Description
Book SynopsisFeel 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 wit
Trade ReviewCompassionate, yet directive, Making Meaning of Difficult Experiences provides readers step-by-step guidance and helpful tips for healing from trauma and finding resilience through adversity. Bringing a combined 50 years of clinical experience and informed by science, Drs. Rauch and Rothbaum have provided readers with timely education and practical strategies for coping with the effects of trauma and difficult experiences. For self-help readers and therapists alike, I highly recommend this book! * Elizabeth M. Goetter, Associate Professor, La Salle University & Clinical Consultant, Massachusetts General Hospital *
Backed by decades of research on how to effectively treat PTSD, this book provides people who have experienced traumatic events with the knowledge needed to navigate their own recovery. Through compelling case examples, worksheets, and practices, readers are guided through how to process difficult memories and reengage in life to prevent long-term suffering. This book will be a valuable resource for people who are unable or prefer not to seek professional treatment and will empower them to take the steps needed to reclaim their lives after trauma. * Melanie Harned, PhD, School of Medicine, University of Washington *
This very useful self-help workbook provides a step-by-step guide to implement a proven self-help plan for managing painful memories of stressful experiences. The accumulated wisdom of Professors Rauch and Rothbaum is packed into a highly readable, highly practical, evidence-based text. I recommend the workbook to anyone who if having difficulty resolving complex and painful emotions associated with highly stressful experiences, whether these experiences occurred only recently or in the distant past. * Ronald C. Kessler, PhD, McNeil Family Professor, Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School *
Table of ContentsCh. 1 What Difficult Experiences Does Making Meaning Target? Ch. 2 Why Approach Difficult Experiences? Ch. 3 Memory Exposure and Processing Ch. 4 Behavioral Activation Ch. 5 Social Connection Ch. 6 Self-care Ch. 7 Considering When to See a Professional
