Customer Reviews

Trust After Trauma: A Guide to Relationships for Survivors and Those Who Love Them

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I have only read portions of this book... and what I've read of it exemplifies a punitive and callous approach to working with trauma survivors. Making an analogy to Frankenstein for a trauma survivor experiencing intimacy/relational difficulties serves to revictimize trauma survivors. Also, I think this book is quite reductionistic... and frankly serves to categorize trauma survivors' diverse relational transactions as "trauma reactions." This unfortunately can be fuel for partners who read this book to label any and all of a trauma survivor's thoughts, opinions, and feelings (especially if slightly intense) to be "trauma reactions." Then, the partner can in essence blame the abuse-surviving parter for relationship difficulties which may have absolutely nothing to do with the trauma. This book can be quite damaging in its simplicity.

This book misses the mark. I am a survivor of trauma with years of recovery behind me. This book takes a tough love approach, constantly reminding the reader of his/her limitations and can't say enough about how those limitations may never be healed to his/her desire. The correlation of survivors to Frankenstein's monster is a pity. I get the analogy, but couldn't the author come up with something other than the truely heinous? I would rather recommend "Legacy of the Heart" by Wayne Miller--a much gentler and realistic approach to healing trust.

I have read this book three times over the last year. Each time gave me new insights into healing the pain of chilhood sexual abuse. The author knows what she is talking about. I found the book very painful to work through, but worth the effort toward healing. My partner found it enlightening. Now he knows some of the issuses I am dealing with.

This book is wonderful. It provides information so that trauma survivors understand their emotions, and behavior, it also offers insight for loved ones and partners of trauma survivors. I recommend it and have recommended it to many people. I can only thank the author for her work!

I came across this book outside of Amazon.xxx, and it has been the first and only book that has helped me understand the trust issues that can plague PTSD. I have some experience of this myself, and found the author understood me surprisingly well, without ever lecturing me. The author offers comprehensive questionnaires and exercises, and discusses the wide range of coping behaviours, issues and mind-sets that are obviously gleaned from much experiential work with trauma sufferers. Her style is readable, measured and highly compassionate: it never blames, derides or cajoles.

This is important: I found many self-help books written by people with one-track pet theories and a desire to jump on the latest gravy train without actually doing the real work. Therefore - and especially in an area that requires the fundamental earning of trust - I feel these authors are irresponsible in the effects of their pet claims on vulnerable people. People suffering trauma need to be understood and treated authentically.

This book does just that, in my experience.
It is not patronising, not Pollyanna, not Newage, and not arrogant about a "solution". It comes across balanced, experienced and helpful.

I found it helped me with many aspects of my relating to others within my own process, and enables me to have a means and a sense of dignity to share and explain what goes on for me, as well as practical tools for healing. I truly recommend it. This is my first ever review, so please judge by that my rating of this author.

This book is the follow-up to WHY CAN'T I GET OVER IT? Even though these 2 books were published a few years ago and don't have the latest info regarding new treatment techniques for emotional trauma, they contain the keys for understanding, accepting, and supporting people who have been traumatized from war; rape; physical and/or emotional abuse; or any other traumatic event(s) that cause(s) damage to a human being.

With an emphasis on recovering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); this book is a fantastic resource for those of us who prefer a "do it yourself" approach to therapy. I have recommended it to clients in my own therapy practice and have personally used and benefited from it in my own recovery.

The book provides a step by step program for those recovering from trauma and its effects manifested through PTSD and other forms of traumatic memories that invade our current reality.

I am finding the book helpful overall, however, it seems to be written for those who are beginning the healing process rather than for those who have been in recovery for a great deal of time.

In some ways, I find the book a little discouraging, because it often refers to damage done by the trauma that will forever alter one's life in negative ways. I am unwilling to consider or accept that full healing is not only possible, but that it can and must be the objective of people in recovery.

I believe that people suffering from the consequence of trauma, even in the form of PTSD, can not only heal, but that our trauma can equip us to help others in unique ways--ways that the non-traumatized may not be as skilled in. I do not believe "once a victim, always a victim" so to speak. Instead, I believe that all things can and will be used for the good if we determine to overcome, and if we refuse to allow our abusers to rob us of our future...

Life can, and usually does, deal out some extremely difficult "blows" to most people, in varying degrees of course. Those of us who end up living well, are those who recognize that, though our trauma was completely undeserved and not our fault, our future peace and joy depends upon our determination to overcome! Trauma survivors, with hard work, prayer, and determination CAN triumph over tragedy! I am not suggesting that the journey through grief and healing is not extremely difficult, because it is. But, I am saying that we must determine to use our struggle for the good of ourselves and others; in this way, our suffering is used to shape our character in ways that benefit humanity, beginning with ourselves--our suffering is not in vain!

Overall, the book is helpful in that it validates the extreme difficulties faced by trauma survivors suffering from PTSD, and it offers practical steps for healing.

Written by a survivor of extreme and multiple traumas! We CAN Overcome with God as our guide and strength!

Having being exposed to workplace PTSD this book fills the self-help gap to deal with the TRUST AFTER TRAUMA issues related to PTSD.

The book is not a final solution to issues but a stepping stone to recognition of ones own issues.

A low cost and risk approach to dealing with deep personal issues. The book is well written to say the least and it is not meant to be the final solution for seeking help.

A good workbook and excellent references for individual in the people business including workplace and personal relationships situations.

I rating is preformance based on the aid it provided to the individual during a trauma.

Life must go on. Bravo !

Love

ptsd2000@yahoo.com

I couldn't get past a glaring mistake in Chapter 1 - specifically the author's explanation of Step 4 in 12- step programs. Step 4 DOES require "a fearless and searching" moral inventory of yourself. It DOES NOT, however, ask for a list of "those persons you think you may have hurt . . ." as a result of your addiction. That is Step 8. How could the editors have missed this?