Truth and Repair: How Trauma Survivors Envision Justice 

 

By Judith Lewis Herman, MD. (Author), Stacey Glemboski (Narrator). (2023)

From Amazon.com:  “From one of America’s most influential psychiatrists, a powerful manifesto for reimagining justice, based on the testimony of trauma survivors

The #MeToo movement brought worldwide attention to sexual violence, but while the media focused on the fates of a few notorious predators who were put on trial, we heard far less about the outcomes of those trials for the survivors of their abuse. 
  
The conventional retributive process fails to serve most survivors; it was never designed for them. Renowned trauma expert Judith L. Herman argues that the first step toward a better form of justice is simply to ask survivors what would make things as right as possible for them. In Truth and Repair, she commits the radical act of listening to survivors. Recounting their stories, she offers an alternative vision of justice as healing for survivors and their communities. 
  
Deeply researched and compassionately told, Truth and Repair envisions a new path to justice for all.”

My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies 

My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by [LICSW Resmaa Menakem, MSW]

By Resmaa Menakem, MSW, LICSW. (2017)

From Amazon.com:  “A NATIONAL BESTSELLER

My Grandmother’s Hands will change the direction of the movement for racial justice.”— Robin DiAngelo, New York Times bestselling author of White Fragility

In this groundbreaking book, therapist Resmaa Menakem examines the damage caused by racism in America from the perspective of trauma and body-centered psychology.

The body is where our instincts reside and where we fight, flee, or freeze, and it endures the trauma inflicted by the ills that plague society. Menakem argues this destruction will continue until Americans learn to heal the generational anguish of white supremacy, which is deeply embedded in all our bodies. Our collective agony doesn’t just affect African Americans. White Americans suffer their own secondary trauma as well. So do blue Americans—our police.

My Grandmother’s Hands is a call to action for all of us to recognize that racism is not only about the head, but about the body, and introduces an alternative view of what we can do to grow beyond our entrenched racialized divide.

  • Paves the way for a new, body-centered understanding of white supremacy—how it is literally in our blood and our nervous system.
  • Offers a step-by-step healing process based on the latest neuroscience and somatic healing methods, in addition to incisive social commentary.

Resmaa Menakem, MSW, LICSW, is a therapist with decades of experience currently in private practice in Minneapolis, MN, specializing in trauma, body-centered psychotherapy, and violence prevention. He has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show and Dr. Phil as an expert on conflict and violence. Menakem has studied with bestselling authors Dr. David Schnarch (Passionate Marriage) and Dr. Bessel van der Kolk (The Body Keeps the Score). He also trained at Peter Levine’s Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute.”

The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture 

The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture by [Gabor Maté]

By Gabor Maté, MD. 2022.

From Amazon.com: “The instant New York Times bestseller

By the acclaimed author of In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, a groundbreaking investigation into the causes of illness, a bracing critique of how our society breeds disease, and a pathway to health and healing.

In this revolutionary book, renowned physician Gabor Maté eloquently dissects how in Western countries that pride themselves on their healthcare systems, chronic illness and general ill health are on the rise. Nearly 70 percent of Americans are on at least one prescription drug; more than half take two. In Canada, every fifth person has high blood pressure. In Europe, hypertension is diagnosed in more than 30 percent of the population. And everywhere, adolescent mental illness is on the rise. So what is really “normal” when it comes to health?

Over four decades of clinical experience, Maté has come to recognize the prevailing understanding of “normal” as false, neglecting the roles that trauma and stress, and the pressures of modern-day living, exert on our bodies and our minds at the expense of good health. For all our expertise and technological sophistication, Western medicine often fails to treat the whole person, ignoring how today’s culture stresses the body, burdens the immune system, and undermines emotional balance. Now Maté brings his perspective to the great untangling of common myths about what makes us sick, connects the dots between the maladies of individuals and the declining soundness of society—and offers a compassionate guide for health and healing. Cowritten with his son Daniel, The Myth Of Normal is Maté’s most ambitious and urgent book yet.”

