Disaster Mental Health Community Planning is a step-by-step guide to developing mental health disaster plans, assisting communities to act on long-term resilience and recovery. As disasters continue to increase in severity and number, with 16% of survivors identified as potential PTSD victims if they don't promptly receive care, this book is a critical read. Chapters outline how to prepare, develop, and implement a trauma-informed collaborative process that prioritizes lasting emotional wellbeing along with survivors' short-term needs. The manual demonstrates how to form this partnership through effective communication, assess those individuals at greatest risk of distress, and deliver trauma-specific treatment. Readers will appreciate the book's practical, user-friendly approach, including case studies, checklists, and follow-up questions to better define goals. Cutting-edge treatment interventions are included along with basic information on trauma's impact on the brain and the types and effects of human-caused and natural disasters to help readers make sound planning decisions. Accessible to mental-health providers, community leaders, organizations, and individuals alike, Disaster Mental Health Community Planning is a Road Map for anyone interested in delivering a trauma-informed mental health supplement to their community's medical disaster preparedness and response plan.

The Body Remembers, Volume 2: Revolutionizing Trauma Treatment continues the discussion begun more than fifteen years ago with the publication of the best-selling and beloved The Body Remembers: The Psychophysiology of Trauma and Trauma Treatment. This new book is grounded in the belief that the most important goal for any trauma treatment is to improve the quality of life of the client. Therefore, the first prerequisite is that the client be reliably stable and feel safe in his or her daily life as well as the therapy situation. To accomplish this, Babette Rothschild empowers both therapists and clients by expanding trauma treatment options. For clients who prefer not to review memories, or are unable to do so safely, new and expanded strategies and principles for trauma recovery are presented. And for those who wish to avail themselves of more typical trauma memory work, tools to make trauma memory resolution even safer are included. Being able to monitor and modulate a trauma client's dysregulated nervous system is one of the practitioner's best lines of defence against traumatic hyperarousal going amok-risking such consequences as dissociation and decompensation. Rothschild clarifies and simplifies autonomic nervous system (ANS) understanding and observation with her creation of an original full colour table that distinguishes six levels of arousal. Included in this table (and the discussion that accompanies it) is a new and essential distinction between trauma-induced hypoarousal and the low arousal that is caused by lethargy or depression. Combining an authoritative yet personal voice, Rothschild gives clinicians the space to recognise where they may have made mistakes-by sharing her own!-as well as a road map towards more effective practice in the future. This book is absolutely essential reading for anyone working with those who have experienced trauma. The full colour ANS table is also available from W.W. Norton as a laminated desk reference and a wall poster suitable for framing so this valuable therapeutic tool will always be at hand.

Not since the great military suicide epidemic of the American Civil War have we seen so many of our heroes, our soldiers and veterans, die by suicide. Why? War is violence. There is intent to cause death, or serious injury, or threat to the physical and psychological integrity of others. War stress is unforgiving. Suicide is an all too frequent response. Today, one member of the military dies by suicide every day. This is a new epidemic. This book addresses some tough questions: What do we know about suicides in the military? Are rates high? Or low? Is military suicide the same or different in the United States and Canada? Is military culture relevant? Do we know the causes, patterns, and associations? Is suicide among the armed forces similar to or different from suicide among civilians? Can it be altruistic? Through individual case studies and general/population approaches, we attempt to understand the cost of military service. It is especially through the personal stories of the great Civil War hero General Emory Upton, Admiral of the Navy Mike Boorda, and Hospital Corpsman Chris Purcell that we find answers. We learn there is a relative lack of understanding about military suicides, mainly due to the very complexity of suicide. The nature of suicide is not monolithic--it is multi-determined. Military service, we find, is a risk factor for suicide and suicidal behavior. Military veterans are twice as likely as civilians to die by suicide. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain Injury (TBI) are especially noted to be huge risk factors, but so are other physical and psychological injuries. Sadly, the aftershocks of war include not only suicides but also incarceration, motor vehicle accidents, homicides, homicide(s)-suicides, and many more faces of violence. And there are many more, uncounted, wounded and dead. The families of traumatized soldiers and veterans, too, are indirect victims of their traumatic experience and, for some, their suicides; there is secondary traumatization. Yet, as this book shows, we must not forget that despite the unbearable pain of war, soldiers, veterans, and their military families, including children, are typically resilient. They can survive! Without question, our vulnerable heroes and veterans are at risk for suicide. But there is secrecy surrounding this, which may well be the biggest barrier. The government, the Department of Defense, the military, veterans groups, survivors, health providers, and other stakeholders need to develop and support more research, more programs, and more care for suicidal and disabled armed services personnel, veterans, and survivors. This war stress needs to stop.

