From Surviving to Thriving: A Therapist's Guide to Stage II Recovery for Survivors of Childhood Abuse (Hardcover)

by Mary Bratton (Author) "Childhood abuse is trauma, the pure physical trauma of a life-threatening catastrophe or the emotional trauma of two conflicting feelings linked together in the same..." (more)
Key Phrases: resolution fantasy, therapeutic partnership, developmental damage, Little Greta, The Hero, Night Monster (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
From Surviving to Thriving is a comprehensive manual for treating survivors of childhood physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. Inspired by the author's own private practice, it combines both theory and practice and supports the therapeutic partnership with a step-by-step outline of the healing process. This outline includes concrete and incremental strategies and exercises that help you move the survivor beyond Stage I trauma debriefing to life-changing Stage II recovery.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 302 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (November 13, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789002558
• ISBN-13: 978-0789002556
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,245,525 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A compassionate, realistic approach to a sensitive subject., April 25, 1999

By A Customer

This book, written primarily for the working therapist, presents a compassionate, realistic approach to working with women recovering from childhood abuse. Ms. Bratton's core theory, that the defense mechanisms of the survivor were a brillant response to the chaos of her life, allow the survivor to move past the shame those defenses engender later in life. She encourages the survivor to own her strength and to let go of those strategies for coping which are now causing pain.

The emphasis is on teaching the survivor to recover her strength and put aside the label of victim. This book is a must read for therapists working with such women, and may well be helpful to women in the later stages of recovery from childhood abuse as well.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oustanding, Clearly Written Guide to Recovering from Child Abuse, April 20, 2006

By	JMS (Cleveland, OH United States) - See all my reviews

This unheralded book is probably the best book I have read on recovering from child abuse. While ostensibly written for the therapist, it is equally valuable to the recovering victim. Unlike many books which spend much of their time describing the problems those abused as children face as adults and not enough time on the solution, this book focus on the steps the abused can take in working through the issues they face in recovery. The book borrows from all schools of psychology, particularly the study of PTSD, for its viewpoint. It manages to be both hopeful, affirming, detailed and practical at the same time. I would highly recomend it.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Have for any Therapist, May 2, 2009

By	MSW-PTSD "MasterinSocialWork" (Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From Surviving to Thriving: A Therapist's Guide to Stage II Recovery for Survivors of Childhood Abuse (Paperback)

Bratton does an excellent job sorting the psyche of trauma survivors. It is relevant material that could help many people.