The Worst Is Over: What To Say When Every Moment Counts (Revised Edition) 

By Judith Acosta LISW, CCH and Judith Simon Prager PhD. (2014)

From Amazon.com:  “One day, maybe sooner, maybe later, someone you love will be in an emergency situation. An elderly parent, a spouse, a child. Maybe you’ve taken CPR. More than likely, you have a First Aid book on the shelf. But when the crisis hits, after you’ve called 911 and, if appropriate, propped up the victim’s head or feet, what do you do? What do you say? ‘Hang in there, Joe,’ or ‘Don”t die on me, damn it,’ may be heartfelt but is not exactly helpful. “But there ARE words, and ways of saying them, that are not only helpful, but can turn the situation around, can positively affect Joe’s heart rate, temperature, breathing, in fact his cardiovascular, limbic, endocrine, circulatory and respiratory systems.” That is how THE WORST IS OVER begins. This book has been called “the ‘bible’ for crisis communication by The International Journal of Emergency Mental Health. And in the years since it was first published we have received letters from all over the world telling us how true those words are…and how helpful when every moment matters. The Worst Is Over: What to Say When Every Moment Counts is a book that is changing the way all of us—from first responders and health care workers to neighbors and family members—are speaking to each other in times of medical emergencies, trauma, and crisis. This in-depth guide to the protocol of Verbal First Aid™ is a revolutionary method of using the power of words to promote healing in emergency situations. Research indicates that saying the right words at the right time in the right way can change the outcome of critical care, alter the chemicals the body generates, and set the course of recovery for people even before they arrive in the emergency room. People in crisis are in an altered state of consciousness while experiencing an emotional crisis or medical emergency, which is precisely why what you say is as important as what you do. At such times, words act as commands to the autonomic nervous system, which regulates bleeding, blood pressure, body temperature, muscle contractions, interpretations of pain, even emotional reactions. The right words can actually change the medical outcome. And the right words said in a frightening situation may help shift the memory from one of trauma to a memory of rescue and perhaps even courage. Because we are a mind-body, physically and emotionally words can harm or words can heal. While Verbal First Aid had its birth in the dramatic world of emergency rescue, it does not stop there. Verbal First Aid is the language of healing and can be used wherever and whenever the human heart is vulnerable. It is not only useful with asthma attacks and car accidents, but it can also be a life-saver when dealing with a loved one struggling with chronic pain, fighting the fear of cancer, or suffering from nightmares. The principles involved in using language to connect with the body and spirit for healing apply anywhere, everywhere, to all of us whenever sensitivity, understanding, kindness, and conviction are required. And isn’t that all the time? Medical professionals and first responders across the country and around the world have discovered this protocol and are using it to calm, relieve pain, promote healing, and save lives. And all of us, because we all have words and the ability to use our empathy and kindness, are ultimately equipped to help start the healing and change the outcome for the better. Will you know what to say when every moment counts? With this book and the protocol of Verbal First Aid, you can be that invaluable resource.”

Managing Your Distress in the Aftermath of a Shooting

You may be struggling to understand how a shooting rampage could take place in a community, even a workplace or military base, and why such a terrible thing would happen.

This tip sheet was made possible with help from the following APA members: Dewey Cornell, PhD, Richard A. Heaps, PhD, Jana Martin, PhD, H. Katherine O’Neill, PhD, Karen Settle, PhD, Peter Sheras, PhD, Phyllis Koch-Sheras, PhD, and members of Div. 17.

Date created: July 29, 2019

4 min read

https://www.apa.org/topics/gun-violence-crime/mass-shooting

(apa – The American Psychological Association)

Trauma Through a Child’s Eyes: Awakening the Ordinary Miracle of Healing

By Peter A. Levine Ph.D. and Maggie Kline. (2006

From Amazon.com: “An essential guide for recognizing, preventing, and healing childhood trauma, from infancy through adolescence—what parents, educators, and health professionals can do.

Trauma can result not only from catastrophic events such as abuse, violence, or loss of loved ones, but from natural disasters and everyday incidents like auto accidents, medical procedures, divorce, or even falling off a bicycle. At the core of this book is the understanding of how trauma is imprinted on the body, brain, and spirit—often resulting in anxiety, nightmares, depression, physical illnesses, addictions, hyperactivity, and aggression.

Rich with case studies and hands-on activities, Trauma Through a Child’s Eyes gives insight into children’s innate ability to rebound with the appropriate support, and provides their caregivers with tools to overcome and prevent trauma.”