Transgenerational Trauma and Therapy presents the transgenerational, psychological impacts of trauma, and the clinical work on it. The book's expansive insight explores the psychology of the massive, collective trauma, and provides new ways of understanding the serious after-effects of man-made suffering. In this book, Bako and Zana employ their original concept, "the transgenerational atmosphere", to fully comprehend many familiar phenomena in a new theoretical framework, exploring the psychological impact of trauma on the first generation, the mode of transmission, the effects on future generations, and therapeutic considerations. Crucially, Transgenerational Trauma and Therapy explores the psychological effects of collective, societal traumas on whole groups of individuals. Beginning with the direct, deep psychological effects of individual trauma, and then exploring the impact of collective trauma over generations , it deals particularly with the role of the social environment in the processing of trauma, as well as its hereditary transmission. Rich in clinical material and methodological suggestions, Transgenerational Trauma and Therapy will appeal to mental health professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists, psychoanalysts, and social workers, in addition to professors in other academic disciplines, such as sociology, history, philosophy, and anthropology.

Rewriting the American Soul focuses on the political implications of psychoanalytic and neurocognitive approaches to trauma in literature, their impact on cultural representations of collective trauma in the United States, and their subversive appropriation in pre- and post-9/11 fiction. Anna Thiemann connects cutting edge trauma theory with the historical context from which it emerged and shows that contemporary novels encourage us to reflect critically on the cultural meanings and political uses of trauma. In doing so, it contributes to a new generation of trauma scholarship that challenges the dominant paradigm in literary and cultural studies. Moreover, the book intervenes in current debates about the relationship between literature and neuroscience insisting that the so-called neuronovel scrutinizes scientific developments and their political ramifications rather than adopting and translating them into aesthetic practices.

Integrating trauma studies with historical research and social psychology, Landscapes of Trauma examines a range of battlefields from across history, including Waterloo, the Battle of Sedan, the Battle of the Ebro and the Battle of Normandy, to bring to light what these battlefields say about our collective and individual psyches. Hunt explores how war shapes the nature of trauma, not only by its innate horror but also by the historical and societal contexts it is fought in, from the cultural and social conventions of the period to the topography of the settings. This book provides a deep analysis of how war is experienced and remembered in different eras and by different generations. Moving beyond the clinical concept of post-traumatic stress disorder, Hunt discusses how trauma can be understood socially and historically, as well as through the lens of individual suffering. This book also investigates the psychological foundations of memorialisation, remembrance and commemoration that shape the legacy of the battles discussed. Using interviews with veterans, their letters, journals and diaries, as well as literary and historical sources, Hunt locates the battlefield as a place where humans explore the parameters of human behaviour, thought and emotion. This book is in important resource for students and scholars interested in the psychology of trauma and war, as well as military history.

The second edition of this groundbreaking work incorporates f new neuroscientific and psychological research related to human development, traumatic stress, disorders of attachment, and information processing, and its implications for EMDR practice., The book delivers critical new neurobiological research on procedural and emotional learning, early-acquired relational patterns, inter-corporality, and empathy. Drawing from contemporary neuroscience's increased understanding of emotions and the significance of mirror neurons, the book demonstrates the importance of affective resonance and its effect on neuroplasticity as a prerequisite for any enduring change in cognition, behavior, and emotion. The second edition also examines in further depth the relationship between stress, trauma, and immune function in regard to immunoinflammmatory illnesses and the implications for their treatment. An additional 20 syndromes are examined, in addition to the 11 syndromes discussed in the first edition. New to the Second Edition: Delivers groundbreaking neuroscientific and psychological research related to human development, traumatic stress, attachment disorders, and information processing Underscores the importance of emotion as fundamental for change Addresses the dominance of right hemispheric communications that foster procedural and emotional learning Examines the implicit nature of early-acquired relational patterns, inter-corporality, and empathy Covers the relationship between stress, trauma, and immune function regarding immunoflammatory illnesses and their treatment Key Features: Provides a neurobiological foundation that informs our understanding of human development, attachment disorders, and information processing Examines biological underpinnings of EMDR regarding successful treatment outcomes for attachment disorders, stress, and dissociation Explicates disorders as outcomes of chronically dysregulated, evolutionarily based, biological action systems Illustrates EMDR's sensorial input to the brain as a neural catalyst that can help to repair dysfunctional neural circuitry Includes illustrative neural maps Includes free ebook with purchase of print

