Understanding Trauma

What is post-traumatic stress disorder? What does it feel like? And how can it be overcome? Trauma is a term that many of us find alienating and clinical. But in fact trauma is something most people encounter at some point in life, and post-traumatic stress - far from being a mental disorder - is a normal reaction to abnormal events: even breaking a bone or witnessing a car crash. Drawing on 20 years of research and clinical practice, Roger Baker explains the many symptoms of post-traumatic stress and lays out a self help programme - emotional processing therapy - which can defuse the distressing memories of trauma and reduce the occurrence of flashbacks, nightmares and tensions. Professor Baker also advises strategies to prevent post-traumatic stress in the first place. Full of real-life case studies, this is essential reading for trauma sufferers, their family and friends, and specialists alike.

ContentsAcknowledgments 6Section IPost Traumatic Stress Disorder 71. A Life Spoiled 82. What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? 183. Post Traumatic Stress in the Dock 344. Why Me? 41Section IIThe Psychology Behind PTSD 515. Emotional Processing 526. Burying the Memories 617. Emotions, the Stuff of Life 70Section IIIThe Need for Therapy 798. Susan's Story 809. Healthy and Unhealthy Reactions to Trauma 8810. Emotional Processing Therapy 96Section IVSelf-Help Programme for PTSD 10311. Max's Story 10412. Preparing for Therapy 11813. Emotional Processing Style 12914. Facing the Memories 139Section VThe Journey Onwards 15115. Stumbling Blocks 15216. The Deal 15717. Sweet or Deadly Oblivion? 167References 175Index 187