Trauma and Memory: Brain and Body in a Search for the Living Past: A Practical Guide for Understanding and Working with Traumatic Memory

By Peter A. Levine Ph.D. (Author), Bessel A. van der Kolk M.D. (Foreword) (2015)

From Amazon.com: “In Trauma and Memory, bestselling author Dr. Peter Levine (creator of the Somatic Experiencing approach) tackles one of the most difficult and controversial questions of PTSD/trauma therapy: Can we trust our memories? While some argue that traumatic memories are unreliable and not useful, others insist that we absolutely must rely on memory to make sense of past experience. Building on his 45 years of successful treatment of trauma and utilizing case studies from his own practice, Dr. Levine suggests that there are elements of truth in both camps. While acknowledging that memory can be trusted, he argues that the only truly useful memories are those that might initially seem to be the least reliable: memories stored in the body and not necessarily accessible by our conscious mind.

While much work has been done in the field of trauma studies to address “explicit” traumatic memories in the brain (such as intrusive thoughts or flashbacks), much less attention has been paid to how the body itself stores “implicit” memory, and how much of what we think of as “memory” actually comes to us through our (often unconsciously accessed) felt sense. By learning how to better understand this complex interplay of past and present, brain and body, we can adjust our relationship to past trauma and move into a more balanced, relaxed state of being. Written for trauma sufferers as well as mental health care practitioners, Trauma and Memory is a groundbreaking look at how memory is constructed and how influential memories are on our present state of being”.


Can you process a trauma that you don’t remember?

March 27, 2019

Irene Lyon

One of the more common confusions is how one heals a trauma, or a lifetime of traumas, when there is ZERO memory of it, or them. In this vlog I get into this. The key is working with the body, the somatic self, and also with the survival stress. Enjoy! Resources I Mention In The Vlog: – 9 Common Human Experiences That Can Be Traumatic (but are often seen as not): https://irenelyon.com/2019/01/15/9-co… -Trauma and Memory: Brain and Body in a Search for the Living Past: A Practical Guide for Understanding and Working with Traumatic Memory https://www.amazon.ca/Trauma-Memory-P… -The Story of Teddy (how early trauma impacts all of us) https://youtu.be/dNts7T8_Vig __ Thank you for watching this video and continuing to follow me here on my YouTube channel. I’d love for you to leave a comment and let me know how this impacted you and what you have learned. ► Subscribe to my channel here: https://www.youtube.com/IreneLyon ► Check out my website here: https://irenelyon.com __ Irene Lyon, MSC. and nervous system expert, teaches people around the world how to work with the nervous system to transform trauma, heal body and mind, and live full, creative lives. To date her online programs have reached people in over 63 countries – but you can often find her teaching with Elia Mrak at their signature Up & Down workshops or hiking in the mountains or along the Pacific ocean in her hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia. She has her Master’s in Biomedical and Health Science and also has a knack for making complex info easy for ALL of us to understand and apply to our lives. She has extensively studied and practices the works of Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais, Peter Levine (founder of Somatic Experiencing) and Kathy Kain (founder of Somatic Practice). __ Follow Irene Here Online: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/irenelyon/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lyonirene Twitter: https://twitter.com/irene_lyon LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/irenelyon/ Medium: https://medium.com/@irenelyon SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/irenelyon Website: https://irenelyon.com Work With Irene & Her Team: ► Self-Study Course: https://irenelyon.com/tuneup/ ► Intensive 12-Week Program: https://www.smartbodysmartmind.com/ ► Up & Down Workshop: https://www.updownworkshop.com/ __ Email Us: https://irenelyon.com/contact/ or support@irenelyon.com __ Grab A Free Resource: 4 steps to calm overwhelm and out of control emotions https://irenelyon.com/4-steps-to-calm

For Your Own Protection: How Complex Trauma Changes a Person

July 24, 2017 

By Sharie Stines, MBA, CATC-V, LPCC-I, GoodTherapy.org Topic Expert

http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/for-your-own-protection-how-complex-trauma-changes-person-0724174?utm_source=Subscribers&utm_campaign=0d638ad145-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_07_25&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_135946a8dd-0d638ad145-71304725