Become more effective in therapy when working with survivors of abuse! From Surviving to Thriving: A Therapist’s Guide to Stage II Recovery for Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse is a comprehensive manual for treating survivors of childhood physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. Inspired by the author’s own private practice, it combines both theory and practice and supports the therapeutic partnership with a step-by-step outline of the healing process. This outline includes concrete and incremental strategies and exercises that help you move the survivor beyond Stage I trauma debriefing to life-changing Stage II recovery. In From Surviving to Thriving, you’ll find everything you need to know about obtaining and maintaining autonomy and speeding recovery in the age of managed care. The self-contained, focused, and incremental interventions presented in this book can be woven into your own therapeutic style, giving you and your clients more freedom, satisfaction, and, most importantly, swift treatment and recovery. You’ll also find step-by-step guidance for dealing with adult survivors, including rationale for diagnosis, process, and sequence. In addition to the description of theoretical orientations and illustrations, Surviving to Thriving contains: an overview and detailed outline of the incremental recovery process pitfalls and positive strategies for establishing the therapeutic relationship detailed instructions for building a foundation for effective therapy by reframing the client’s self-concept explanations of pathological symptoms in context of necessary and “brilliant” survival defenses workable, specific, and sequential interventions for each stage of healing designed to become autonomous and self-generating for the client techniques for trauma resolution using the survivor’s internal experience Because it’s written in accessible language and includes explanations of clinical concepts, you’ll feel comfortable putting From Surviving to Thriving in the hands of select clients—a unique feature that sets it apart from most clinical texts. This book provides exercises to help move clients into the healing recovery of Stage II. Enhanced with art and writing from recovering survivors, this book is a valuable asset as you and your clients begin the collaborative journey toward renewed emotional well-being. --- from the publisher Reviews: “A PRACTICAL DESKTOP COMPANION FOR CLINICIANS. . . . Carries the author’s conviction that survivors of childhood abuse are profoundly normal and absolutely extraordinary.” SciTech Book News “Bratton’s PRACTICAL, STEP-BY-STEP APPROACH touches upon a wide variety of issues, including the incremental recovery process; pitfalls and valuable strategies for establishing the therapeutic relationship; pathological symptoms in the context of creative survival defenses; and techniques for trauma resolution using the survivor’s internal experience.” The Children’s Rights of New York, Inc: Hotline “A MUST READ FOR ALL, including survivors. . . . There are not enough adjectives to describe what Bratton has captured in this book. . . . She takes a life–long debilitating disorder and unravels its intricacies in concise, succinct, and understandable language.” Phillip A. Whitner, PhD, Sr. Staff Counselor, University Counseling Center, The University of Toledo, Ohio Contents: Contents Preface Part I: The Framework for Healing Chapter 1. The Therapeutic Agenda The Dynamics of Trauma Stage II Recovery Eight Stages of Healing The Survivor’s Internal Experience Diagnostic Issues Techniques and Strategies Boundaries The Therapist’s Role The Trauma Therapist Chapter 2. Defining Assault Chapter 3. Challenging the Distorted Reality The Role of Family Dysfunction The Price of Altered Reality Dysfunction Redefines Reality Dysfunction Redefines Abuse Dysfunction Redefines Feelings Role Reversal Abuse Plus Dysfunction Equals Destruction Chapter 4. Using the PTSD Diagnosis as a Therapeutic Intervention Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Physical Responses to Trauma Emotional Responses to Trauma Chronic Shock Legacies of Assault and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Physical Hypervigilance Emotional Hypervigilance Blurred Boundaries and Global Guilt Vulnerability to Repeated Violation Two Personalities in One Body Origins of Adult Child Issues Learning to Ignore External Reality Blaming Self Detachment Reframing Pathology Chapter 5. The Survivor’s Internal Experience Splitting the Self Pieces of the Puzzle Three Core Personas Chapter 6. The Adult The Origins of the Adult The Adult As Parent Owning Self-Parenting Skills Chapter 7. The Child The Origins of the Child Reconnecting with the Child Chapter 8. The Destroyer The Origins of the Destroyer Family Rules Family Labels The Destroyer’s Sabotage The Many Disguises of the Destroyer Challenging the Destroyer Chapter 9. Understanding the Brilliance of Childhood Defenses Dissociation Forgetting and Fantasy Choosing Abuse Versus Abandonment Self-Punishment Ritual Phobias Family Roles Family Rules and Myths Considering Change Part II: The Process of Healing Chapter 10. Recounting Blaming Is Not Healing Understanding Is Not Healing Forgiveness Is Not Necessary The Importance of Recounting Roadblocks to Telling Roadblocks to Believing The Nature of Traumatic Memories Chapter 11. Rediscovering the Child Alternate Hand Journaling The Process of Remembering Moving Deeper The Language of the Child Combination of Fact and Feeling Memory Chapter 12. Rediscovering the Feelings Learning to Feel Scaling Feelings Drawing Feelings Disguised and Hidden Feelings Expressing Feelings The Importance of Anger Chapter 13. Continuing to Heal Chapter 14. Reparenting to Resolve Trauma Discharging the Feelings Adding Healthy Parenting Using the Split Personas Resolution Fantasy The Dawning of Integration Declaring Independence The Power of Resolution Fantasy Chapter 15. Repairing Developmental Damage Considering Direct Confrontation Setting Limits Anger at the Colluders Layers of Abuse Punished for Being Normal Projection Faulty Belief System Challenging the Belief System Identifying and Grieving What Was Missed Letting Go of the Fantasy Reparenting Through Grief Filling in the Gaps Building Bridges and Fences The Survivor As Parent Recognizing Ongoing Abuse Blocks to Recovery The Child Resists Healing The Destroyer Fights Healing Cycles of Healing Chapter 16. The End of Healing Identifying Skills and Strengths Integrating and Transforming Childhood Defenses Releasing the Anger Integrating and Transforming History Integrating and Transforming Feelings Integrating and Transforming the Destroyer Integrating and Transforming the Child Spirituality Becoming Whole Letting Go of the Survivor Identity Thriving References Index |