It's Not You. It's What Happened to You: Complex Trauma and Treatment

With It's Not You It's What Happened to You: Complex Trauma and Treatment Dr. Christine Courtois has simplified her extensive and until now quite scholarly work geared toward understanding and developing the concept of complex trauma and the assessment and treatment thereof. A universally acknowledged leader in this emerging psychotherapeutic field Dr. Courtois provides here an abbreviated and easy-to-read explanation of what complex trauma is how it develops the ways in which it manifests and how it can effectively be dealt with. The book opens with an explanation of trauma in general-providing historical perspective examining the various types of traumatic experience and looking in-depth at the chronic repetitive and layered forms of trauma that often build upon and reinforce one another to create complex trauma. Next Dr. Courtois discusses trauma-driven emotional turmoil and trauma's effects on memory self-image relationships and even physical wellbeing. She then provides readers with a basic understanding of the ways in which complex trauma is diagnosed and assessed with an explanation of all common trauma-related diagnoses-including stress disorders (such as PTSD) dissociative reactions and disorders and frequently co-occurring issues (addictions self-injury sleep disorders etc.) In the book's final section Dr. Courtois presents rudimentary information about the ways in which complex trauma and related issues can effectively be treated including brief explanations of all psychotherapeutic methods that might be used. Importantly she discusses in detail the sequenced three-stage treatment model she has developed for work with addicted survivors of complex trauma recognizing that complex trauma and addictions are often interrelated in powerful ways and unless both issues are addressed simultaneously the client may not heal from either. Though It's Not You It's What Happened to You is written for people new to the concept of complex trauma and how it may be affecting them or a loved one clinicians will also find the work useful relying on it as a way to bolster their own knowledge and perhaps more importantly as a tool for informing their traumatized clients about the degree and nature of the psychotherapeutic work to come.

Paperback: 134 pages

Publisher: Elements Behavioral Health (October 12 2014)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1941536557

ISBN-13: 978-1941536551

Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.3 x 8.5 inches

Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces