Getting Past Your Past

by SHAPIRO, FRANCINE

• ISBN13: 9781594864254
• ISBN10: 159486425X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-02-28
• Publisher: Rodale Books

Summary

A totally accessible user's guide from the creator of a scientifically proven form of psychotherapy for healing ailments ranging from PTSD to minor anxiety and depression Whether we've experienced small setbacks or major traumas, we are all influenced by memories and experiences we may not remember or don't fully understand. When we are stuck, talk therapy often fails to produce the needed connections between the old emotional memory and a more grounded view of reality, and medications can have dire side effects and limited effectiveness. In Getting Past Your Past, Francine Shapiro, who created EMDR (the "eye movement" therapy), opens the door to a scientifically proven mode of treatment used by thousands of clinicians worldwide. The book offers practical procedures that demystify the process and empower readers looking to break free from emotional roadblocks. Shapiro explains the brain science in layman's terms and provides simple exercises that readers can do at home to achieve real change. "I always came out of my EMDR therapist's office reeling (in a good way); and the things I learned have stayed with me and enriched my conscious mind. It's a powerful process. I recommend it." from The Noonday Demonby Andrew Solomon

Author Biography

Dr. Francine Shapiro is the originator and developer of EMDR therapy.  She is a Senior Research Fellow at the Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto, California, Director of the EMDR Institute, and founder of the non-profit EMDR Humanitarian Assistance Programs, which provides pro bono training and treatment to underserved populations worldwide.  She is a recipient of the International Sigmund Freud Award for Psychotherapy of the City of Vienna, the American Psychological Association Trauma Psychology Division Award for Outstanding Contributions to Practice in Trauma Psychology, and the Distinguished Scientific Achievement in Psychology Award, from the California Psychological Association. As a result of her work, over 70,000 clinicians have treated millions of people during the past 20 years. She is an invited speaker at psychology conferences and universities worldwide, and has authored numerous articles, chapters, and books about EMDR therapy, including the primary text Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing:  Basic Principles, Protocols and Procedures. Her new book for both laypeople and clinicians is called Getting Past Your Past: Take Control of Your Life with Self-Help Techniques from EMDR Therapy.

Table of Contents

Real People, real life stories, and real emotional healing of past hurts and traumas!  In this book, Dr. Shapiro offers a collection of self-help techniques facilitating emotional healing based on EMDR therapy, used by thousands of clinicians and proven successful. Her true stories depict how stressful, painful or traumatic experiences influence our lives and block our potential – and how they can be changed and even resolved. An eye-opener to the layperson!

- Ruth Colvin

Recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Co-Founder of ProLiteracy

Dr. Francine Shapiro presents a panoply of practical and powerful methods for processing unresolved memories and thus overcoming the anxieties that hold us back. A treasure trove of research-supported and EMDR-inspired techniques for achieving self-change and moving forward in life. Read it, try it, and reap the rewards!

- John C. Norcross, PhD, ABPP

Distinguished University Fellow, University of Scranton

Editor, Journal of Clinical Psychology: In Session

Dr. Shapiro is a pioneer in the field of helping people overcome trauma and negative past experiences. Getting Past Your Past is a powerful book that will help people understand their own behavior and more importantly give them a set of tools to immediately help them be happier and more effective. I highly recommend it.
- Daniel G. Amen, MD

Author of Change Your Brain, Change Your Life

Francine Shapiro has given a life-transforming gift to the world by her rigorous development of a science-validated approach to soothing the suffering of our small and large life traumas. Through case examples and clearly articulated instructions within Getting Past Your Past our skillful guide takes us through the powerful and practical steps, derived from the treatment of literally millions of people, that can transform trauma into triumph. Explore this book with someone you love...beginning with yourself!"

- Daniel J. Siegel, MD

Clinical professor of psychiatry at UCLA School of Medicine

Author of The Developing Brain and Mindsight

In Getting Past Your Past, Dr. Francine Shapiro, the developer of EMDR and one of the leading clinical innovators in psychotherapy, translates her groundbreaking method into practical suggestions for those who have been stuck in past events from which they have been unable to free themselves. Eminently readable, Dr. Shapiro has written a volume that is a wonderful resource for those in psychotherapy, as well as those seeking to help themselves. This is a valuable companion for anyone who seeks an understanding of how the past can be carried in our memory networks influencing how we perceive the world, as well as offering practical strategies for growth.

- Jeffrey J. Magnavita, Ph.D., ABPP

Past President of the Division of Psychotherapy of the American Psychological Association

Founder of the Unified Psychotherapy Project