Women Who Hurt Themselves: A Book Of Hope And Understanding [Paperback]

Ed.D. Dusty Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 5, 2005

For years, the harm that some women do to themselves was ignored and silenced, both in psychological literature and in homes and hospitals. Dusty Millers eye-opening book revealed the truth about a syndrome that has plagued millionsand continues to do so today, endangering ever-younger lives. Filled with moving stories, this powerful book was the first to focus on women who engage in different forms of self-mutilation. Miller is widely recognized as the first expert to identify the roots of cutting and other self-injurious behavior in women. These women suffer from what she calls Trauma Reenactment Syndrome (TRS), a pattern of behavior in which they reenact severe psychological or physical harm done to them as children. In the decade since her work was first published, new research has supported Millers perspective. In her introduction to this tenth anniversary edition, Miller discusses what self-harming women and abuse survivors have known all along: that self-injury activates endorphins that actually calm the psychic pain of old wounds. She describes the latest treatments geared to this viewand offers, once again, hope and understanding to the women themselves and to those who care for them.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Women traumatized in childhood hurt themselves more often than men do because men are socialized to act aggressively and fight back, notes psychologist Miller, who is director of Clinical Mentoring at Antioch/New England Graduate School. Here she addresses childhood trauma, to which the individual may react by dissociating, but such fragmentation of the personality becomes the basis of her failure to protect herself as an adult. While integrating various treatment approaches, Miller's program focuses on the "triadic self," which she describes as the victim, abuser and nonprotecting bystander within. In the painful narratives culled from her private practice, Miller establishes that such self-destructive behavior as bulimia and cosmetic surgery "tells the secret story of women's childhood experience over and over again." She describes the behavior of her clients as trauma reenactment syndrome (TRS), which, stresses Miller, explains why they are impervious to treatment in 12-step programs and conventional therapy, often being misdiagnosed and mistreated. The author presents evidence that TRS women can be helped to lasting recovery.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Women Who Hurt Themselves explores the suffering of women who reenact childhood trauma, particularly abuse or neglect, through self-destructive behavior. Miller is a therapist who has treated hundreds of women with this condition (which she labels Trauma Reenactment Syndrome, or TRS) and whose behaviors include self-mutilation, alcoholism, drug addiction, and eating disorders. She argues that women with TRS did not feel protected as children, and thus have trouble protecting themselves as adults. She explains what TRS is and outlines her therapeutic program, which begins by exploring the symptoms and, as therapist and patient develop a trusting relationship, gradually moves into an examination of the original trauma. The goal of therapy is for the patient to develop her own ``protective presence.'' Miller's responsiveness as a therapist is evident; she warns against blind adherence to existing formulas, stressing the need for multifaceted approaches to abuse and addiction. She cautiously avoids buzzwords and admirably emphasizes the differences in women's situations. However, the breadth of experiences that could be described as traumatic, and of behaviors that could be called self-destructive (chain-smoking and sexual promiscuity are included), make this book confusing for the lay reader. Surely women inflict violence on themselves for a variety of reasons; like much recovery literature, Women Who Hurt Themselves may exaggerate the explanatory power of trauma. Further confusing the discussion are the many traits that Miller attributes to TRS that are actually common to women with a wide variety of histories--excessive apologizing, for example, or caring for others at the expense of oneself. Women Who Hurt Themselves should be helpful to mental health professionals who work with female trauma survivors, though some of its generalities should be taken with caution. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 16 and up
  
• Paperback: 294 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books; 1 edition (July 5, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0465045871
• ISBN-13: 978-0465045877
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #353,909 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Proceed with Caution, December 31, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Women Who Hurt Themselves: A Book Of Hope And Understanding (Paperback)

This was a good book for people interested in the phenomenon of self-mutilation and people who have advanced quite far on the road to recovery, but beware otherwise. It's very intense and has a great deal of upsetting and graphic stories of abuse- many of which are sexual in nature. It's hard to get through at times. If you are in the midst of dealing with a cutting problem, this might be too hard to read. If you are just starting to recover, this might trigger a relapse. It's a good book, but just proceed with great caution.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating exploration into the phenomenon of self abuse., July 24, 1998

By 

Betti Trapp - See all my reviews

This review is from: Women Who Hurt Themselves: A Book Of Hope And Understanding (Paperback)

A new perspective on why women with eating disorders, compulsions, obsessions, and self abuse disorders act out in self-harmful ways. In order to understand these women, it is necessary, says the author, to understand TRS, or Trauma Reenactment Syndrome. All of the women in this book were subconsciously reenacting experienced trauma in childhood. Once made to comprehend that, the women were given a "program" of sorts to help them find their way out of the ever progressive syndrome of self abuse. This book made me look at this syndrome with new eyes and a clearer understanding of the courage the women she writes about have. This book will provide assistance for the many women out there who live with the shame of their obsessions, and will provide hope for a brighter tomorrow. Dusty Miller writes to the average reader, as well as to therapists and other professionals. The book is easy to understand and hard to put down.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Maybe a good book for professionals, but not for me., December 5, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Women Who Hurt Themselves: A Book Of Hope And Understanding (Paperback)

My therapist let me borrow his copy of this book when he first started treating me. If anything, this book was more upsetting to me than helpful. I went ahead and gave it three stars because I think if you were a professional trying to get a grasp of what was going on in the head of someone who self injures then this book would be helpful. But for me the graphic descriptions of the abuse the women in the book suffered was a bit much, especially while trying to process my own issues. Plus it did not offer me any true insight into my own problems with self injury, or any guidance as to how to stop. I think the main thing I got out of it was that at least if my therapist had read this he was attempting to understand self injurious behaviour, which was more than most therapists I'd encountered had attempted to do.