Book Review – Restoring Hope and Trust, An Illustrated Guide to Mastering Trauma by Lisa Lewis, Ph.D., et.al.

I ordered Restoring Hope and Trust after an advocate asked me if I had heard of it and wanted to know what I thought.  I am very grateful that she did.  I am often asked if I know of a good book about trauma that would be helpful to survivors.  This may be the one.  Other books are either too technical or clinical.  Restoring Hope and Trust is only 130 pages but is still full of information about the impact of trauma and how to manage its effects. 

Each chapter beings with a mindfulness exercise and then moves into discussions about the many ways trauma impacts a survivor’s life including the physiological and emotional.  The authors pull the best information from many experts in the trauma field including Judith Herman.  The explanations include illustrations and examples of people’s experiences.  At the end of each chapter are self-study questions for journaling. 

What I found the most helpful was how empowering and supportive the authors are in their descriptions of the cycles of behaviors and emotions that survivors often find themselves involved.  The book also includes chapters on compassion fatigue and the treatment of trauma. 

Restoring Hope and Trust is published by the Sidran Institute, an advocacy and education program specifically for survivors of trauma and people who work with them.  The book can be found here