Why We Do Trauma Therapy

Here is the last paragraph of the Introduction to Trauma Treatments Handbook, Protocols Across the Spectrum. You're seeing it before the publishers do. Before I send it in, do you have anything to add about why we do this work? I'll publish what you write, unless it's spam.

 

As trauma therapists, we are privileged to use all of our selves to help people heal from deep wounds. We connect deeply, from the heart, all day long. We use our detective brains to puzzle out what is happening with our clients and what do about it. We enjoy helping the grateful single-trauma survivors get quickly back to their lives. We dig deep into our skills while slowly and carefully helping our most dissociative clients into their new, healed selves. We continually learn new skills from the innovators in our field and in innovative collaboration with our clients. We hang out with colleagues who love their work and support ours. Throughout each therapy we are delighted to hear, “I finally know it’s over!” “I feel like ‘me’ again!” “It wasn’t my fault, I was a little kid when that happened.” “I’ve got my body back!” “I can have sex again.” “I didn’t have one nightmare all week!” “Thank you for letting me get completely here and now!” “I’ve got my life back!”

 

Comments

[trauma therapy]

I recently came across your blog and have been reading about trauma therapy. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

[Robin Shapiro]

Thanks. Many people read this blog, according to the statistics, but I rarely get a comment. Comment as much as you like!

Robin

[Raymond Bokenkamp]

Feeling "being me again" immediately improves the quality of live in an individual's micro-cosmos as can have a substantial impact to the community surrounding it.

I am interested in healing in general and trauma release as part of that. There is a workshop by Bessel van der Kolk on releasing trauma through Yoga, neurofeedback and EMDR. I am thinking about attending it.

Thanks for your post and the important work that you do.

Raymond Bokenkamp

Blog: http://blog.healthpanda.com
Website: http://www.healthpanda.com

[Robin Shapiro]

By all means, take the workshop. Hes a great presenter!

[Kim Hamilton]

I found your blog by accident - a happy accident I might add. I am looking at improving my practice when working with the adult children of parents with mental illness, in particular looking at healing the multiple traumas they have often suffered as a result of their parents illness.

I have found your links very useful and stimulating - so thank you. I will continue to visit you blog regularly.

[Robin Shapiro]

Thanks, Kim. Feel free to comment whenever you like. Many of my clients were traumatized by sick parents. Even when theres no overt abuse, a still depressed face is developmentally disruptive for infants. Sometimes you have to go way back to repair what didnt happen.

Robin

[ADHD Therapy]

I've being researching about Trauma Therapy and reading your blog, I found your post very helpful :) . I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog!

[Georgia]

Dr. Shapiro,

When will your book be published? Will there be a period yet for fine tuning and editing and much patience required?

Reading the paragraph from your introduction gives me pause...could I ever hope for recovery to be done?

I've been told over and over that recovery is a lifelong process and something like learning an athletic skill, a spiritual discipline or learning to ride a unicycle or play the violin...that recovery from very early abuse, alcoholic parents, CSA, other major losses and betrayals, plus my own wrong choices (though no addictions) will never be done.

But, I really came to this blog today looking for a definition of 'trauma therapy' to learn that there are several kinds EMDR, ITT...Ego State Therapy?

I'll bookmark your blog for sure. Even as a client, I have found that reading about therapy is like preparing for surgery...I am better able to relax and participate if I know what things like 'cognitive distortions' are. Terminology without explanation is frightening for the lay person.

Thank you very much for your work and for the gift of your blog.

[Robin Shapiro]

Georgia,

 

The book will be out in July. Ill find out how much rewriting I need to do when I get back from vacation. I sent in a very clean copy, because my mother, a writer, edited the whole thing. But Norton may want it changed in some way.

 

Ill put up a link on the blog so that you can know how to order it.

 

If I were you, Id get a good therapist who knows your issues and who does ego state work EMDR or Brainspotting or one of the Somatic therapies.

 

Everyone can heal. You can heal. Ive seen amazing things.

 

Good healing to you

[Raymond Bokenkamp]

I have been blogging about the Bessel van der Kolk : Frontiers of Trauma release workshop in Lenox, MA.

If you are interested in reading it, this is my blog:
http://blog.healthpanda.com

[Ce Eshelman, LMFT]

I love this blog. Thank you. I find that I have been to many of the conferences you have in the past and have had a similar sense of excitement about attachment work being done all over the world. Thank you. I am a humble fan. Ce
www.sacramentoattachmentspecialist.com

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