Customer Reviews

Life After Trauma: A Workbook for Healing

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Dena Rosenbloom, Ph.D., and Mary Beth Williams Ph.D have written an extremely helpful book for trauma survivors. They work from the premise that: "Trauma affects us by undermining five basic human needs. These are: •The need to be safe •The need to trust •The need to feel some control over one’s life •The need to feel of value •The need to feel close to others." Life After Trauma is designed to help survivors learn to meet these needs. It can be used at home or in conjunction with therapy. The authors do not feel that every one needs therapy even though they are therapists trained in dealing with trauma. They believe, however, that trauma changes survivors’ basic beliefs, sometimes in ways of which they are not aware. This book is designed to increase a survivor’s awareness of core beliefs, to help survivors test their validity, and to help find more healing beliefs if the survivor so desires. Life After Trauma is about dealing with life today, not for working through the trauma. The prologue discusses how the workbook can help survivors. The authors stress finding support, learning self-care strategies, affirmations and soothing self-talk. They discuss when to set the workbook aside and coping with triggers. I found all these suggestions very helpful in dealing with some emotional upheavals I was having at the time. Chapter One, “After Trauma: Why you feel thrown for a loop,” discusses physical, mental, emotional and behavioral reactions to trauma and ways of checking in with yourself and learning to relax. The second chapter, “Ways of Coping After the Trauma,” contains several coping checklists and questions you can ask yourself for analyzing how you cope, followed by suggestions on how to cope more effectively. They even point out that dissociation can be an effective coping tool if you can evoke it as needed. Chapter Three, “Thinking Things Through,” discusses how to separate facts from reactions and meanings/interpretations, how these may change after trauma and a system for thinking them through. The next five chapters explore in detail how to meet the five needs, safety, trust, control, value and intimacy. Part of this is identifying beliefs, checking their validity, finding possible alternate explanations or interpretations, and so forth. There are also reminders of self care activities and relaxations exercises throughout the book. Here’s a quote "You can shift your physical and emotional state by, first, reminding yourself that you are in a different time and place from when you experienced trauma initially. You probably have greater choice and control now that you did then. Second, find ways to comfort and soothe yourself. We have provided ideas for doing this throughout the book, such as relaxation exercises. You may not think they can be much help, but consider this: It is not possible to be tense and completely relaxed at the same time. Learning to relax will directly relieve your tension and anxiety, even if for brief periods initially. Learning to relax can help you feel more in control as well as calmer. The feelings you learn to evoke through self-care and self-comforting exercises are, in many ways, the opposite of those evoked by the trauma. You can learn to use them to help counter and manage negative feelings that now seem out of your control." There is also a very good appendix on readings, one on finding good trauma therapy, and one for therapists who might want to use this book with clients. I can’t recommend this book too highly. It is healing, deals with the kind of daily problems that trauma survivors face in a sensible, thoughtful, and above all, hopeful way. Things can change one little step at a time. The book offers a lot of steps a survivor can take, always with an emphasis on safety and self care. This review first appeared in the Post-Traumatic Gazette, a newsletter with a healing perspective for all trauma survivors. ...This book has that healing perspective.

I was expecting this book to be about unraveling the past, understanding it, and generally spending a lot of time in territory I wasn't interested in revisiting... Thankfully, it is about being aware of feelings taking place in the present. This book is geared toward increasing self-awareness and self-knowledge, especially important for those who have disassociated in some way or don't feel like "themselves". What a great thing! The format and style are comfortable and easy to use, and I found myself gaining insight as the book went along, without adding more stress to my life! Thank you for this wonderful workbook.

I wanted to read this book after a car crash resulted in general anxiety. When I began to read it, I felt as though the authors really undertood how I was feeling. I felt as though someone were holding my hand, letting me know that there is a light at the end of this dark tunnel.

A few months after a major medical situation in my life (several surgeries for brain aneurysm), I began having a very hard time emotionally. I couldn't understand it as I was now "healed" and I thought I should be happy about it. A friend of mine was pursuing a doctorate in Psychology and she suggested that I might be suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (not just for war veterans) based on the symptoms I was having. (paranoia, anxiety, depression...not usual characteristics of my happy-go-lucky personality) She actually sent me this book and suggested I try it out along with seeking help from a professional. After talking to her, I went to a psychiatrist to ask about medication and to a therapist along with working on this book. I found that the book was incredibly helpful in teaching me ways to cope with my paranoia, anxiety, and depression when I would hit triggering situations. The book gave me things to do at home when I wasn't with a counselor, and many times I felt it was more useful. (It took me a while to find a counselor with whom I felt comfortable) I'm part of an online support group for aneurysm survivors and many people have similar problems to what I had after coming through the surgeries. I always recommend this book and give them the link to Amazon.

I lent the book to a friend of mine who was traumatized after Hurricane Katrina. (her whole New Orleans neighborhood was flooded and she saw awful things like dead bodies floating by) She also found it very helpful as she did not have much money to pay for counseling. Sadly, she passed away from unrelated medical problems, so she isn't here to write a review in person. But she did a lot of the writing and exercises and she told me how helpful it was. She recommended it to another friend of hers from New Orleans.

The authors have written an important book for people recovering from traumatic life experiences.Its outline and helpful guidelines set the stage for healing. Its practical suggestions, exercises, and bibliography can be a source of inspiration and knowledge for those walking this difficult path.

My therapist suggested that I read this book. After three days, I decided to order my own copy. This book is extremely helpful and for those who have suffered from PTSD, I would highly recommend. When working with the book, it is important to follow the suggestions such as putting the book aside when flashbacks and triggers become a bit overwhelming. However, the authors offer a number of examples and ideas for keeping you in the moment. These ideas are excellent resources or you can decide to use your own. Most of us know what keeps us grounded.

The PTSD Workbook: Simple, Effective Techniques for Overcoming Traumatic Stress SymptomsThis book is gently written without introducing painful memories. This book in combination with the PTSD workbook completes a resource for healing.

Used it in a group setting.
Not overly intense but did get us talking
and healing. Loved the affirmations.
Wrote them in a journal and refer to them often.

I purchased this book only to later realize that Dr. Rosenbloom was local to me. After reading and using the book, I chose Dr. Rosenbloom as my personal therapist.

I would strongly recomment this workbook to anyone that is struggling with recovery from trauma or Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome.

I thought it was redundent, but when in actual use the client response was good.