What is posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and who experiences it? Why do some people develop PTSD after a traumatic event, while others do not? What are the unique impacts of trauma on children? Are there effective treatments for traumatic stress disorders? PTSD: What Everyone Needs to Know is a scientifically-supported yet accessible resource on a disorder that affects up to 7% of adults during their lifetime. Utilizing a reader-friendly Q&A format, the book demystifies and defines PTSD, explaining that, despite popular opinion and countless media portrayals, this is not simply a disorder for combat veterans. Instead, survivors of any life-threatening event can experience PTSD. Beginning with an overview of common types of trauma, internationally-renowned experts on traumatic stress Barbara Rothbaum and Sheila Rauch then go on to describe the effects of PTSD, what can trigger the disorder, and who is likely to experience it. They explain how the most effective treatments work, and guide readers on how to be a source of support and understanding for those who have experienced trauma. Drawing attention to the pervasiveness of traumatic experiences in our lives and in culture and society, PTSD: What Everyone Needs to Know is a must-read for anyone seeking authoritative and current information about this often misunderstood disorder.

Feel it, stay with it, share it, and let it go. Take your life back from stress and trauma using self-help versions of proven treatments. Up to 90% of adults in the US will experience one or more traumatic events in their lifetimes, including interpersonal violence, traffic collisions, and sexual assault. Traumatic events and other difficult experiences (such as miscarriage, job loss, and divorce) can have a long-lasting impact on mental health and well-being. While most who suffer a trauma naturally recover over time, for others difficulties continue, and may lead to full-blown depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use, anxiety disorders, and other problems that interfere with healthy daily functioning. Making Meaning of Difficult Experiences is a self-guided mental health resource for people who have had potentially traumatic experiences and who wish to work through them independently, outside of a formal therapeutic setting. Based on psychological treatments with strong scientific support, this book introduces readers to several useful tools that will help them to emotionally process difficult experiences, with the goal of moving on from the event and building future resilience. Many years of research (much of which has been conducted by the authors of this volume) have shown that people who try to avoid memories and reminders of difficult experiences are more likely to develop PTSD, depression, and other problems. Conversely, those who work to process the memory gradually regain a general sense of wellbeing, experiencing fewer mental health issues over time. This program is unique in that it is intended to be wholly self-directed. Readers can learn about and then immediately practice the strategies described, moving through and then past difficult experiences—whether they happened last week or years ago. The program takes the reader step-by-step through four skill sets to facilitate emotional processing of difficult experiences: Memory Exposure and Processing, Behavioral Activation, Social Connection, and Self-Care. Each set begins with a short description, followed by a self-assessment. Readers use this self-evaluation to determine what is working or not working for them, enabling them to focus more on certain skills, or to complete the full program based on their needs.

Those who have experienced a traumatic event and are having trouble moving past feelings of fear, shame and guilt, or helplessness may be diagnosed with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Reclaiming Your Life from a Traumatic Experience: A Prolonged Exposure Treatment Program can help readers to overcome and reclaim their lives from PTSD. Best used in combination with treatment by a mental health professional, the second edition of this Workbook, along with the accompanying Therapist Guide, will help readers work through PTSD regardless of the type of trauma experienced-be it a motor vehicle accident, physical or sexual assault, or combat-related event. The program outlined in this book will reduce anxiety and distress, teaching readers to face memories of trauma while processing their emotions about the event using a scientifically tested and proven technique called Prolonged Exposure Therapy. Instead of avoiding or escaping situations that provoke anxiety and other negative emotions, readers will learn how to reevaluate feelings and beliefs to think differently about their traumatic experiences. Complete with information on PTSD, as well as case examples, self-assessment tools, and homework assignments, Reclaiming Your Life from a Traumatic Experience is an invaluable tool on the road to recovery from PTSD.

Prolonged Exposure for PTSD in Intensive Outpatient Programs (PE-IOP) presents an innovative PTSD treatment model for the use of prolonged exposure (PE) in residential and intensive outpatient programs, which increases access to care and retention in care while providing transformational symptom outcomes. Drs. Rauch, Rothbaum, Smith, and Foa present the elements of the PE protocol along with all the logistics for how to provide PE in an intensive outpatient program. PE is the most widely studied treatment for PTSD, with over 100 studies showing its efficacy for PTSD and comorbid patient populations-from single incident and multiple incident traumas of all types (e.g., combat, sexual assault, etc.) Variations and considerations for implementation are presented to allow providers designing programs to consider what best fits their patient population and setting. Patient and provider forms are included for use. As leaders in clinical practice, training, and research in the field of PTSD treatment, Drs. Rauch, Rothbaum, Smith, and Foa provide concise but thorough description of the key components of the program, how to implement them, and when and how to consider adaptations.