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8 Keys to Safe Trauma Recovery: Take-Charge Strategies to Empower Your Healing
Safe and effective principles and strategies for recovery from trauma.
Trauma recovery is tricky; however, there are several key principles that can help make the process safe and effective. This book gives self help readers, therapy clients, and therapists alike the skills to understand and implement eight keys to successful trauma mindful identification of what is helpful, recognizing survival, having the option to not remember, creating a supportive inner dialogue, forgiving not being able to stop the trauma, understanding and sharing shame, finding your own recovery pace; mobilizing your body, and helping others.This is not another book promoting a new method or type of treatment; rather, it is a necessary adjunct to self-help and professional recovery programs. After reading this book, readers will be able to recognize their own individual needs and evaluate whether those needs are being met. They will have the tools necessary to put themselves in the drivers seat, navigating their own safe road to recovery.
Trauma recovery is tricky; however, there are several key principles that can help make the process safe and effective. This book gives self help readers, therapy clients, and therapists alike the skills to understand and implement eight keys to successful trauma mindful identification of what is helpful, recognizing survival, having the option to not remember, creating a supportive inner dialogue, forgiving not being able to stop the trauma, understanding and sharing shame, finding your own recovery pace; mobilizing your body, and helping others.This is not another book promoting a new method or type of treatment; rather, it is a necessary adjunct to self-help and professional recovery programs. After reading this book, readers will be able to recognize their own individual needs and evaluate whether those needs are being met. They will have the tools necessary to put themselves in the drivers seat, navigating their own safe road to recovery.
189 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 2, 2009
109 people are currently reading
1255 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
December 22, 2012
**Because trauma recovery should not be traumatic**
Whether you’re dealing with your own trauma recovery, or are a therapist helping others through theirs (or both), this book is essential reading.
Perhaps it’s odd to report that a book on trauma recovery was so highly enjoyable and engaging, but that was certainly my experience with this book. The author combines her own professional and personal experience in trauma recovery with her deep respect for the sufferer’s individual experience and needs:
“Remember that you are the best expert on you. You are the only one with you 24/7. You may need some help to guide you to accurate self-knowledge, but you are the one who ultimately knows what is good for you and what is not.”(pp. 154-155)
This respectful tone nicely carries the valuable information and insight offered throughout the book.
Her approach to trauma recovery revolves around these eight keys:
Key One: Plot your course with mindfulness
Key Two: Begin with your epilogue…you made it!
Key Three: Remembering is not required
Key Four: Stop flashbacks
Key Five: Reconcile forgiveness and shame (Forgive your limitations; Share your shame)
Key Six: Take smaller steps for bigger leaps
Key Seven: Get moving
Key Eight: Make lemonade
In addition to providing a clear approach for trauma recovery, the author also offers valuable advice to therapists for avoiding the most common therapeutic mistakes—and ensuring that the trauma recovery process itself is not traumatic (pp. 158-160):
• Give ample time to Phase I (stabilizing) work.
• Contain curiosity.
• Learn to pare down step size.
• Do not bypass current trauma to focus on past trauma.
• Do not assume that what was helpful for you will be helpful for your clients.
• Do not allow clients to push you to address memories with them prematurely, or to take any other steps you do not believe they (or you) are ready for.
• Maintain continuity of care.
• Do not forget to take care of yourself.
The author shares her hopes for this book:
“I have endeavored to fill this book with common sense and demystify the process of trauma recovery. I hope it significantly contributes to your supply of tools and confidence to manage and achieve your healing.” (p. xi)
Without a doubt, I feel she has been able to deliver this hope, and I highly recommend this book to anyone wishing to effectively navigate the trauma recovery process.
Whether you’re dealing with your own trauma recovery, or are a therapist helping others through theirs (or both), this book is essential reading.
