In this groundbreaking book, a leading clinical psychiatrist redefines how we think about and treat victims of trauma. A "stunning achievement" that remains a "classic for our generation." (Bessel van der Kolk, M.D., author of The Body Keeps the Score). Trauma and Recovery is revered as the seminal text on understanding trauma survivors. By placing individual experience in a broader political frame, Harvard psychiatrist Judith Herman argues that psychological trauma is inseparable from its social and political context. Drawing on her own research on incest, as well as a vast literature on combat veterans and victims of political terror, she shows surprising parallels between private horrors like child abuse and public horrors like war. Hailed by the New York Times as "one of the most important psychiatry works to be published since Freud," Trauma and Recovery is essential reading for anyone who seeks to understand how we heal and are healed.

This publication looks at restoring connections: between the public and private worlds; between individuals and communities; and between men and women. The author, a psychiatrist, makes the link between the heroic suffering of men in war and political struggle, and the degraded suffering of women through rape, incest and domestic violence. She identifies a fresh diagnostic category for those suffering from hidden traumas, and proposes a recovery programme which favours a process of reintegration.

"Rich with expert, practical guidance for therapists, this book presents an evidence-based group treatment approach for survivors of interpersonal trauma. This time-limited treatment is designed for clients who have achieved basic safety and stability in present-day life and who are ready to work on the more enduring ways that trauma has harmed their self-perception and relationships. Vivid case examples and transcripts illustrate the process of screening, selecting, and orienting group members and helping them craft and work toward individualized goals, while optimizing the healing power of group interactions. In a convenient large-size format, the book includes reproducible handouts, worksheets, and flyers"--Provided by publisher.

Safe and effective principles and strategies for recovery from trauma. Trauma recovery is tricky; however, there are several key principles that can help make the process safe and effective. This book gives self help readers, therapy clients, and therapists alike the skills to understand and implement eight keys to successful trauma healing: mindful identification of what is helpful, recognizing survival, having the option to not remember, creating a supportive inner dialogue, forgiving not being able to stop the trauma, understanding and sharing shame, finding your own recovery pace; mobilizing your body, and helping others. This is not another book promoting a new method or type of treatment; rather, it is a necessary adjunct to self-help and professional recovery programs. After reading this book, readers will be able to recognize their own individual needs and evaluate whether those needs are being met. They will have the tools necessary to put themselves in the drivers seat, navigating their own safe road to recovery.

This volume synthesizes cutting-edge research on natural processes of resilience and recovery, highlighting implications for trauma treatment and prevention. Prominent experts examine what enables many trauma survivors to heal over time without intervention, as well what causes others to develop long-term psychiatric problems. Identifying key, modifiable risk and resilience factors--such as cognitions and beliefs, avoidance, pain, and social support--the book provides recommendations for when (and when not) to intervene to promote recovery. Illustrative case examples are included. A section on specific populations discusses children, military personnel, and low socioeconomic status or marginalized communities.

Infused with clinical wisdom, this book describes a supportive group treatment approach for survivors just beginning to come to terms with the impact of interpersonal trauma. Focusing on establishing safety, stability, and self-care, the Trauma Information Group (TIG) is a Stage 1 approach within Judith Herman's influential stage model of treatment. Vivid sample transcripts illustrate ways to help group participants deepen their understanding of trauma, build new coping skills, and develop increased compassion for themselves and for one another. In a large-size format for easy photocopying, the volume provides everything needed to implement the TIG, including session-by-session guidelines and extensive reproducible handouts and worksheets. Purchasers get access to a companion website where they can download and print the reproducible materials from the book, as well as an online-only set of handouts and worksheets in Spanish. See also The Trauma Recovery Group, by Michaela Mendelsohn, Judith Lewis Herman, et al., which presents a Stage 2 treatment approach for clients who are ready to work on processing and integrating traumatic memories.

This one-of-a-kind guide serves as a rich and essential resource for mental health professionals working with women whose lives have been shattered by the trauma of sexual, physical, or emotional abuse. The book presents a practical, step-by-step guide to implementing a group recovery program for female trauma survivors.