This book changed my understanding of trauma and the ways that humans cope with it. It's not a new book, but it is considered "one of the most important psychiatric works to be published since Freud" largely because she addresses the deeper effects of longterm and severe traumatic stresses, like the stress suffered by so many children in families with mental health and addiction problems. She is the first doctor to demonstrate to me that Borderline Personality Disorder is really a response to chronic trauma, and that it can be treated in the same way. Most of the PTSD treatment from before her book was oriented at helping a person get past a single traumatic event. Dr Herman writes about the traumas of combat, imprisonment, rape, child abuse, natural disasters and more. I recommend this book without hesitation to practitioners, as well as to individuals who believe that their traumatic experiences may be limiting their happiness in life. Trauma and Recovery is well written, nicely organized, and goes to the meat of the questions without hesitation.
A quote, to get your juices going:
To study psychological trauma is to come face to face both with human vulnerability in the natural world, and the capacity for evil in human events. To study psychological trauma means bearing witness to horrible events. When the events are natural disasters or "acts of God," those who bear witness sympathize readily with the victim. But when the traumatic events are of human design, those who bear witness are caught in the conflict between victim and perpetrator. It is morally impossible to remain neutral in this conflict. The bystander is forced to take sides.
It is very tempting to take the side of the perpetrator. All the perpetrator asks is that the bystander do nothing. He appeals to the universal desire to see, hear, and speak no evil. The victim, on the contrary, asks the bystander to share the burden of pain. The victim demands action, engagement, and remembering. (page 7).
A quote, to get your juices going:
To study psychological trauma is to come face to face both with human vulnerability in the natural world, and the capacity for evil in human events. To study psychological trauma means bearing witness to horrible events. When the events are natural disasters or "acts of God," those who bear witness sympathize readily with the victim. But when the traumatic events are of human design, those who bear witness are caught in the conflict between victim and perpetrator. It is morally impossible to remain neutral in this conflict. The bystander is forced to take sides.
It is very tempting to take the side of the perpetrator. All the perpetrator asks is that the bystander do nothing. He appeals to the universal desire to see, hear, and speak no evil. The victim, on the contrary, asks the bystander to share the burden of pain. The victim demands action, engagement, and remembering. (page 7).
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