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162 of 166 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best book on "complex PTSD", October 21, 2002
This book begins with an in depth history of the study (and understanding) of trauma and related disorders. Judith Lewis Herman provides aspects of feminist history not seen in other "popular" trauma literature. Judith Herman is a passionate and eloquent writer, and the excerpts written by survivors, that she includes throughout the book, are also poetic and beautifully articulated. She addresses that although trauma literature is now in abundance we must be careful not to abandon the continued study and education of psychological trauma. In addition she explains that there is always a backlash when the "unspeakable" is spoken, and she offers encouragement to remain standing against the repeated abuses of offenders and people who need to maintain their sense of a "just" world.While reading this book I truly felt understood. So many aspects of the trauma that I experienced (and the after effects) are explained in this book. She weaves together common ground for survivors of incest, rape, torture, war, captivity, and the holocaust. I felt that I was part of a greater community of people, and began to understand that I am not alone. This book is particularly valuable to the understanding of the long term and complex after effects of ongoing, repetitive childhood abuse/captivity (one of the best books on this subject). Other trauma books generally do not devote enough time to the complexity of long term childhood trauma. She explained the distinction between trauma-related symptoms and non-trauma related anxiety disorders, depression, psychosomatic disorders, and personality disorders. Often when this distinction is not recognized by health care providers survivors of trauma are misdiagnosed, given the wrong treatment and prescribed ineffective medications instead of dealing with the underlying trauma. On page 188 she says, "Even PTSD as it is currently defined, does not fit accurately enough [for survivors of prolonged trauma]." She has given a new diagnosis called "complex post-traumatic stress disorder". It was a relief to me because, although I have received great help from books on PTSD, a thorough understanding of long term trauma (beginning in childhood) has often been overlooked. Judith says on page 122, "It is an attempt to learn from survivors, who understand, more profoundly than any investigator, the effects of captivity." She took the words right out of my mouth. Another aspect of complex PTSD that she addresses is how to cope with the desire to withdraw from the world, and other people. She explains that it is a normal stage of recovery, and gives information on how to reconnect with the world and people. She also says that survivors of captivity often respond in this way: "Before taking any action, she will scan the environment, expecting retaliation."(p.91). In this book she goes into much greater depth on this topic. The chapter on child abuse also devoted considerable information about how incest survivors are often raped again (multiple times) as teenagers/adult. I finally felt that I was not so alone in the multitude of sexual violation that I have endured over my lifetime. This is very important to address, and is often lacking in books on rape. In the very first part of the section on recovery she explains that the trauma occurred in a primary relationship and it is through healthy and healing relationships that the survivor can ultimately heal. I think this is very important to discuss since so many survivors of trauma feel that they can not rely upon anyone in any way (even in a mutual, equal, and healthy interaction). I highly recommend this book to survivors (and pro-survivors) of all kinds of trauma, and to all health care and mental health workers. If everyone read this book we would live in a very different world. One of the best options I have found for recovery is simply reading about trauma and it's effects upon the nervous system. By understanding which behaviors of mine are trauma related and what "normal" experience is for a person that has not been traumatized I know what my goals and hopes for the future can be. Also, through understanding my own reactions to trauma, I also began to understand the reactions of other survivors that I have encountered when events evoked an experiential memory of the trauma they endured.
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by Lenore Terr
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