Description
Book SynopsisWhen the Past Is Always Present: Emotional Traumatization, Causes, and Cures introduces several new ideas about trauma and trauma treatment. The first of these is that another way to treat disorders arising from the mind/brain may be to use the senses. This idea, which is at the core of psychosensory therapy, forms what the author considers the third pillar of trauma treatment (the first and second pillars being psychotherapy and psychopharmacology). Psychosensory therapy postulates that sensory inputfor example, touchcreates extrasensory activity that alters brain function and the way we respond to stimuli.
The second idea presented in this book is that traumatization is encoded in the amygdala only under special circumstances. Thus, by understanding what makes an individual resistant to traumatization we can offer a way of preventing it.
The third idea is that traumatization occurs because we cannot find a haven during the event. This is the cornerston
Table of Contents
Feinstein, Foreword. A Third Pillar. The Role Emotions Play. Ancient Emotions and Survival. Memory and Emotion. Encoding a Traumatic Memory. Causes and Consequences of Traumatization. Disrupting a Traumatization. Havening. A Brief Introduction to Psychosensory Therapies. Trauma Stories and Trauma Cures. Appendices. Appendix A: Non-touch Havening. Appendix B: Cultivating Resilience. Appendix C: An Analysis of Fear of Flying. Appendix D: Nightmares, Night Terrors, Just Bad Dreams and Havening. Appendix E: Classical Fear Conditioning and Traumatization. Appendix F: Transduction, Depotentiation and the Electrochemical Brain. Appendix G: Suggestions for Treatment. Appendix H: Havening Touch: Clinical Guidelines. Appendix I: The Downside of Removing a Traumatic Memory. Notes and Additional References. Glossary.