of Foo’s parents abandoned her when she was a teenager, after years of physical and verbal abuse and neglect. She thought she’d moved on, but her new diagnosis illuminated the way her past continued to threaten her health, relationships, and career. She found limited resources to help her, so Foo set out to heal herself, and to map her experiences onto the scarce literature about C-PTSD. In this deeply personal and thoroughly researched account, Foo interviews scientists and psychologists and tries a variety of innovative therapies. She returns to her hometown of San Jose, California, to investigate the effects of immigrant trauma on the community, and she uncovers family secrets in the country of her birth, Malaysia, to learn how trauma can be inherited through generations. Ultimately, she discovers that you don’t move on from trauma—but you can learn to move with it. Powerful, enlightening, and hopeful, What My Bones Know is a brave narrative that reckons with the hold of the past over the present, the mind over the body—and examines one woman’s ability to reclaim agency from her trauma.

This book is a clinician's guide to understanding, diagnosing, treating, and healing complex posttraumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD). C-PTSD, a diagnostic entity to be included in ICD-11 in 2022, denotes a severe form of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and is the result of prolonged and repeated interpersonal trauma. The author provides guidance on healing complex trauma through phase-oriented, multimodal, and skill-focused treatment approaches, with a core emphasis on symptom relief and functional improvement. Readers will gain familiarity with the integrative healing techniques and modalities that are currently being utilized as evidence-based treatments, including innovative multi-sensory treatments for trauma, in addition to learning more about posttraumatic growth and resilience. Each chapter of this guide navigates readers through the complicated field of treating and healing complex trauma, including how to work with clients also impacted by the shared collective trauma of COVID-19, and is illustrated by case examples. Topics explored include: Complex layered trauma Dissociation Trauma and the body The power of belief An overview of psychotherapy modalities for the treatment of complex trauma Ego state work and connecting with the inner child Turning wounds into wisdom: resilience and posttraumatic growth Vicarious trauma and professional self-care for the trauma clinician It is important for clinicians to be aware of contemporary trends in treating C-PTSD. Healing Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is an essential text for mental health practitioners, clinical social workers, and other clinicians; academics; and graduate students, in addition to other professionals and students interested in C-PTSD. It is an attractive resource for an international clinical audience as we work together to heal, affirm, and unburden clients following this time of shared collective trauma.

Reclaim yourself from childhood trauma--evidence-based strategies for healing complex PTSD Repetitive trauma during childhood can impact your emotional development, creating a ripple effect that carries into adulthood. Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) is a physical and psychological response to these repeated traumatic events. A Practical Guide to Complex PTSD contains research-based strategies, tools, and support for individuals working to heal from their childhood trauma. You don't have to be a prisoner of your past. Learn the skills necessary to improve your physical and mental health with practical strategies taken from the most effective therapeutic methods, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and somatic psychology. When appropriately addressed, the wounds of your past no longer need to interfere with your ability to live a meaningful and satisfying life. This book includes: Understand C-PTSD--Get an in-depth explanation of complex PTSD, including its symptoms, its treatment through various therapies, and more. Address the symptoms--Discover evidence-based strategies for healing the symptoms of complex PTSD, like avoidance, depression, emotional dysregulation, and hopelessness. Real stories--Relate to others' experiences with complex PTSD with multiple real-life examples included in each chapter. Start letting go of the pain from your past--A Practical Guide to Complex PTSD can help show you how.

