Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence--From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror

I bought this as part of a huge Amazon haul of books on trauma, abuse and PTSD but this volume, Herman's Trauma and Recovery, was far and away the most powerful, the most affecting and the deepest. Herman goes into the root causes, symptoms and sensations of trauma but she also has a brilliantly wide, sensitive frama of reference: she looks at how a traumatised person fits (or doesn't fit, or struggles to fit) into the wider familial, social, political and cultural world. She goes into victim-blaming, perpetrator impunity, silencing and shame. But she also pays amazing tribute to the power of survivors and the body, mind and soul's ability to heal themselves. If you haven't been directly affected by the issues she covers, this will be a rich, informative read, extremely interesting and fascinating as a cultural history. If you are a survivor it'll become a bible.

This is a good book to learn about yourself and to build up your confidence knowledge and understanding of what you can achieve

An amazing book

I've just been diagnosed with various conditions caused by my experiences in N Ireland's Troubles, I'm on long waiting lists for treatment, found this book very helpful explaining what the trauma can cause and good ideas for recovery both by yourself and the professionals, what you should ask for in treatment

This is a great book which gives real insight into trauma. I believe it's a subject everyone should read about because it becomes clear how relevant trauma is to our everyday lives and to those we love without even realizing it sometimes. This book also explains why it is such a taboo subject when traumatic events become more personal and what it takes to recover or help others to recover. It's an important book on a crucial subject that needs to be understood and brought into the light.

I benefited from Therapy provided by The Woman's Service which was developed on Judith Herman's model of Stages of Recovery. I have written a memoir 'Because It Didn't Stop When It Ended' which tells how therapy enabled me to work on the impact of childhood trauma. I learned about the Stages of Recovery in Trauma and Recovery after I wrote my book. I was taken aback by the accuracy of what this book says particularly in her chapter on Child Abuse. A must read for anyone who cares enough to know more and for everyone who is working with adult survivors of abuse or trauma in childhood.

I think this book is a "must" for psychologists and psychiatrists working with PTSD. It is the best and most comprehensive book I have read, and still: of course there are things to be added like pharmacotherapy as an adjuvant to psychotherapy. But this by side, Judith Herman has written what is a book which will be of interest for years to come, and no professional should undertake treatment of PTSD without reading this book - that would be like treating PTSD blindfolded.

I enjoyed this book. It describes the aftermath of trauma to the deepest point, followed by the path of recovery. I would recommend it.