Perhaps it’s odd to report that a book on trauma recovery was so highly enjoyable and engaging, but that was certainly my experience with this book. The author combines her own professional and personal experience in trauma recovery with her deep respect for the sufferer’s individual experience and needs:
“Remember that you are the best expert on you. You are the only one with you 24/7. You may need some help to guide you to accurate self-knowledge, but you are the one who ultimately knows what is good for you and what is not.”(pp. 154-155)
This respectful tone nicely carries the valuable information and insight offered throughout the book.
Her approach to trauma recovery revolves around these eight keys:
Key One: Plot your course with mindfulness
Key Two: Begin with your epilogue…you made it!
Key Three: Remembering is not required
Key Four: Stop flashbacks
Key Five: Reconcile forgiveness and shame (Forgive your limitations; Share your shame)
Key Six: Take smaller steps for bigger leaps
Key Seven: Get moving
Key Eight: Make lemonade
In addition to providing a clear approach for trauma recovery, the author also offers valuable advice to therapists for avoiding the most common therapeutic mistakes—and ensuring that the trauma recovery process itself is not traumatic (pp. 158-160):
• Give ample time to Phase I (stabilizing) work.
• Contain curiosity.
• Learn to pare down step size.
• Do not bypass current trauma to focus on past trauma.
• Do not assume that what was helpful for you will be helpful for your clients.
• Do not allow clients to push you to address memories with them prematurely, or to take any other steps you do not believe they (or you) are ready for.
• Maintain continuity of care.
• Do not forget to take care of yourself.
The author shares her hopes for this book:
“I have endeavored to fill this book with common sense and demystify the process of trauma recovery. I hope it significantly contributes to your supply of tools and confidence to manage and achieve your healing.” (p. xi)
Without a doubt, I feel she has been able to deliver this hope, and I highly recommend this book to anyone wishing to effectively navigate the trauma recovery process.
May 8, 2014
This is a simple book, but not simplistic. A rare beast indeed, and for that reason I can recommend it as a starter book to anyone who wanting to know more about trauma recovery. Babette Rothschild knows her stuff and I trust her writings.
For people who have been in therapy for a long time, or have researched PTSD, this book probably doesn't say anything you don't already know. There may be some practical exercises that are new (and this book is rich on examples of different exercises to try out). It is a practical book, filled with lovely common sense. Babette Rothschild's approach is very much "try it and see if it works - if it doesn't then stop!". It isn't dogmatic or prescriptive, which I liked.
For people who have been in therapy for a long time, or have researched PTSD, this book probably doesn't say anything you don't already know. There may be some practical exercises that are new (and this book is rich on examples of different exercises to try out). It is a practical book, filled with lovely common sense. Babette Rothschild's approach is very much "try it and see if it works - if it doesn't then stop!". It isn't dogmatic or prescriptive, which I liked.
June 26, 2011
My response to this book is deeply personal. Suffice to say, if you have suffered any trauma this book is for you. If you are suffering from PTSD, this book is for you. But only if you WANT to recover.
July 16, 2015
This is a self-help book for people who have suffered trauma. Babette takes the reader through eight “keys”, or pieces of advice, to guide the reader through their recovery. However, the book is not just for sufferers – friends, family, and mental health professionals can all get something out of this book. It is very well-written – concise and readable but never overly simplistic. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to learn about practical trauma recovery.
April 3, 2017
This is a pretty spectacular book. Babette Rothschild lays out eight different keys a person can attempt to process their PTSD or trauma in a direct, easy to understand way. I appreciated that Babette is not only speaking as a therapist with a legacy of experience behind her but as a survivor of trauma herself.
For anyone that's dealt with the effects of trauma, in and out of therapy, it's often an experience where logic does not match up with the emotions felt and internal processing...ie, I KNOW I'm not in danger but I FEEL like I'm in danger and thereby react as if I am in peril. Pretty maddening and very frustrating.
Through the eight keys, Rothschild lays out different strategies a survivor can practice to actually process the trauma out of the body and to build up certain muscles to counteract flashbacks, anxiety, and triggers. Another aspect I appreciated is that it's emphasized that if one of the keys doesn't "fit" you and you have an aversion to it, then skip it. Do a different one. Also, one doesn't have to KNOW what's happened to them or be forced to remember the events in detail to process the trauma.
