There is no doubt most of us will remember 2020 as a traumatic year. Whether it's because of the pandemic, resulting economic hardship or loss of a loved one, any one of the many major environmental crises (forest fires, etc.), or the political situation.
Trauma, unfortunately, is all around us. Of course it always has been. Trauma does not just refer to things which result in clinically diagnosed PTSD. Trauma exists on a continuum and it is also very individual. Two people may be in a car accident together and one may have no lasting psychological effects while the other could end up with serious PTSD.
I deal with trauma regularly in my counselling practice and do a type of trauma therapy called EMDR. The causal event can be anything from a difficult birth of a child to childhood sexual abuse to the loss of a loved one.
Post-Traumatic Thriving: The Art, Science, & Stories of Resilience was written by Randall Bell, a consultant who specializes in disaster recovery projects around the world. After witnessing trauma victims recover and show incredible resilience in the face of darkness, he felt compelled to write this book to give others hope and information about how others can do the same.
The book is educational - it has the science and research stuff I like about trauma, treatment and recovery, and it is chock full of stories of survivors for those who relate better to individual voices.
In most books I tend to skim the anecdotes and its the data I dig into, but I know most people are the opposite in terms of their interests. What I think I like best, is that Bell includes all the science and data but does it in a very digestible way for those people who are not that interesting such that they can gain a basic understanding without getting bored or overwhelmed.
Bell has many diagrams and images that are very clear and clever to explain concepts I use all the time in counselling. These ones for negative and positive self worth are an example:
Similarly, this one around creating healthy boundaries:
The book is divided into 3 sections:
1. The Dive Stage
2. The Survive Stage
3. The Thrive Stage
It explains what happens to us in the dive stage (when we get knocked down), the process of surviving after the trauma, and the critical ingredients needed to once again thrive. I found it very clear and easy to read.
So do I recommend this book? I think it is a useful read for everyone, because no one escapes this earth without experiencing some sort of trauma or knowing someone else who has. It isn't a treatment or cure, however, so if you have experienced a trauma, you should still also seek help in the form of counselling, medication or whatever else is necessary.
There has never been a better time to learn how traumatic events effect us! Let's hope for a less eventful 2021.
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