Recovery from Trauma, Addiction, or Both: Strategies for Finding Your Best Self

by Lisa M. Najavits

This book has been replaced by Finding Your Best Self, Revised Edition: Recovery from Addiction, Trauma, or Both, ISBN 978-1-4625-3989-5.
 

Genres: Mental Health, Addiction, Self Help

277 pages, Paperback

Published August 21, 2017

Reviews

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am giving it 3★ although it is not a book that would help me if I were to use it, because for me it contains too many examples to explain every topic and also many personal experiences to top it off. Personally, this kind of thing makes it easier for me to lose track of the point being made with all the different extra info. Don't get me wrong: a couple examples are okay. More, can get you lost.
Anyway, I can see how much effort has been put into this book and that it contains tons of useful information, so here is the why to the three stars rating for me.
Also, I think this book is more like a "study of things", as you will be invited to take tests and do exercises, so get a pencil and eraser and also a notebook if you are reading it electronically. Those exercises are to help you understand and classify where you are at.
It is a very hands-on kind of book, with lots of hints of chapters who could be of more interest to each individual.
Tbh, probably someone who likes tons of examples would like this book way more than I did.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some years ago, I was the foster parent to a teenager whose adolescence had been filled with abuse by various people, including her father, brother, and even the man who played Santa Claus. Finally, some 25+ years after she left our home, she began working with therapists to deal with the consequences of her upbringing. To this day, she still is wandering in the wilderness of therapy, doing a lot of therapist-shopping and -hopping, and I am still fascinated by the possibilities for treatment and the various options available.

Lisa Najavits, a professor of psychiatry at Boston University and adjunct professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, is a well-regarded academic who has published widely on the topic of trauma and abuse, and developed the Seeking Safety program of treatment. Thanks to Guildford Publications and Net Galley, I received a copy of her new book, Healing from Trauma, Addiction, or Both in exchange for my honest review.

There is no doubt that Dr. Najavits knows her stuff. She noted “women with current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) comprise 30-59% of substance abuse treatment samples and experience a more severe course than women with either disorder alone. “ Following clinical studies, she has developed a manual-based 24-session cognitive behavioral group therapy protocol treatment. The results of her studies showed “significant improvements in substance use, trauma-related symptoms, suicide risk, suicidal thoughts, social adjustment, family functioning, problem solving, depression, cognitions about substance use, and didactic knowledge related to the treatment.”

While she has published Seeking Safety: A Treatment Manual for PTSD and Substance Abuse, which is a treatment manual geared toward academic studies and/or professionals, this new book is designed for a general audience, and effectively presents stories of particular sufferers as well as exercises and other practical tools to help sufferers of trauma, addiction, or both to begin to deal with their issues and heal.

I appreciate the presentation, and only wish there had been some information about the “difficult cases” that were mentioned at the end of some chapters. Four stars. I hope my former foster daughter will read this!

[Nicole courter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book. I just finished my Masters in clinical and counseling psychology, so I am trying to read different types of books for clients. I like that this book covers many different topics that the client might be thinking about. Examples include, relapse, emotions, types of therapies, coping skills, and many more. This book is very easy to read. The chapters are short with give enough information. I also like that there are different types of scales and exercises throughout the book. The only reason I gave it a four star review is because I think the order of the chapters made it a little confusing. It could be just me, but I think it should have been in a chronological order. To me, it feels as if the chapters were just thrown in the book. Other than that, as a therapist, I got a lot out of it and I hope the clients would too.

[Amy Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Content: Ok for interventions. I didn’t find anything new, but I have used some of the chapters as handouts.
Agreement/Disagreement: nothing in particular. Pretty straightforward and solution-focused. I do like the section on sexuality.
Audience: good for counselors looking for “what to do” with PTSD clients.
Recommendation: a good resource, but not the way to learn all about PTSD.

[gerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring

A very good book with lots of insight, I will use some of these things when I graduate with my Master's in a few months

[كريمه بو قمر · Rating 5 out of 5]

من أجمل الكتب ( العملية ) لتخطي مرحلة ما بعد الإدمان و الصدمات ، it was from the best books i’ve been reading in this topic

[James Atkison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very easy read friendly to the layman.

[Mkittysamom · Rating 5 out of 5]

love Lisa Najavits! I will probably be using this book forever. I love her ideas and still incorporate them into my daily life. My trauma isn’t gone but I am coping better! This is a good book for a woman looking for some support individually, I love that she mixes trauma and addiction. Trauma is what every dr or addiction place forgets about and it is just as important! I love that it incorporates safety! Love the printability, the checklists, worksheets and work she gives! I loved Seeking Safety and this is just an awesome extra support! It’s one of those books that you don’t just read from Cover to cover but use it as you need it so it’s hard to nail down when I will be finished or when I started lol.. it’s a forever book that will always be handy!

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a free copy to use and review!