It felt like Christmas morning in the Coalition office
yesterday when I was handed a pile of books that I had ordered. I have had a lot of requests for books that
would be suitable to recommend to trauma survivors so I had set myself on a
quest to meet the need. Here are three
books that would be helpful for anyone trying to understand their own trauma
responses and how to move forward toward healing.
No Comfort Zone: Notes on Living with Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder by Marla Handy, 2010, Mocassa Press, Madison, WI
No Comfort Zone is a personal story told with great
insight and honesty. Marla grew up with
an abusive father and a mentally ill mother.
She suffered childhood abuse and medical trauma. Ms. Handy is able to intertwine important
information about PTSD with actual stories of trauma and healing. I do have to warn the reader, though. As in any book that relates stories of
interpersonal violence there are descriptions that could be triggering to someone
with a trauma history. However, Marla’s
ability to educate via her storytelling can provide a sense of comfort to
someone who feels that she is alone in her pain. If you recommend this to a trauma survivor
please let her know who she can contact for support.
The Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Sourcebook: A guide to
healing, recovery, and growth; 2nd Ed. by Glenn R. Schiraldi,
PhD., 2009, McGraw-Hill Books, NY
I would definitely recommend this book to someone who has a
lot of questions as to how trauma has impacted his/her life. The explanations of the PTSD basics including
memory and anxiety are easy to understand and could be quite useful to an advocate
who is looking for more ways to explain how trauma impacts the brain. Dr. Schiraldi also discusses the necessary
foundations for healing from trauma – stabilization, safety, balance and taking
care of one’s health. There is also an
in-depth section on how to manage symptoms (or trauma responses). At the end of the book he talks about
transitioning to a life with less impact from the trauma and more intimacy,
meaning, spiritual growth.
Dr. Ghiraldi also gives an overview of many treatment modes
used by therapists in working with trauma survivors. It is fairly comprehensive in its
descriptions of the modalities but I find that he has omitted a number of
mind-body therapies. For a more
comprehensive listing of treatment modalities I would recommend ----
Healing from Trauma:
A survivor’s guide to understanding your symptoms and reclaiming your
life by Jasmin Lee Cori, M.S. LPC, 2008, Da Capo Press, Cambridge, MA
Jasmin Lee Cori provides most of the information that Dr. Ghiraldi
does but in a different format. I love a
chapter that is titled “Shit Happens” while still taking very seriously the
impact that certain incidents can have in a person’s life. She also does an excellent job of describing
the impact of trauma on the body using wonderful examples that may be less
triggering that some other books. She
also describes the impact of trauma on the body and brain and describes some
interventions and tools that can be used to decrease anxiety, flashbacks, and
dissociation. She includes interventions
such as trigger point therapies, somatic
therapies, and hands-on therapies.
I was also impressed that she provided a framework for how
to find an appropriate therapist, what is expected, and how to know when a
person should change therapists. She
also goes more in-depth into spirituality than the above books and provides a
good framework for living a healthy life beyond trauma.
I hope this is helpful as you look to make recommendations
or are looking for more information for yourself.
