Read This Book: Help Yourself and Help Others

Anyone coping with trauma or who wants or needs to know how to help someone coping with trauma will benefit from reading this book. When I am or have been really struggling to just get through the day, and all I could do was eat sleep and read a few pages...this is the book I read. It is always by my bed within reach. I have bought copies for friends, asked my therapist to read it, and had the good fortune to meet Jon Allen as a patient in a psyche hosptial where he taught trauma patients about what trauma does to people and how to cope. I wish I could convey the deep understanding and compassion and dedication this man shared with us and how much he listened to each and every persons story with such attention and helpful feedback. This book is a reflection of all that I experienced and more. The chapters on emotion, memory and relationships helped me to understand things I thought I already understood. This book has helped me and helped me help others. I wish everyone would read this book. There are so many ways people get traumatized and don't even know it and even if they did, so many don't know that there are important things to understand and ways to cope and hopefully heal.

Rating:


If you buy one book on trauma, here it is!

If you buy just one book on Trauma this is the one to buy. Not only does Dr. Allen write with compassion and understanding, but he writes both about despair and hope. Trauma survivors reading the first half of the book will see themselves and their histories in the details he writes about trauma. You will also come to a better understanding of just why Trauma is so hard to leave behind. His chapters on brain physiology may seem complicated, but more than anything they are worth wading through for you to gain forgiveness for yourself and the persistence of your traumatic reactions. In the second half of the book he offers hope in the form of chapters (not lists) of very specific things you can do to help yourself recover. Dr. Allen treats the trauma survivor with respect and confidence that s/he can and will work towards a better future.

While I have written this review in the voice of trauma survivors, professionals who work with trauma are DUTY BOUND to read this book. The documentation and comprehensive review of current literature will update your knowledge and give you very specific information on working with trauma survivors. In addition, Dr. Allen shows a respect for survivors that all professionals would all do well to emulate.

Rating:


Comprehensive and wise "self-education" book

This book will help trauma sufferers and the mental health professionals who work with traumatized individuals. While filled with helpful advise, it moves beyond simple explanations and easy answers. It's not a "light" read, but it's well worth the effort. This is a healing and informative book for any reader who wants to understand the effects of trauma on the self and relationships.

Rating: