Trauma & Its Impact: What you need to know (2nd edition)

by Avigail Abarbanel

Psychological trauma is far more common than people realise, but it is also grossly under-diagnosed. Many symptoms that people bring to their GP are a result of hidden and unrecognised trauma. Psychological trauma can devastate lives, and interfere with healthy development. Its ripples can affect everything about us, our physical health, how we feel, think, and behave, how we relate to others, and our ability to fulfil our potential. Even with the best of intentions trauma is passed on through the generations.

The earlier the trauma, the more devastating its effects, and the more it can become a substitute for a real identity. Contrary to what people think, trauma is not only caused by abuse or neglect. Any prolonged or powerful experience of threat, or insecurity, at any age and for any reason, can lead to trauma and trauma symptoms. Despite everything we know about trauma, and we know a lot, people are still not offered the right kind of information or help. Most trauma sufferers feel hopeless and alone, and often suffer their whole life.

This clear and accessible book discusses trauma and its impact in a no-nonsense way. This updated edition includes a new chapter that describes the process of recovery. This book, challenges the prevalent symptom management approach, and the ‘quick fix’ mentality to trauma and trauma symptoms. Living is more than just surviving from day to day, and People deserve better than just managing symptoms. Recovery isn’t easy, and can take a long time, but there is life beyond trauma.

Understanding trauma and its effects is a good step in the right direction. Removing the stigma and shame behind symptoms, and ‘joining the dots’ can be reassuring and validating. It can start you on a journey to healing and recovery, and empower you to ask for what you really need.

This book is part of the 'Fully Human Psychotherapy Tools for Life Series'. It is aimed at trauma sufferers, professionals, and anyone who seeks to understand trauma better. Avigail writes both as an experienced psychotherapist, and from her personal experience of recovery from childhood abuse and Post Traumatic Stress.

115 pages, Paperback

Published August 12, 2019

About the author

Avigail has been a psychotherapist in private practice since 1999. She started her practice in Canberra Australia, and after eleven busy years, she moved to the Scottish Highlands where she has been living and working since 2010.

Avigail’s practice is based in Cawdor. She is Snr Accredited with the BACP and is a psychotherapist, supervisor, trainer, consultant, and writer. Avigail is passionate about sharing her knowledge with everyone. Since the development of Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) by Dr Dan Siegel, she believes that too many psychotherapists work in an outdated way, and that there is no reason for psychotherapy to continue to be a mystery to people. She has written *Therapy Without A Therapist* specifically to share her way of working with everyone. Avigail offers free to all podcasts on this and other topics in her field. The podcasts are available here: https://avigail.substack.com/podcast

Avigail has a vision for a research centre, combined with a larger practice and training centre. She hopes to secure funding to realise this vision.

Her work website is at www.fullyhuman.co.uk and all her publications are available on Amazon worldwide. Avigail publishes essays on her Substack page: ‘Avigail Abarbanel's Fully Human Essays’ and other writings and articles on Academia.edu

Avigail was born in Israel in 1964. In 1991 she migrated to Australia, and ten years later she renounced her Israeli citizenship in protest. Avigail is an anti-Zionist activist for Palestinian human rights and against Zionist-Israeli settler-colonialism.

Some of her writings on Palestine-Israel can be found on Mondoweiss and the Electronic Intifada, more recently she has been publishing on her Substack page ‘Avigail Abarbanel’s Fully Human Essays’, and on Medium.