Psychology Trauma

Ten years ago, Ilyse Kennedy was a disconnected twenty-something, sitting on a therapy couch, grappling with her own trauma. Now, as a trauma therapist, Kennedy shows up ready to attune to her treasured clients. Those who meet her might be surprised to know that this twenty-something still lives within her. She also has a people pleaser, who caters to the needs of others for self-protection. Then there is the therapist within her, who offers tools and solutions for her clients. The twenty-something, people pleaser, and therapist are all parts within her.

This book teaches assessment, treatment plans, enhancing the therapeutic relationship, and ethics and boundary issues, all within a general framework of attachment theory and trauma. Practical chapters talk about working with attachment problems, grief, depression, cultural differences, affect tolerance, anxiety, addiction, trauma, skill-building, suicidal ideation, psychosis, and the beginning and end of therapy.

Millions of us are desperately trying to rewrite our past by unconsciously repeating it—unknowingly reenacting the traumatic events in our lives in an effort to complete unfinished business or undo what was done to us. These unconscious efforts to undo trauma only bring more pain, more disappointment, and more psychological damage. In Put Your Past in the Past, renowned psychotherapist Beverly Engel offers the first accessible and comprehensive book on emotional reenactments.

In recent years, therapy and self-care have become familiar buzzwords, but it's clear that people are having to face their emotional difficulties without the tools and insight to work through them. Enter Real Talk: A book to enable listeners to have genuine, authentic conversations with themselves, and to start the journey of healing their past experiences and cope with the challenges of modern life. Filled with techniques and wisdom from a therapist's toolkit this is a must-have handbook for optimising your mental health.

This "profoundly wise" look at how to foster connections, attachment, and resiliency explains why working through discord is the key to better relationships. (Sue Johnson, bestselling author of Hold Me Tight) You might think that perfect harmony is the defining characteristic of healthy...

Trauma is much closer to home than many of us think. It affects those fleeing wars and veterans returning from combat. Yet, it also affects those who grew up with alcoholics or those who were subjected to physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. In his book, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk goes into detail about how this changes the way we think and offers an in-depth look at the new treatments that can help overcome trauma and reshape the brain.

Feeling pressured to forgive their offenders is a common reason trauma survivors avoid mental health services and support. Those who force, pressure, or encourage trauma survivors to forgive can unknowingly cause harm and sabotage their recovery. And such harm is entirely unnecessary—especially when research shows there is no consensus among psychologists, psychiatrists, and other professionals about whether forgiveness is necessary for recovery at all.

Dealing with narcissists can be emotionally and psychologically exhausting and traumatic. Most narcissists feel entitled to everyone’s attention, and exploit others without guilt or shame. Often times, the victims never really know what hit them until it’s too late. Award-winning author Naila Farrah knows a thing or two about falling victim to a narcissist. She aims to empower people like you to take back control and start living a new life free from your narcissistic abuser’s grip.

Vagus Nerve Reset Workbook is a practical, science-backed guide to calm anxiety, release stored trauma, and restore balance. Unlike theory-heavy manuals, this workbook is an interactive, step-by-step resource with over 60 simple exercises rooted in neuroscience, somatic psychology, and Polyvagal Theory.

Don’t settle for an unhappy life! Learn to recognize the symptoms of trauma. Rape, assault, combat, natural disaster, death of a loved one, or an accident or illness have lasting effects if unaddressed and unresolved. You can free yourself from the grip of these life events. There is hope! The Trauma Map reconnects you to your true self — the person you lost when traumatic experiences were left buried. Through five simple steps, Dr. Karol Darsa will show you how to make peace with your past and find the internal quietness that we all desire.

Do memories from your past hold you back in ways you can't define?Childhood trauma shapes our adult lives more than we realize. It influences our self-worth, challenges our relationships, and can even impact our health. Yet, many dismiss its effects as mere 'personality quirks.'

We have learned how to suppress our pain and deny its presence, but when we fight against our internal turmoil, glimmers of peace are short-lived. Rejecting our suffering is not a sustainable solution because trauma is held in the body. In this book, Nityda Gessel invites listeners on a journey toward lasting freedom, with insights and experiential practices that marry the wisdom of Buddhist psychology, yogic teachings, and Indigenous understanding with somatic psychotherapy and neuroscience.

Among the various treatments for trauma, trauma-informed yoga stands out, rooted in an ancient practice, offering a safe, compassionate, and empowering path to recovery. This book, authored by a seasoned yoga practitioner, serves as a compassionate guide towards empowered healing, resilience, and personal growth.

If you have experienced sexual abuse, assault, harassment, or rape, you may feel disconnected from your sexual self—even if you've overcome the initial trauma. You are a survivor, but surviving is just the beginning. Written by a psychologist and grounded in cutting-edge research, Reclaiming Pleasure picks up where other sexual trauma recovery books leave off. With this sex-positive and empowering guide, you are invited to take your recovery to the next level. You'll feel emboldened by the desire for better sex, healthier relationships, and a more connected, pleasurable life.

Family members and friends of adults with a mental illness often navigate difficult journeys, filled with fear, heartache, frustration, helplessness, exhaustion, and guilt—feelings that may be intermingled with immense pride and hope. Suffering in silence can magnify confusion, isolation, and pain. Loving Someone with a Mental Illness or History of Trauma provides actionable strategies for these family members and friends who give so much but whose needs and sacrifices are often unappreciated.

Understanding how our brains and bodies actually work is a powerful tool in mitigating the anxiety generated by unpleasant physical and emotional symptoms that we all may experience from time to time. Here, Robert Scaer unravels the complexities of the brain-body connection, equipping all those who are in distress with a plausible explanation for how they feel.

Do you feel guilty when you’re not able to help someone who completely depends on you? Are you feeling like you don’t have the freedom to explore opportunities for growth? Do you feel like you can’t live up to your full potential because you have to take care of everyone’s needs before your own? Margot Fayre, doctor of psychology, knows this all too well.

Now, you might be thinking, EMDR might be another one of those fads that will just waste your precious time and money. Or maybe you're concerned that the techniques will be too complex to understand, let alone perform on yourself. Those are legit concerns, but here's the thing: EMDR has been around for a while and its methods have been scrutinized, tested, and applauded by experts. Plus, this book breaks everything down into bite-sized, easy-to-digest chunks. No psychobabble, just straight-up, easy-to-follow guides.

The Invisible Lion is a deeply personal and insightful exploration of how our human experience is shaped by our nervous system's response to trauma, and how we can tame our nervous system and heal our trauma to improve our happiness, health, and relationships.

Grief, mental illness, and the bonds of family are movingly explored in this extraordinary memoir “suffused with emotional depth and intellectual inquiry” (Rachel Louise Snyder, author of No Visible Bruises) as a writer delves into the tragedy of his mother’s violent death at the hands of...