Healing from Trauma A Survivor's Guide to Understanding Your Symptoms and Reclaiming Your Life

by Cori, Jasmin Lee; Scaer, Robert

• ISBN13: 9781600940613
• ISBN10: 1600940617
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-01-08
• Publisher: INGRAM

Summary

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.

Author Biography

Jasmin Lee Cori, MS, LPC, is a psychotherapist and former psychology teacher. The author of The Tao of Contemplation and The Tarot of Transformation, she lives in Colorado. www.jasmincori.com
Robert Scaer, MD, is the author of The Trauma Spectrum and The Body Bears the Burden: Trauma, Dissociation, and Disease.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. xi
Foreword	p. xix
Introduction: A Trauma Book for Those in the Trenches	p. xxiii
Shit Happens	p. 1
What Is Trauma?	p. 2
Why Do Some People Suffer More Than Others?	p. 3
Hidden Traumas	p. 6
Identifying Your Traumas (Exercise)	p. 8
Will It Always Be Like This?	p. 9
Two Kinds of Suffering	p. 10
Ten Points to Remember	p. 12
It's a Body Thing	p. 14
What Happens in Trauma?	p. 14
Caught in Lower Brain Centers	p. 16
Under the Influence	p. 18
Taking Back the Control Room	p. 19
Resilience	p. 20
Getting the Traction to Move On	p. 22
Ten Points to Remember	p. 24
The Footprints of Trauma	p. 26
Tracks in the Body	p. 27
Sensitivities	p. 28
Triggers, Triggers Everywhere	p. 30
The Lion, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Man	p. 31
Not All Here (Dissociation)	p. 31
I Can't Think!	p. 35
Turned to Stone (Numbing)	p. 36
Amnesia, Flashbacks, and Fragmented Memory	p. 37
Insomnia	p. 39
Intrusive Thoughts and Images	p. 39
Self-Injuring Behaviors	p. 41
Guilty without Charge	p. 41
Living in a Broom Closet	p. 43
Ruptured Boundaries	p. 43
Relationship Patterns	p. 44
Feeling Broken	p. 47
Alone in an Uncaring World	p. 48
Ten Points to Remember	p. 49
Trauma-Related Disorders	p. 51
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder	p. 52
Acute Stress Disorder	p. 58
Depression	p. 59
Anxiety Disorders	p. 61
Addictions	p. 64
Eating Disorders	p. 65
Dissociative Disorders	p. 66
Borderline Personality	p. 71
Physical Diseases Related to Trauma	p. 72
Casualties of Trauma	p. 74
Two Cocoons	p. 75
Exploring Your Cocoon (Exercise)	p. 78
Ten Points to Remember	p. 79
The Journey of Healing	p. 81
Kelly's Story: A Hard-Won Self	p. 82
Basic Requirements for the Journey	p. 84
A Deliberate Curriculum	p. 84
The Tasks of Healing	p. 85
Personal Resources	p. 89
Assessing Your Resources (Exercise)	p. 92
The Spiral of Healing	p. 93
Jana's Story: The Importance of Deep Listening	p. 95
The Drive for Completion	p. 96
Realigning with Your Wholeness	p. 97
Each Path Is Unique	p. 99
Ten Points to Remember	p. 99
How to Choose the Right Helpers	p. 101
Sharing Your Trauma History	p. 101
Things to Consider When Working with Health Practitioners	p. 103
Is Psychotherapy for Me? How Long Will It Take?	p. 106
Choosing the Right Therapist	p. 108
Wounded and Wounding Healers	p. 113
When Is It Appropriate to Change Therapists?	p. 115
Can I Heal Without Psychotherapy?	p. 117
Ten Points to Remember	p. 118
Selecting Your Interventions	p. 120
Containment versus Catharsis	p. 121
EMDR and Alternating Bilateral Stimulation (ABS)	p. 123
Point Therapies	p. 125
The TARA Approach for the Resolution of Shock and Trauma	p. 125
Somatic Therapies	p. 126
Hands-On Therapies for Trauma	p. 128
Imagery-Based Therapies	p. 130
Corrective Experiences	p. 131
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)	p. 133
Changing Experience through a Pattern Interrupt	p. 134
Help from Peers	p. 135
Residential Treatment Programs	p. 139
Medications and Natural Alternatives	p. 139
The Decisions Are Yours	p. 145
Ten Points to Remember	p. 147
Tools for Dealing with Trauma	p. 149
Slowing Down the Process	p. 149
Keeping One Foot on Solid Ground	p. 151
Grounding	p. 153
Finding Your Rock	p. 155
Controlling Your Arousal Level	p. 157
Learning to Self-Soothe	p. 160
Accepting Comfort from Another Person	p. 161
Seeing Options	p. 162
The Three S's: Stop, Soothe, Support (An Antidote for Hyperarousal)	p. 164
The Three R's: Refocus, Reconnect, Reenter (An Antidote for Dissociation)	p. 165
The Control Button	p. 167
Ten Points to Remember	p. 167
Tools for Living	p. 169
Your Job as Manager	p. 169
Becoming a Fierce Protector and Advocate for Yourself	p. 171
Supportive Life Structures	p. 173
Knowing Your Medicine	p. 174
Nurturing Self-Talk	p. 176
Gaining Control of Your Mind	p. 177
Objectivity	p. 178
Strengthening Boundaries	p. 181
Cultivating a Friendly Relationship with Your Body	p. 182
Humor	p. 184
Journaling	p. 185
Creativity and Self-Expression	p. 188
The Gifts of Nature	p. 189
Snuggling Up to the World	p. 192
The Best Revenge Is a Happy Life	p. 193
Ten Points to Remember	p. 194
Spiritual Issues	p. 196
Why Did God Let This Happen?	p. 196
An Earnest Search	p. 197
Hidden Gifts	p. 198
What Spiritual Life Has to Offer	p. 201
The Transcendence Trap	p. 204
Expansion and Contraction	p. 206
What's Suffering Got to Do with It?	p. 208
Accepting Life as It Is	p. 209
An Integrated Spirituality	p. 210
Terry's Story: Toward an Integrated Spirituality	p. 211
Ten Points to Remember	p. 213
Ain't Broke no More	p. 215
Surviving or Thriving?	p. 215
Signs of Healing	p. 216
Signs of Wholeness	p. 219
A New Me	p. 221
Coming Home	p. 222
Robert's Story: War No More	p. 224
It's Never Too Late for a Little Happiness	p. 226
Ten Points to Remember	p. 227
My Story	p. 229
Ten Points to Remember	p. 234
Bodywork Therapies	p. 235
Notes	p. 239
Glossary	p. 246
Resources	p. 251
Index	p. 255
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.