Choice, R. B. Stewart, Jr.

A thought-provoking alternative to the conceptualization of trauma…Redefines trauma as a continuum of variably negative life events…Highly recommended.

PsycCritiques

Rich clinical observations, systematic conceptualizations of real-life trauma cases, therapeutic expertise, encyclopedic knowledge, and professional integrity shine through…this appealing book.

Using the clinical model of the whiplash syndrome, this groundbreaking book describes the alterations in brain chemistry and function induced in individuals by what is known as traumatic stress or traumatization-experiencing a life-threatening event while in a state of helplessness. The Body Bears the Burden: Trauma, Dissociation, and Disease presents evidence of the resulting and relatively permanent alteration in neurophysiology, neurochemistry, and neuronal organization-changes correlated with many of the most common, yet poorly understood, physical complaints and diseases, including whiplash, migraines, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, and other painful, difficult-to-treat conditions.

short blurb for Whiplash catalogs: "Why does my neck still ache so much? The accident was months ago. My doctor thinks I'm crazy or lazy or faking it. What's wrong with me?"

What's wrong, according to The Body Bears the Burden: Trauma, Dissociation, and Disease, is that physical traumas and emotional traumas are powerfully interrelated. After decades of research into brain chemistry, Dr. Scaer has identified some of the ways that the helplessness and terror of sudden trauma induce changes in brain function and the resulting consequences these measurable chemical changes can have on muscles, digestion, blood pressure, and many other bodily systems. Using the clinical model of the whiplash syndrome, this electrifying book offers new hope to anyone suffering from whiplash, post-traumatic stress disorder, or a history of abuse. It even provides ways to cope with new traumas to minimize the emotional and physical damage!

From Publishers Weekly

In the wake of 9/11, there was much media coverage of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD—the long-term stress response whose symptoms include chronic pain, nightmares and panic attacks—and how to treat it. Naparstek, a therapist for more than 30 years, is an advocate of guided imagery, as opposed to talk therapy, and in this book she uses case histories to illustrate how it works; she also looks at recent research on the brain that shows why this method is effective and offers step-by-step instructions on using guided imagery, which she defines as "deliberate, directed daydreaming," for healing trauma. According to Naparstek, trauma damages the left brain, which is language oriented, and talking about the trauma can actually worsen symptoms. Imagery, on the other hand affects the right brain, the seat of the emotions. Guided imagery is "fast, powerful, costs little or nothing," says the author; it can be done alone or in groups, with the help of tapes that walk the stress victim through the process of finding images that help heal the trauma. Clinicians will find the entire book useful; people seeking help may not need explanations of the biochemical processes underlying PTSD, but will respond to Napartek's passionate advocacy of a simple, gentle healing method.

Review

"The bad news is that stress-related disorders are epidemic in our society. The good news is the new array of therapies that are truly effective in healing them. INVISIBLE HEROES is a package of hope for anyone whose life is compromised by the insidious effects of emotional trauma. This is one of those blessed books that deserves to be called life-changing."--Larry Dossey, M.D., author of Healing Beyond the Body, Reinventing Medicine and Healing Words

"Belleruth Naparstek is both a compassionate therapist and authority on the role of imagery in health. Her new book on PTSD ingeniously combines her therapeutic work with the latest brain research on how to heal from trauma. The end result is a book full of wisdom, compassion, and practical solutions that can help anyone access their inner ability to heal even from worst case scenarios. The world certainly needs this information now more than ever."--Christiane Northrup, M.D., author of The Wisdom of Menopause and Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom

"Surgery is controlled trauma. Finally I understand why we cannot just "talk" patients back to full recovery. Here is a blue print for using the right brain to deliver health."--Mehmet Oz, M.D., author of Healing from The Heart

"Belleruth Naparstek is a treasure, deeply engaged, boundlessly energetic, visionary. Her new work on trauma is as wise as it is practical. We are all in her debt."--James S. Gordon, MD, Founder and Director, Center for Mind-Body Medicine, author of Manifesto for a New Medicine

Book Description

Researchers have shown that survivors of accidents, disaster, and childhood trauma often endure life-long symptoms ranging from anxiety and depression to unexplained physical pain, fatigue, illness, and harmful "acting out" behaviors reflecting these painful events. Today, millions in both the bodywork and the psychotherapeutic fields are turning to Peter A. Levine’s breakthrough Somatic Experiencing™ methods to effectively overcome these challenges. In Healing Trauma, Dr. Levine gives readers the personal how-to-guide for using the theory he first introduced in his highly acclaimed work, Waking the Tiger.

About the Author

Peter A. Levine received his Ph.D. in medical and biological physics from the University of California at Berkeley, and also holds a doctorate in psychology from International University. During his 35-year study of stress and trauma, he has contributed to scientific and medical publications and served as consultant for NASA’s space shuttle project. He has taught at the Hopi Guidance Center and at hospitals, trauma centers and pain clinics throughout the world.

Hilary Le Page, MBBS, Canadian Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Review

Renewed my enthusiasm for short term dynamically oriented psychotherapy…A worthy addition to my personal library and yours.

Will Handy, MSSW, Milton H. Erickson Foundation Newsletter

Provides fresh information and stimulating perspectives. It's an intellectual work-out that set me thinking.