This book was originally published in 1992, but was republished in 2022. It’s essential reading for anyone who works with people who have experienced trauma. The book is in two parts: the first part explores the experience of trauma, and the second the stages of recovery. The book provides an overview of the history of different psychological approaches to understanding and treating trauma, and a comprehensive description of the various symptoms of trauma, and considers in detail some particular situations of trauma such as captivity and child abuse. I found the first three chapters the most useful when preparing my new course on trauma informed practice in conflict resolution. The later chapters are interesting in understanding specific situations of trauma and how therapists support people to recover, but were less relevant to my practice (in that I’m not providing therapy in the course of my work with clients).
