Mind, Brain and Body in the Transformation of Trauma
The effects of trauma can be devastating for sufferers, their families and future generations. Here one of the world's experts on traumatic stress offers a bold new paradigm for treatment, moving away from standard talking and drug therapies and towards an alternative approach that heals mind, brain and body.
“The trauma caused by childhood neglect, sexual or domestic abuse and war wreaks havoc in our bodies"
"Traumatised people chronically feel unsafe inside their bodies: The past is alive in the form of gnawing interior discomfort. Their bodies are constantly bombarded by visceral warning signs, and, in an attempt to control these processes, they often become expert at ignoring their gut feelings and in numbing awareness of what is played out inside. They learn to hide from their selves."
“Eighty two percent of the traumatised children seen in the National Child Traumatic Stress Network do not meet diagnostic criteria for PTSD. Because they often are shut down, suspicious, or aggressive they now receive pseudo-scientific diagnoses such as “oppositional defiant disorder,” meaning: “This kid hates my guts” or “disruptive mood dysregulation disorder,” meaning he has temper tantrums. These kids accumulate numerous diagnoses over time. Before they reach their twenties, many patients have been given four, five, six, or more of these impressive but meaningless labels. If they receive treatment at all, they get whatever is being promulgated as the method of management du jour: medications, behavioural modification, or exposure therapy. These rarely work and often cause more damage.”
'Van der Kolk draws on thirty years of experience to argue powerfully that trauma is one of the West's most urgent public health issues ... Packed with science and human stories' . New Scientist
'Breath-taking in its scope and breadth, a seminal work by one of the preeminent pioneers in trauma research and treatment'
Peter A. Levine, author of In An Unspoken Voice
'Dr van der Kolk's masterpiece combines the boundless curiosity of the scientist, the erudition of the scholar, and the passion of the truth teller'
Judith Herman, author of Trauma and Recovery
Coralee's Emporium - "This is an extremely under-priced book, presumably so it can be of service to as many, as possible. The small text size and therefore, hand-sized book, belies its enormous wealth of information."
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#1 Best Seller Amazon Accident & Emergency Medicine
4.8/5 (9,904 global ratings Amazon.co.uk)
4.46/5 (29,872 av. ratings, 2014 ed. Goodreads)