Discover the latest treatment strategies from the leading experts in the field of trauma! This unique book, by the authors of the classic Handbook of Post-Traumatic Therapy, provides the “how to” of clinical practice techniques in a variety of settings with a variety of clients. Simple and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Strategies for Comprehensive Treatment in Clinical Practice delivers state-of-the-art techniques and information to help traumatized individuals, groups, families, and communities. From critical incident debriefing to treating combat veterans with longstanding trauma, it covers the full spectrum of PTSD clients and effective treatments. This valuable book assembles some of the most highly respected experts in trauma studies to discuss the practical applications of their research and their experience treating clients with PTSD. Simple and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder addresses concerns about the efficacy of critical incident stress debriefing, examines the value of a variety of innovative treatment methods, and explores the differences between treating complex PTSD and the aftermath of a one-time traumatic event. Simple and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder discusses the issues, stages, and modalities of PTSD treatment, including: assessment and diagnosis psychopharmacological treatment cognitive behavioral treatment short-term treatment group treatments treatment strategies for traumatized children, families, hostages, police, and veterans media issues Simple and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is an indispensable resource for clinicians, researchers, law enforcement officials, and scholars in the field of trauma.

Those affected by complex PTSD commonly feel as though there is something fundamentally wrong with them - that somewhere inside there is a part of them that needs to be fixed. Though untrue, such beliefs can feel extremely real and frightening. Difficult as it may be, facing one's PTSD from unresolved childhood trauma is a brave, courageous act - and with the right guidance, healing from PTSD is possible. Clinical psychologist Dr Arielle Schwartz has spent years helping those with C-PTSD find their way to wholeness. She also knows the territory of the healing firsthand, having walked it herself. This book provides a map to the complicated, and often overwhelming, terrain of C-PTSD with Dr. Schwartz's knowledgeable guidance helping you find your way. In The Complex PTSD Workbook, you'll learn all about C-PTSD and gain valuable insight into the types of symptoms associated with unresolved childhood trauma, while applying a strength-based perspective to integrate positive beliefs and behaviours. Examples and exercises through which you'll discover your own instances of trauma through relating to PTSD experiences other than your own, such as the following: * Information about common PTSD misdiagnoses such as bipolar disorder, ADHD, anxiety disorders, major depressive disorder, and substance abuse, among others. * Explorations of common methods of PTSD therapy including somatic therapy, EMDR, CBT, DBT, and mind-body perspectives. * Chapter takeaways that encourage thoughtful consideration and writing to explore how you feel as you review the material presented in relation to your PTSD symptoms. The Complex PTSD Workbook aims to empower you with a thorough understanding of the psychology and physiology of C-PTSD so you can make informed choices about the path to healing that is right for you and discover a life of wellness, free of C-PTSD, that used to seem just out of reach.

"[R]eading this book has given me a whole host of new ideas about working with complex and dissociative clients... Clear and engaging, peppered with relevant case histories, this book would make an important addition to anyone's EMDR-related book collection." -- Dr. Robin Logie, EMDR UK & Ireland This book is the first to bring together in one volume an overview of the principal issues in treatment of dissociative disorders in complex PTSD, and a description of the integration of specific EMDR-related interventions or "tools" with other psychotherapeutic treatments. These tools can significantly extend the therapeutic power of EMDR-related methods. Each intervention is examined in detail with accompanying transcripts illustrating the nuances and variations in how the intervention is applied. It is written by a highly esteemed EMDR scholar, trainer, international speaker, and author who is an EMDRIA-designated "Master Clinician." The book discusses how the concepts and vocabulary of other models of dissociation (particularly the Theory of Structural Dissociation of the Personality, and the Internal Family Systems model) translate directly into EMDRís Adaptive Information Processing language. It presents detailed descriptions of specific EMDR-related tools that are useful in facilitating and safely accelerating therapeutic progress with clients suffering from Complex PTSD. These include such standard EMDR procedures as Trauma Processing and Resource Installation, several conceptual/cognitive/phenomenological models of dissociative personality structures and symptoms, and specific EMDR interventions for resolving dysfunctionally stored post-traumatic elements. The book will be of great value to therapists who wish to extend their use of basic EMDR with "easier" clients to using it effectively with more complex clients. Key Features: Provides a theoretical framework to guide assessment and treatment of clients with Complex PTSD Serves as a "hands-on" resource for using specific EMDR procedures Describes each intervention in detail, illustrating the nuances and variations in different applications Includes specific "AIP" tools, actual therapy scripts, and client drawings Covers DSM-V PSTD criteria