Babette Rothschild doesn't claim that the keys are "quick fixes". It takes work and practice to for them to take affect. Though work is involved, the exercises at the end of each chapter are do-able.
I found the material to be very sensitive, attainable, and easy to understand. Definitely recommend.
For anyone that's dealt with the effects of trauma, in and out of therapy, it's often an experience where logic does not match up with the emotions felt and internal processing...ie, I KNOW I'm not in danger but I FEEL like I'm in danger and thereby react as if I am in peril. Pretty maddening and very frustrating.
Through the eight keys, Rothschild lays out different strategies a survivor can practice to actually process the trauma out of the body and to build up certain muscles to counteract flashbacks, anxiety, and triggers. Another aspect I appreciated is that it's emphasized that if one of the keys doesn't "fit" you and you have an aversion to it, then skip it. Do a different one. Also, one doesn't have to KNOW what's happened to them or be forced to remember the events in detail to process the trauma.
Babette Rothschild doesn't claim that the keys are "quick fixes". It takes work and practice to for them to take affect. Though work is involved, the exercises at the end of each chapter are do-able.
I found the material to be very sensitive, attainable, and easy to understand. Definitely recommend.
October 10, 2023
“8 Keys to Safe Trauma Recovery” explained trauma and PTSD in a way that hadn’t been explained to me before. It was a useful explanation and one that can be built on. The book shares a lot of useful activities that can be customized to suit each individual. For example, writing an epilogue to create a separation from the present time and the trauma, an epilogue that highlights the outcome as a survivor. The flow and tone of the book are easy and comfortable to read. The book comes across as a no-pressure read; get to know yourself at a pace that works for you and your recovery.
August 3, 2016
This is a great book for anyone recovering from trauma. This is also a fantastic book for therapists to have available for clients who may have experienced some trauma--it provides safe, supportive steps for people to take at their own pace.
January 7, 2022
👍🏻O carte grozavă atât pentru persoanele care au suferit o traumă (fie că beneficiază deja de psihoterapie, fie că din diferite motive se străduiesc să se vindece pe cont propriu), cât și pentru psihoterapeuții care lucrează cu persoane ce suferă din pricina stresului posttraumatic.
#psihotrauma #mindfulness #psihoterapie #stresposttraumatic
🙏🏻Am apreciat în special perspectiva diferită asupra practicii mindfulness care, după cum știți, mi-e bună prietenă: starea de prezență conștientă ca un barometru interior în luarea deciziilor potrivite pentru sine.
🤍De asemenea, este dărâmată convingerea conform căreia pentru a depăși o traumă este nevoie să o rememorezi și povestești in detaliu, explicându-ne cu argumente neuro-științifice motivele pentru care poate fi mai benefic să stabilizăm în prezent persoana ce a suferit trauma și să o ajutăm să conștientizeze că experiența traumatică a luat sfârșit iar ea a supraviețuit.
💪🏻Și, dacă mai e nevoie să precizez, sunt accentuate beneficiile mișcării, cât și ale găsirii unui sens în prezent după experiența traumatică, poate chiar prin ajutarea altor persoane în nevoie de sprijin (altruismul are mari beneficii și pentru cel care oferă, nu doar pentru cel care primește).
☀️De data această nu voi extrage citate, dat fiind că întreaga carte este prețioasă în ansamblu, astfel că las aici doar repere despre cuprinsul ei:
1. Stabiliți-vă parcursul cu mindfulness ("Barometrul interior" ne sprijină în alegerile persoanele)
2. Să începem cu epilogul...Ați reușit! (Dacă vă aflați în prezent înseamă că trauma s-a încheiat și ați reușit să supraviețuiți)
3. Reamintirea nu este obligatorie (Scopul principal este creșterea calității vieții și a stării de bine personale din prezent, astfel că rememorarea unei experiențe traumatice ar putea fi dăunătoare unei persoane care deja resimte prezentul ca fiind marcat de instabilitate)
4. Opriți flashbackurile (Acestea sunt doar amintiri ale traumei, iar nu re-trăiri ale traumei, fiind importantă această distincție, precum și ancorarea în prezent atunci când apar)
5. Împăcați iertarea de sine cu rușinea. Împărtășiți sentimentul de rușine (E nevoie de contact cu o altă persoană care să valideze experiența traumatică și astfel rusinea să se diminueze).
