Book Review – Strong at the Broken Places – Building Resiliency in Survivors of Trauma by Linda T. Sanford (Neari Press, 2005)

I was really surprised to find this book.  Originally published in 1990, it was two years ahead of Judith Herman’s book, Trauma and Recovery, and well ahead of its time in discussing the long term impact of childhood trauma. 

This book is full of stories from survivors of trauma and how they were able to find their inner capacity to heal and overcome the preconceptions and stigma often associated with childhood survivors.  Linda Sanfield discusses and debunks the three most harmful theories associated with childhood survivors: 1) childhood survivors grow up to be offenders; 2) victims develop learned helplessness; and 3) victims identify with their aggressor in order to gain mastery of the trauma.  Her studies, statistical analysis, and interviews tell a much different story of hope and recovery, of inner resilience, and the ability to learn lessons from one’s childhood in order to be empowered in the present.

While some of the stories may trigger trauma responses in some readers, it is still a valuable book for survivors who are searching for stories about other people who have experienced childhood trauma.  The stories tell of the abuse but also of the recovery.  The writer also explains the trauma response in a way that trauma survivors will be able identify and understand.

The chapter “Human Doings: Survivors and Their Work” is specifically written for those of us who have chosen to work for and support victims of abuse after experiencing our own trauma.  Linda Sanfield discusses how we can become almost addicted to our work as a way of proving our value; and how we can also use our work as a healthy way to heal from and make meaning out of our own experiences.   

I highly recommend this book for both advocates and survivors.