After the Storm: Healing After Trauma, Tragedy and Terror
Author: Kendall Johnson
Post-traumatic stress disorder - a.k.a. PTSD or, simply, "trauma" - is a growing problem, with adults and children today affected by threats of terror; combat in the Middle East; and social, economic, and personal crises. It is a hidden disease affecting 10 percent of the population - many whether they know it or not. This book explains how PTSD arises, how to recognize its effects, and how to stabilize and recover from it, focusing especially on three areas: how to cope, how to help children and other loved ones, and how to recover happiness. Based on his 18 years of field experience and practice, the author provides specific suggestions for handling trauma reactions like anger, anxiety, and withdrawal; discusses how to work through its long-term effects; and includes numerous case examples and guidelines for self-help. Accessible and timely, his book speaks to healthcare professionals, military families, and anyone seeking coping strategies in the current world climate.
Library Journal
The events of 9/11 ushered in a heightened "age of anxiety" in the United States. These two books address this current mental health threat from notably different perspectives. Johnson's book begins with an "emergency guide," with clear directions on how to stabilize family members after a disaster. This is followed by an explanation of key concepts like acute and delayed stress reactions, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), complex trauma, and the layering of trauma's effects. Psychological tools and exercises for dealing with trauma's lingering effects are provided along with case examples. Johnson, an expert in crisis management (Trauma in the Lives of Children: Crisis and Stress Management Techniques for Counselors, Teachers, and Other Professionals), has written a technically proficient and accessible manual. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Table of Contents:
Contents
Acknowledgments....................42
A Note from the Author....................43
Introduction....................44
Times of Uncertainty....................45
Living in the New Age of Anxiety....................45
Personal Crisis Against the Backdrop of Fear....................47
How to Use This Book....................48
Part I: Global Uncertainty and the New Age of Anxiety Chapter 1: Living in Troubled Times....................52
Sources of Uncertainty....................52
Living in Fear: The Effects upon Our Health....................53
Is It Stress or Trauma?....................54
Contemporary Angst and Personal Crisis....................57
Chapter 2: Your Personal Response to Tragedy, Terror, and Uncertainty....................58
Nothing Occurs in a Vacuum....................59
Your Personal Sense of Well-Being....................59
Getting Down to Specifics....................60
Attitudes and Beliefs....................68
Things to Think and Write About....................68
Chapter 3: How Our Body and Brain React when We're Threatened....................69
Some Helpful Terms....................70
How We Respond to Crisis....................70
Stress Triggers a Chemical Cascade Inside Us....................71
When Things Fall Apart: Acute Stress....................73
Chronic Fear and Anxiety Can Create Episodes of Acute Stress....................76
Things to Think and Write About....................77
Chapter 4: Seeing the World Differently after Crisis and Trauma....................78
Building a Worldview....................78
The Outer "World" as an InternalConstruction....................79
Crisis, Memory, and Survival....................80
Flashbulbs in the Dark....................83
Cerebral "Indigestion" and Hidden Memories....................84
What It All Means....................85
Things to Think and Write About....................86
Chapter 5: Is It Trauma? Delayed Stress Reactions....................87
The Past Catches Up....................88
Delayed Reactions to the Storms of Living....................91
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: What It Is and Is Not....................92
Things to Think and Write About....................98
Chapter 6: Serious Complications: Understanding Complex Trauma....................99
Layers of Trauma from Events Past and Present....................99
Peeling the Onion: Childhood Trauma, Sexual Abuse, and Combat....................102
Memory Revisited....................102
Troubled Times and Low-Level Traumatic Stress....................106
Things to Think and Write About....................107
Chapter 7: Running Scared in the Brave New World: The Wounding of Spirit and Attitude....................108
Chronic Trauma, Collective Angst....................108
Toxic Conditions, Toxic Beliefs....................110
Running Scared....................110
Joys of the Heart and Spirit....................111
Assessing Spiritual Balance....................114
Things to Think and Write About....................116
Part II: Tools for Hope and Healing Chapter 8: Keeping It Together when You're Falling Apart....................118
Losing It....................122
The Range of Our Response to Crisis....................124
What to Do: Tools for Managing ASR....................129
Things to Think and Write About....................135
Chapter 9: Letting Go of Fear, Anger, and Loss....................136
A Quick Review of the What and Why of Arousal....................136
Going to Extremes....................137
The Basics of Managing ASR....................138
What Can We Do?....................138
Countermeasures for Episodes of Emotional Overreaction....................139
Special Case: When Resentment Keeps Exploding into Rage....................141
Special Case: When Fear Boxes Us In....................145
Special Case: When Sadness Becomes Acute....................148
Opening to Peace....................151
Things to Think and Write About....................152
Chapter 10: Dealing with Withdrawal, Numbing, and Depression....................153
Calling in Air Strikes on Our Own Position....................154
Brain Fade....................154
Where Has Life Gone?....................156
What Can We Do?....................157
Countermeasures for Episodes of Emotional Shutdown....................157
Serious Forms of Dissociation and Depression....................158
Surfacing: The Larger Journey Back....................162
Hidden Agendas: Uncovering Our Attachments to the Past....................163
Finding New Meaning in Old Distress....................166
Opening to Joy....................167
Things to Think and Write About....................168
Chapter 11: Stabilizing Our Children and Families....................169
Parenting During Difficult Times....................169
Talking to Children after a Crisis: An Example....................170
Stabilizing Teens....................177
Strategies for Coparenting....................179
Austere Triage for Family Arguments....................180
First Aid for Family Chaos....................181
Things to Think and Write About....................183
Chapter 12: Getting Professional Help....................184
Frequently Asked Questions about Therapy....................185
From My Side of the Room....................187
Issues and Resolution....................189
Different Ways to Go....................192
Shop Around....................195
A Few Words about Medication....................196
Choosing for Fit....................196
Things to Think and Write About....................197
Chapter 13: Reconnecting with Loved Ones....................198
On the Outside Looking In....................199
My, How You've Changed....................200
Helping Loved Ones....................201
When They Are Part of the Problem....................204
Healing Your Relationships by Making Amends....................205
Ulysses and the Road Home....................207
Things to Think and Write About....................208
Chapter 14: Rebuilding the Spirit....................209
Developing a Personal Spiritual Practice....................209
The Goals of Spiritual Renewal....................211
Out of the Monastery and into the Street....................217
Conclusion: Living with the Truth....................218
Tragedy....................218
The Fundamental War Within....................219
Keeping Hope Alive....................220
Gather Around the Fires....................221
Recommended Reading....................222
Index....................224
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