6. Pași mici pentru progrese mari (Abordați obiectivele/problemele pe rând, cu scopuri mici și specifice, stabilindu-vă propriu ritm).
7. Puneți-vă corpul în mișcare (Tensiunea musculară datorată mișcării poate avea beneficii mai mari decât relaxare pentru o parte din persoanele ce suferă de stres posttraumatic)
8. Să facem limonadă (Transformând trauma în ceva cu sens sau un scop anume putem avea facilita propria vindecare).
*'Trauma, 8 strategii de vindecare', Babette Rothschild
Despre cealaltă carte a autoarei, tradusă în limba română, am scris aici: https://facebook.com/ritmulpsihologic...
Cu drag, Psiholog Ioana Neacșu 🌱
#psihotrauma #mindfulness #psihoterapie #stresposttraumatic
🙏🏻Am apreciat în special perspectiva diferită asupra practicii mindfulness care, după cum știți, mi-e bună prietenă: starea de prezență conștientă ca un barometru interior în luarea deciziilor potrivite pentru sine.
🤍De asemenea, este dărâmată convingerea conform căreia pentru a depăși o traumă este nevoie să o rememorezi și povestești in detaliu, explicându-ne cu argumente neuro-științifice motivele pentru care poate fi mai benefic să stabilizăm în prezent persoana ce a suferit trauma și să o ajutăm să conștientizeze că experiența traumatică a luat sfârșit iar ea a supraviețuit.
💪🏻Și, dacă mai e nevoie să precizez, sunt accentuate beneficiile mișcării, cât și ale găsirii unui sens în prezent după experiența traumatică, poate chiar prin ajutarea altor persoane în nevoie de sprijin (altruismul are mari beneficii și pentru cel care oferă, nu doar pentru cel care primește).
☀️De data această nu voi extrage citate, dat fiind că întreaga carte este prețioasă în ansamblu, astfel că las aici doar repere despre cuprinsul ei:
1. Stabiliți-vă parcursul cu mindfulness ("Barometrul interior" ne sprijină în alegerile persoanele)
2. Să începem cu epilogul...Ați reușit! (Dacă vă aflați în prezent înseamă că trauma s-a încheiat și ați reușit să supraviețuiți)
3. Reamintirea nu este obligatorie (Scopul principal este creșterea calității vieții și a stării de bine personale din prezent, astfel că rememorarea unei experiențe traumatice ar putea fi dăunătoare unei persoane care deja resimte prezentul ca fiind marcat de instabilitate)
4. Opriți flashbackurile (Acestea sunt doar amintiri ale traumei, iar nu re-trăiri ale traumei, fiind importantă această distincție, precum și ancorarea în prezent atunci când apar)
5. Împăcați iertarea de sine cu rușinea. Împărtășiți sentimentul de rușine (E nevoie de contact cu o altă persoană care să valideze experiența traumatică și astfel rusinea să se diminueze).
6. Pași mici pentru progrese mari (Abordați obiectivele/problemele pe rând, cu scopuri mici și specifice, stabilindu-vă propriu ritm).
7. Puneți-vă corpul în mișcare (Tensiunea musculară datorată mișcării poate avea beneficii mai mari decât relaxare pentru o parte din persoanele ce suferă de stres posttraumatic)
8. Să facem limonadă (Transformând trauma în ceva cu sens sau un scop anume putem avea facilita propria vindecare).
*'Trauma, 8 strategii de vindecare', Babette Rothschild
Despre cealaltă carte a autoarei, tradusă în limba română, am scris aici: https://facebook.com/ritmulpsihologic...
