Thriving in the Wake of Trauma


Book Description

Thema Bryant-Davis examines the cultural issues that health-care professionals need to consider in caring for trauma survivors.




Surviving Sexual Violence


Book Description

Victims of sexual assault experience their trauma in different ways, and often one path to recovery and healing is right for one person, but not right for another. While there are some general mental health effects of sexual violence, this book outlines and describes the impact of particular types of sexual violation. Whether the survivor has experienced childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault during adulthood, marital rape, sexual harassment, sex trafficking, or sexual violence within the military, they will find aspects of her experience in these pages. Once survivors understand the ways in which they have been affected, they are introduced to various pathways to surviving sexual violence and moving forward. The chapters provide case examples and specific activities which give a fuller description of the ways survivors can make use of the particular approaches, which include mind-body practices, counseling, group therapies, self-defense training, and others. Anyone who has been a victim of sexual violence, or knows and cares about someone who has, will find relief in these pages, which offer practical approaches to finding balance and healing.




Mastin Kipp's Claim Your Power


Book Description

"With [this book], you'll wake up energized by the momentum you've unleashed, an energy that will only increase with each new accomplishment and breakthrough. And you'll discover the peace and sense of self-respect that comes only to those who follow through and bring their Purpose to life"--Amazon.com.




Falling Through the Cracks


Book Description

Psychodynamic theory and practice are often misunderstood as appropriate only for the worried well or for those whose problems are minimal or routine. Nothing could be further from the truth. This book shows how psychodynamically informed, clinically based social care is essential to working with individuals whose problems are both psychological and social. Each chapter addresses populations struggling with structural inequities, such as racism, classism, and discrimination based on immigrant status, language differences, disability, and sexual orientation. The authors explain how to provide psychodynamically informed assessment and practice when working with those suffering from mental illness, addiction, homelessness, and cognitive, visual, or auditory impairments, as well as people in prisons, in orphanages, and on child welfare. The volume supports the idea that becoming aware of ourselves helps us understand ourselves: a key approach for helping clients contain and name their feelings, deal with desire and conflict, achieve self-regulation and self-esteem, and alter attachment styles toward greater agency and empowerment. Yet autonomy and empowerment are not birthrights; they are capacities that must be fostered under optimal clinical conditions. This collection uses concepts derived from drive theory, ego psychology, object relations, trauma theory, attachment theory, self psychology, relational theories, and intersubjectivity in clinical work with vulnerable and oppressed populations. Contributors are experienced practitioners whose work with vulnerable populations has enabled them to elicit and find common humanity with their clients. The authors consistently convey respect for the considerable strength and resilience of the populations with whom they work. Emphasizing both the inner and social structural lives of client and clinician and their interacting social identities, this anthology uniquely realizes the complexity of clinical practice with diverse populations.




Fearlessly Made You


Book Description

Do you realize that you are the only person in the world who is called to live your exact life? Think about it: you are the only person who can live out your specific purpose. When life is hard and filled with trials and challenges, we would love nothing more than to have someone else take on those struggles for us. Though they may be uncomfortable, there is something honest about understanding that if you own them, those struggles can bring you to a point of realization and greater purpose than had you just given up. Fearlessly Made You: Surviving and Thriving in a Perfectly Imperfect Life takes you through the honest, authentic, and, dare we say, chaotic trials in the life of Kristie Tobias. Kristie is a seasoned healthcare and business consultant, a national speaker, a nonprofit board member, an advisor to the mayor of Pensacola, Florida, and a former Miss North Carolina International, all of which she achieved before reaching the age of thirty-five. Professionally, Kristie has broken down the barriers that young minority women struggle through to reach her goals. The journey has not been easy. At twenty years old, after years of sexual abuse and trauma, Kristie was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Kristie takes us through the realistic, messy, sometimes dark, but ultimately inspiring journey of her struggles with PTSD; her challenges with just trying to thrive in life when every obstacle seemed to bring her down; and her complicated relationship with her own self-worth, goals, and expectations. Fearlessly Made You isn't just about Kristie, it's about you. It's about understanding that your unique purpose in this life is not for life to be easy but to own the journey that is laid out for you and the direction you choose to take. Fearlessly Made You shows you that you don't have to always be perfect or wake up at the crack of dawn every morning to accomplish your goals. Your journey looks different to you than it does to anyone else, and Kristie encourages you to embrace your journey and not allow challenges to keep you from pushing forward through the struggles to live out your purpose.




Posttraumatic Growth


Book Description

Posttraumatic Growth reworks and overhauls the seminal 2006 Handbook of Posttraumatic Growth. It provides a wide range of answers to questions concerning knowledge of posttraumatic growth (PTG) theory, its synthesis and contrast with other theories and models, and its applications in diverse settings. The book starts with an overview of the history, components, and outcomes of PTG. Next, chapters review quantitative, qualitative, and cross-cultural research on PTG, including in relation to cognitive function, identity formation, cross-national and gender differences, and similarities and differences between adults and children. The final section shows readers how to facilitate optimal outcomes with PTG at the level of the individual, the group, the community, and society.




Healing Trauma with Yoga


Book Description

"This unique, user-friendly, and practical guide to understanding and healing the origins and effects of trauma is a comprehensive source of essential information and helpful advice and provides valuable, innovative tools to assist in addressing and working through anxiety, depression, and PTSD, as well as other trauma-related health challenges. Author Beth Shaw offers essential information and easy implementation of scientifically-proven techniques for self-care and new habits for daily living, exploring a variety of modalitites, including yoga, meditation, breathing exercises, and Ayurveda"--




Buried Saints


Book Description

One terrible night in 2011, Brin Miller’s life is upended when she learns that her teenage stepson has been sexually abusing her two daughters. Once this secret is discovered, Brin’s marriage, already crumbling and unable to sustain itself, breaks apart. But against all odds, Brin and her husband, along with their daughters, are gradually able to learn resilience, forgiveness, strength, and courage, and—miraculously—Brin’s marriage begins to heal. Haunting and horrible yet hopeful and beautiful, Buried Saints is a fast and raw memoir of forgiveness and resilience, a revelatory look into a family deeply destroyed by deceit, and a truly astonishing story about the intense, unpredictable love of two parents who have to decide whether to fall or flourish in a tragic situation.




Thriving After Trauma


Book Description

Thriving After Trauma addresses readers who have experience trauma or loss due to a variety of experience – whether accident, abuse, or injury. Shari Botwin shows readers, through personal stories, how many who have experienced the worst kinds of trauma have managed to move on and thrive beyond their experiences. Often, those who live through trauma come away with feelings of shame, guilt, anger, and despair. These are common, even normal, responses in the immediate aftermath. Left unaddressed, though, those feelings may develop into substance abuse problems, eating disorders, depression, or anxiety. Learning how to move on, to pick up and live life again, takes effort and guidance. Botwin guides readers through the stories of others who have gone on to live fulfilling, happy lives, and provides tips and tools for healing and moving on. Letting go of the shame, guilt, anger and fear associated with tragic events is crucial to reclaiming a full life. Strategies such as, journaling, mindfulness, cognitive-behavioral restructuring, and healthy relationships to aid in recovery are explored and explained, so readers can adopt those strategies that work best for them. It is not the trauma itself that results in so many people developing self-destructive tendencies and life threatening illnesses. It is the lack of having a way to digest and make sense of the trauma-related feelings that can lead one to mental illness, disconnection, and in some cases, even death. Readers will learn how to live with the trauma versus how to get over the trauma, so they can move forward healthfully and mindfully.




The Deepest Well


Book Description

A pioneering physician reveals how childhood stress leads to lifelong health problems, and what we can do to break the cycle.