In A Re-Visioning of Love: Dark Feminine Rising, Ana Mozol parts the illusory veils of persona as she explores the reality of feminine experiences relating to love, trauma and sexuality in contemporary Western society. Mozol takes us on a personal journey through the three levels of experience, delving into the underworld and the trauma of rape, the middle world and the illusions of romantic love, and the upper world and the masculine spiritual ideals that fracture the feminine soul. In this multidisciplinary examination of the feminine, Mozol seeks to understand violence against women intrapsychically, interpersonally and within the field of depth psychology. The book begins with Mozol's own experiences with violence and her exploration of the demon lover complex and the stages of breaking this complex after trauma. Combining personal testimony, theoretical reflections, historical analysis, and 20 years of clinical experience, Mozol uses a heuristic approach to explore personal stories, clinical material, dreams and depth analysis as they connect to the female individuation process. We follow Mozol's journey through the middle world and the illusions of romantic love, into the upper world and the complexity of Oscar Wilde's feminine character Salome who represents the rising dark feminine energy that must be reckoned with for the possibility of love to exist. Accessible yet powerful, Mozol uses her personal story to place the oppression of women within the Jungian context of individuation. A Re-Visioning of Love: Dark Feminine Rising will be key reading for academics and students of Jungian and post-Jungian studies, psychotherapy, trauma studies, gender studies, women's studies and criminology. It will also be an indispensable resource for Jungian psychotherapists and analytical psychologists in practice and in training. A Re-Visioning of Love, however, is more than a psychological exploration; it is a memoir of the personal and archetypal feminine and as such will appeal to anyone interested in the story of many women today.

"A Stranger in My Bed" takes you inside Debbie Sprague's life for an intimate view of a love story disrupted by the invasion of PTSD--thirty years after the Vietnam War. The cycle moves from love to fear, anger, and despair. Stories unfold of her husband's battle with PTSD, displaying typical behaviors, triggers, and moods. Those familiar with this world will be comforted: "That sounds just like my life, and I thought I was the only one." Others will find a new awareness: "I had no idea it was like that."
You will watch a family and marriage almost be destroyed by the contagious effects of PTSD. Yes, PTSD is "contagious"--the family can take on the symptoms, even to the point of full-blown PTSD. Debbie was one of those people.
When she finally sought help, two different therapists advised her to get a divorce. Walk away from her husband? He was only nineteen when he fought for his country. What if we all walked away?
She chose to stay and stand by her values, next to the man that she vowed to love, honor, and care for in sickness and in health. And it almost destroyed her.
With God's help, she received strength to overcome her fear and anger. She became compassionate and forgiving to her husband. But most of all she learned to cherish the life God had given her by regaining her health and happiness, realizing it was necessary to have the physical and emotional strength to care for her husband.
As Debbie began to discover resources and find solutions for her problems, she found that many other people were suffering as well. She realized sharing those solutions was her life purpose--what she had been preparing for her entire life. Debbie's gift to you is "A Stranger in My Bed: 8 Steps to Taking Your Life Back From The Contagious Effects Of Your Veteran's Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder."

Drawing on clinical data obtained through the study of children adopted from overseas orphanages, the author of this cutting-edge text applies the Developmental Trauma Disorder (DTD) conceptual framework to the analysis of psychological, educational and mental health impact of the early childhood trauma on development. A massive scale of international adoption of children, victims of profound neglect and deprivation, combined with the fundamental change in a child's social situation of development after adoption, offers a valuable opportunity to explore the concept of Developmental Trauma Disorder, in particular, developmental delays, emotional vulnerability, "mixed maturity", cumulative cognitive deficit, and post-orphanage behavior patterns, being presented by many adoptees long after the adoption. By focusing on the neurological and psychological nature of childhood trauma, Dr. Gindis offers a unique approach to understanding the ongoing impacts of DTD and the ways in which any subsequent neuropsychological, educational, and mental health issues might be assessed. Offering an evidence-based exploration of DTD, and a critique of "conventional" approaches to rehabilitation and remediation of international adoptees, this book will be of great interest to researchers in the fields of psychology, mental health, education and child development; as well as clinicians involved in trauma treatment and international adoption.

Social Aspects of Memory presents a compelling study of how ordinary people remember war. Whilst the book focuses on the cities of Sarajevo and East Sarajevo during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Jeftic also presents narratives from other war-torn cities and countries around the world. This book adopts a unique approach, by looking at how perpetrators and victims (as well as new generations who may not remember the war directly) manage in the aftermath of war. Jeftic explores how our memories of war and violence are formed, and how we can learn to reconcile those memories, individually and as a collective. Drawing on the author's own extensive empirical research, the book explores the connections between memories for significant war events, transgenerational transmission of memories, bias for in-group wrongdoings and readiness for reconciliation between two groups. Giving a voice to underrepresented narratives and prioritising the importance of expression as a necessary catalyst for reconciliation, this book is essential reading for those interested in collective and transgenerational memory and memory studies, especially in relation to the aftermath of the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Posttraumatic Stress and Substance Use Disorders summarizes the state of the field from a biopsychosocial perspective, addressing key domains of interest to clinicians, students, instructors, and researchers. This book is a valuable resource and reference guide for multidisciplinary practitioners and scientists interested in the evidence-based assessment and treatment of posttraumatic stress and substance use disorders. Chapters written by leaders in the field cover the latest research on assessment, diagnosis, evidence-based treatments, future directions, and much more.

Nonsuicidal Self-Injury moves beyond the basics to tackle the clinical and conceptual complexity of NSSI, with an emphasis on recent advances in both science and practice. Directed towards clinicians, researchers, and others wishing to advance their understanding of NSSI, this volume reviews and synthesizes recent empirical findings that clarify NSSI as a theoretical and clinical condition, as well as the latest efforts to assess, treat, and prevent NSSI. With expertly written chapters by leaders in the field, this is an essential guide to a disorder about which much is still to be known.

Nonsuicidal Self-Injury moves beyond the basics to tackle the clinical and conceptual complexity of NSSI, with an emphasis on recent advances in both science and practice. Directed towards clinicians, researchers, and others wishing to advance their understanding of NSSI, this volume reviews and synthesizes recent empirical findings that clarify NSSI as a theoretical and clinical condition, as well as the latest efforts to assess, treat, and prevent NSSI. With expertly written chapters by leaders in the field, this is an essential guide to a disorder about which much is still to be known.

Still Here: Memoirs of Trauma, Illness and Loss explores the history, ethics, and cross-cultural range of memoirs focusing on illness, death, loss, displacement, and other experiences of trauma. From Walt Whitman's Civil War diaries to kitchen table survivor-to-survivor storytelling following Hurricane Katrina, from social media posts from a refugee detention centre, to poetry by exiles fleeing war zones, the collection investigates trauma memoir writing as healing, as documentation of suffering and disability, and as political activism. Editors Bunty Avieson, Fiona Giles and Sue Joseph have brought together this scholarly collection as a sequel to their earlier Mediating Memory (Routledge 2018), providing a closer look at the specific concerns of trauma memoir, including conflict and intergenerational trauma; the therapeutic potential and risks of trauma life writing; its ethical challenges; and trauma memoir giving voice to minority experiences.

Rediscovering Pierre Janet explores the legacy left by the pioneering French psychologist, philosopher and psychotherapist (1859-1947), from the relationship of between Janet and Freud, to the influence of his dissociation theory on contemporary psychotraumatology. Divided into three parts, the first section places Janetian psychological analysis and psychoanalysis in context with the foundational tenets of psychoanalysis, from Freud to relational theory, before the book explores Janet's work on trauma and dissociation and its influence on contemporary thinking. Part three presents several contemporary psychotherapy approaches directly influenced by Janetian theory, including the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder and dissociative identity disorder. Rediscovering Pierre Janet draws together eminent scholars from a variety of backgrounds, each of whom has developed Janetian constructs according to his or her own theoretical and clinical models. It provides an integrative approach that offers contemporary perspectives on Janet's work, and will be of significant interest to practicing psychoanalysts, psychiatrists and psychotherapists, especially those treating trauma-related dissociative disorders, as well as researchers with an interest in psychological trauma.

Rediscovering Pierre Janet explores the legacy left by the pioneering French psychologist, philosopher and psychotherapist (1859-1947), from the relationship of between Janet and Freud, to the influence of his dissociation theory on contemporary psychotraumatology. Divided into three parts, the first section places Janetian psychological analysis and psychoanalysis in context with the foundational tenets of psychoanalysis, from Freud to relational theory, before the book explores Janet's work on trauma and dissociation and its influence on contemporary thinking. Part three presents several contemporary psychotherapy approaches directly influenced by Janetian theory, including the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder and dissociative identity disorder. Rediscovering Pierre Janet draws together eminent scholars from a variety of backgrounds, each of whom has developed Janetian constructs according to his or her own theoretical and clinical models. It provides an integrative approach that offers contemporary perspectives on Janet's work, and will be of significant interest to practicing psychoanalysts, psychiatrists and psychotherapists, especially those treating trauma-related dissociative disorders, as well as researchers with an interest in psychological trauma.

Misogyny, Projective Identification, and Mentalization looks at how the psychoanalytic concepts of projective identification and mentalization may explain the construction of society and how they have enabled misogyny to be expressed in social, political, and institutional settings. Karyne E. Messina explores how misogyny has affected the perception and treatment of women through analysis of a range of examples of individual women and groups. The first part explores projective identification as a mechanism for the suppression of women, looking at the origins of the concept in psychoanalysis and its expansion. The author examines the story of Clara Thompson as an example, arguing that her virtual disappearance from the history of psychiatry and psychoanalysis itself is a telling example of this process at work. The second part of the book uses four examples of individuals, including the recent election loss by Hillary Clinton in 2016, to show that projective identification can (particularly in political and cultural settings) overtake and motivate groups as well as individuals, and lead to violence, atrocity, humiliation, and dismissal of and against women. Part three then features case studies of four groups of women from the 20th century, including victims of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, showing how projective identification against groups has occurred. With specific reference to the erasure of women's contributions in society, both individually and collectively, and the trauma that arises from the many effects of regarding women as a group as "less" or "other", this is a book which sets a new agenda for understanding how misogyny is expressed socially. Misogyny, Projective Identification, and Mentalization will be of interest to psychoanalysts and psychoanalytic psychotherapists as well as scholars of politics, gender, and cultural studies.

Misogyny, Projective Identification, and Mentalization looks at how the psychoanalytic concepts of projective identification and mentalization may explain the construction of society and how they have enabled misogyny to be expressed in social, political, and institutional settings. Karyne E. Messina explores how misogyny has affected the perception and treatment of women through analysis of a range of examples of individual women and groups. The first part explores projective identification as a mechanism for the suppression of women, looking at the origins of the concept in psychoanalysis and its expansion. The author examines the story of Clara Thompson as an example, arguing that her virtual disappearance from the history of psychiatry and psychoanalysis itself is a telling example of this process at work. The second part of the book uses four examples of individuals, including the recent election loss by Hillary Clinton in 2016, to show that projective identification can (particularly in political and cultural settings) overtake and motivate groups as well as individuals, and lead to violence, atrocity, humiliation, and dismissal of and against women. Part three then features case studies of four groups of women from the 20th century, including victims of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, showing how projective identification against groups has occurred. With specific reference to the erasure of women's contributions in society, both individually and collectively, and the trauma that arises from the many effects of regarding women as a group as "less" or "other", this is a book which sets a new agenda for understanding how misogyny is expressed socially. Misogyny, Projective Identification, and Mentalization will be of interest to psychoanalysts and psychoanalytic psychotherapists as well as scholars of politics, gender, and cultural studies.

Who are you, when you come from two places? Ennatu Domingo was adopted from Ethiopia at the age of seven and transplanted to Barcelona where she learned to flourish. But she never forgot her nomadic childhood in the mountains and meadows of Gondar, near the northern border with Eritrea. Having witnessed the hardships of Ethiopian rural women at an early age, she was inspired to study the patriarchal structures that underpinned her individual experiences, both in Europe and in contemporary Ethiopia. She has lived in Kenya, Belgium and the UK, and has travelled across five continents, but keeps returning to the country of her childhood, to re-construct a lost identity guided by the echo of her first language Amharic and the weight of a rich cultural heritage. Torn between forgetting and remembering, Ennatu explores the dilemma of international adoptees and migrant children and their quest for belonging in a book destined to be a classic of its genre.

Developmental Couple Therapy for Complex Trauma provides therapists with comprehensive and practical guidance for integrating DCTCT into their work with traumatized couples. The book includes an evidence-based framework which emphasizes the importance of containing conflict and helps clients to build emotional regulation and mentalizing skills. The framework is an invaluable asset to all clinicians working with couples dealing with the ravaging impacts of complex trauma, who may not be able to benefit from traditional forms of couple therapy due to challenges in regulating emotions, mentalizing and other aspects of the complex trauma response that limit capacity to engage in relationships and couple therapy. The chapters guide you through the four key stages of DCTCT: Psychoeducation, Building Capacity, Dyadic Processing, and Consolidation. Each stage has accompanying activities and narratives in which to engage traumatized couples and includes a variety of case transcripts to illustrate the approach. Throughout the manual the author provides the reader with: insights from real-world scenarios based on her extensive clinical experience; worksheets that can be used as part of the therapeutic process; systematic analyses of the therapeutic process from the therapist's point of view; comprehensive recommendations for further reading so that you can develop your expertise in any area of DCTCT. Never losing sight of the fact that the therapist plays an essential role as a coach and mentor for those undertaking couple therapy, this manual is a valuable tool for any clinician working to engage traumatized couples and equip them with the skills they need to develop and maintain a strong and vibrant couple relationship.

Disaster Mental Health Case Studies is a riveting collection of case studies by master clinicians that reveal how disaster mental health interventions must be tailored to meet the needs of survivors. Each unique case study is structured to give the reader an introduction to the community affected pre-disaster; a glimpse into the thought processes of the disaster mental health responders pre- and post-disaster; and a reflective selection of lessons learned as a result of the experiences. The 17 case studies offer the reader: Guidance on how to develop an empathic approach to disaster mental health response; Exposure to a diverse sample of disaster contexts, including naturally-occurring disasters, human-caused disasters, and disasters which occurred in an international setting; An understanding of the strategic approaches needed for disaster mental health service response, as well as an appreciation of the need for self-care when responding; A grounded and accessible writing style, bookended by chapters from the editors which thematically link and analyze the case studies. Offering a rare and compelling view into the challenges, tragedies, pain, frustrations, and grief at the heart of disaster mental health work, this must-have collection is tailored to appeal to students of mental health and counseling, psychology, and social work; and working mental health professionals who would like to learn directly from experienced responders.

Posttraumatic Stress and Substance Use Disorders summarizes the state of the field from a biopsychosocial perspective, addressing key domains of interest to clinicians, students, instructors, and researchers. This book is a valuable resource and reference guide for multidisciplinary practitioners and scientists interested in the evidence-based assessment and treatment of posttraumatic stress and substance use disorders. Chapters written by leaders in the field cover the latest research on assessment, diagnosis, evidence-based treatments, future directions, and much more.

The baby boomer generation grew up in the 1950s when there existed the general belief that the Cold War was the greatest threat to the world order, and a frightening possibility. It was difficult to believe, then, that it could get worse, but the same threat of violence is now a daily occurrence around the globe. People are being shot, slaughtered, maimed, and disappear for a multitude of reasons, none having any connection, most of the time, with the victims. The scale of loss when these tragedies occur is devastating, leaving the public as well as policy makers and legislators scrambling for solutions, clarification, and understanding of how we have become a society where violence is so rampant, so frequent, and so senseless. This book includes contributions by leading experts on violence and its ramifications, who review the devastation, reasons, and consequences of violence which is senseless, cruel, and aims to hurt and destroy anyone in its path. This book was originally published as a special issue of The Journal of Psychology.

One cause of the behavioral, emotional and mental torment in a person's life is the psychological trauma that results from the actions and words of parents and others. This volume, "Grendel and His Mother: Healing the Traumas of Childhood Through Dreams, Imagery and Hypnosis" by Nicholas E. Brink examines the effect of such trauma on a child's development and how the resulting torment eventually brings this child as an adult to psychotherapy. This trauma may be as subtle as a parental sigh of disappointment or as direct as physical or sexual abuse. Six clients are then led on a journeying through the unconscious mind using dream work, hypnosis and imagery in the course of therapy to uncover and heal these traumas to free the client of torment.