Cu drag, Psiholog Ioana Neacșu 🌱
March 29, 2024
Informative, gentle, practical, and non-retraumatizing guide to successful trauma recovery. Though not a "light" read, it is brief and designed to be revisited. It is written to assist both people relying on self-help to heal from trauma, and those who are currently in or seeking out trauma therapy. I wish she had provided an overview of trauma therapy modalities for clients looking for a suitable trauma therapist, but nevertheless, the practical advice and affirmations are quite helpful.
Some of the standout takeaways for me:
* Mindfulness helps greatly with life in general. Grounding in the present helps with dealing with flashbacks.
* You don’t have to remember the traumatic memories to heal, if remembering them brings you more distress than benefit. In fact, if you’re not yet in a fully stable part of your life, it will probably do more harm than good to force yourself to remember. The goal of trauma healing should always be to improve the present and create a better future; while sometimes talking about the past is helpful or necessary to heal from particular symptoms, it is by no means required to live a good life.
* Healing is not instantaneous. It takes time, especially when we are talking about multiple (i.e. complex) traumas. It’s important to remember that slow and steady wins the race, i.e. lots of small changes over time will add up.
* Physical exercise is important for recovery. Building muscle tone can be helpful for people seeking to recover from the physical aftereffects of trauma. It’s not necessary to become a bodybuilder or something; even a few simple exercises every day can help.
Some of the standout takeaways for me:
* Mindfulness helps greatly with life in general. Grounding in the present helps with dealing with flashbacks.
* You don’t have to remember the traumatic memories to heal, if remembering them brings you more distress than benefit. In fact, if you’re not yet in a fully stable part of your life, it will probably do more harm than good to force yourself to remember. The goal of trauma healing should always be to improve the present and create a better future; while sometimes talking about the past is helpful or necessary to heal from particular symptoms, it is by no means required to live a good life.
* Healing is not instantaneous. It takes time, especially when we are talking about multiple (i.e. complex) traumas. It’s important to remember that slow and steady wins the race, i.e. lots of small changes over time will add up.
* Physical exercise is important for recovery. Building muscle tone can be helpful for people seeking to recover from the physical aftereffects of trauma. It’s not necessary to become a bodybuilder or something; even a few simple exercises every day can help.
March 26, 2018
My therapist recommended this book and I am so glad. I've taken it really slowly so I could reflect on each chapter and introduce ideas slowly into my life through PTSD recovery. It is a very easy and practical read with honest and helpful ideas that you can accept or reject, depending what you do and don't find helpful.
It is also very holistic and I have found different chapters helpful at different times in my recovery. It has helped equip me with tools that will help me with stress, anxiety, dissociation and depression that is or is not connected to the trauma for the rest of my life.
Don't give up, there are tools and methods to help.
It is also very holistic and I have found different chapters helpful at different times in my recovery. It has helped equip me with tools that will help me with stress, anxiety, dissociation and depression that is or is not connected to the trauma for the rest of my life.
Don't give up, there are tools and methods to help.
November 7, 2021
E greu sa scrii o recenzie despre cartiile de dezvoltare personala pentru ca ce e awesome pentru mine poate nu merge la tine si asa mai departe. Dar, aceasta carte este una dintre cele mai bune in domeniu. E ca si cum am asistat la o sedinta de terapie de fiecare data cand am deschis-o. Mi-a placut enorm si toata ideea de la baza acesteia este mindfulness. Un lucru care trebuie incercat de toata lumea pentru ca are N beneficii, de la o pace interioara activa si omniprezenta, la scaderea in greutatea, te ajuta sa fii ancorat in prezent pentru bunastarea ta si a celor din jur. Big recommend.
September 23, 2024
Such a clear guide to the basics of trauma recovery that so many therapists skip over. I wish I had read this before seeing professionals--I would have been able to choose better therapists, or at least I would have had some tools for basic self-stabilization that therapists I saw didn't tell me about. Easy, well-structured, pretty quick read and definitely a hidden gem for trauma recovery. Highly recommend.
