The PTSD Workbook: Simple, Effective Techniques for Overcoming Traumatic Stress Symptoms

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New Harbinger Publications, May 1, 2016 - Self-Help - 376 pages

In the third edition of The PTSD Workbook, psychologists and trauma experts Mary Beth Williams and Soili Poijula offer readers the most effective tools available for overcoming post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

PTSD is an extremely debilitating condition that can occur after exposure to a terrifying event. But whether you’re a veteran of war, a victim of domestic violence or sexual violence, or have been involved in a natural disaster, crime, car accident, or accident in the workplace, your symptoms may be getting in the way of you living your life.

PTSD can often cause you to relive your traumatic experience in the form of flashbacks, memories, nightmares, and frightening thoughts. This is especially true when you are exposed to events or objects that remind you of your trauma. Left untreated, PTSD can lead to emotional numbness, insomnia, addiction, anxiety, depression, and even suicide. So, how can you start to heal and get your life back?

In The PTSD Workbook, Third Edition, psychologists and trauma experts Mary Beth Williams and Soili Poijula outline techniques and interventions used by PTSD experts from around the world to conquer distressing trauma-related symptoms. In this fully revised and updated workbook, you’ll learn how to move past the trauma you’ve experienced and manage symptoms such as insomnia, anxiety, and flashbacks.

Based in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), this book is extremely accessible and easy to use, offering evidence-based therapy at a low cost. This new edition features chapters focusing on veterans with PTSD, the link between cortisol and adrenaline and its role in PTSD and overall mental health, and the mind-body component of PTSD. Clinicians will also find important updates reflecting the new DSM-V definition of PTSD.

This book is designed to give you the emotional resilience you need to get your life back together after a traumatic event.

 

Contents

Grief and Loss
Finding Joy and Happiness
FINDING MEANING
Loss of Interest in Doing Things
Communication Styles
LESSENING AROUSAL WHAT TO DO IF YOU CANT SLEEP CANT RELAX OR
A Signal Emotion
Distractibility and Trouble Paying Attention

HELPING YOURSELF WHEN YOU REEXPERIENCE A TRAUMA
Using Activities and Anchors to Reduce Triggers
COPING WITH TRAUMA WITH LESS AVOIDANCE
DEALING WITH CATEGORY D SYMPTOMS PART I
Where Beliefs About the Self Come From
Blaming Yourself or Others for the Trauma
What About Forgiveness?
DEALING WITH CATEGORY D SYMPTOMS PART 2
Shame
An Aside About Suicide
FOR VETERANS RETURNING FROM WAR TOOLS FOR PERSONAL SURVIVAL
Five Techniques to Help You Help Yourself
Using Sound and Music to Heal
Moving Ahead
FINAL THOUGHTS AND EXERCISES
Developing a Sense of Humor and Finding the Positive
Psychological Wellness
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About the author (2016)

Mary Beth Williams, PhD, LCSW, CTS, is an author, researcher, lecturer, and trainer in the area of trauma. In addition, she treats trauma survivors in private practice at the Trauma Recovery Education and Counseling Center in Warrenton, VA. Williams is former president of the Association of Traumatic Stress Specialists. She is a trainer for US Customs and Border Protection, cofounder of the proposed 501(c)(3) US Vet Source, and author of many articles, chapters, and books about trauma disorders.

Soili Poijula, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, licensed psychotherapist, and director at Oy Synolon Ltd., a center for trauma psychology in Finland, where she has done pioneering work as a developer of post-trauma psychotherapy.


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