August 21, 2017
Easy to read, written in a calm and straightforward tone. As a counsellor I find Rothschild's approach to be practical and client-focused, and as an individual, find some of the exercises here very useful indeed. I'd recommend this book to anyone working with vulnerable people (many of whom might have experienced trauma), and to anyone who has experienced trauma themselves.
January 22, 2020
Cele două lucruri pe care le apreciez cel mai mult la această carte sunt atitudinea de respect sincer pentru cititorul care caută un ajutor pentru situația sa unică și simplitatea scrierii, care face un conținut util și valoros accesibil pentru majoritatea persoanelor care au nevoie de o îndrumare în parcursul lor posttraumatic.
January 29, 2021
Some good tools
This wasn't exactly the plethora of information I was hoping for, but the information presented did provide opportunities for highlights that I know I will be going back to. For anyone suffering trauma, like myself at the current time, this will be a good baseline without getting overwhelmed or triggered.
This wasn't exactly the plethora of information I was hoping for, but the information presented did provide opportunities for highlights that I know I will be going back to. For anyone suffering trauma, like myself at the current time, this will be a good baseline without getting overwhelmed or triggered.
January 8, 2022
The content of this book is superb. I respect this author and her purpose in writing this book. What I didn’t like was the format. This is very much arranged to be a self-help book. I was looking for a more theoretical perspective. I’m not even sure I would have liked this format even if I had been looking for a self help book. It’s repetitive.
February 24, 2024
De una manera sencilla y práctica la autora nos ofrece claves muy útiles, y muy alineadas con la consciencia propia y el atendimiento de lo que tiene sentido aplicar según las propias necesidades.
Me ha resultado muy interesante y he aprendido cosas que me van a ser muy útiles en mi trabajo acompañando personas.
Me ha resultado muy interesante y he aprendido cosas que me van a ser muy útiles en mi trabajo acompañando personas.
September 22, 2018
Excellent book explaining trauma, recognizing it in one self or others and overcoming it... very big help and clear advice... highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to understand trauma.
November 3, 2018
This was a very helpful book! It also was very accessible.
November 18, 2018
A very useful read for me trying to improve my understanding of trauma rehabilitation, and I'm sure it's an even more powerful read for someone who has survived trauma.
November 6, 2019
This was a book that my friend Judy asked me to read. It has good nuggets in it but a lot of it just really did not apply to me.
December 8, 2020
Great book for people who have never been to counselling to learn some key steps for their trauma recovery. As a professional, I did not learn anything but good reminders!
August 24, 2022
Praktisch boek met een net wat andere aanpak zoals juist niet het trauma opnieuw oprakelen.
February 17, 2023
Such a digestible read.
I took so much from this book personally and professionally. It is one I will definitely dip in and out of.
I took so much from this book personally and professionally. It is one I will definitely dip in and out of.
January 17, 2024
Great resource for clients and therapists alike
September 14, 2019
An excellent, practical resource for those looking to overcome trauma of any kind. As someone interested in better understanding how trauma manifests, I found this incredibly helpful - particularly the chapters on memories and understanding the way flashbacks are physiologically experienced as the same as the event. The author is gentle, kind and understanding of the reader - as a fellow trauma survivor herself. Highly recommend.
March 14, 2017
Great addition to my mental health resources and library.
April 27, 2020
Incredibly simple but critical framework to recovering from trauma.
Her work is so accessible and easily applied. She also ensures she creates a safe space for the reader.
Her work is so accessible and easily applied. She also ensures she creates a safe space for the reader.
November 23, 2024
Really helpful when working with clients who have experienced trauma. I also think this is such a great book for someone who is new into learning about trauma recovery. This book makes it simple to follow along. Definitely recommend for beginners!
January 3, 2015
As a trauma survivor, this has been the most helpful book I have read. Recommended by my therapist, we worked together on some of these principles, and I worked on some on my own. After a few months I feel more stable and less triggered. I recommend this book to anyone who has had a traumatic experience, whether great or small.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews