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kristyrenee118's review against another edition
5.0
The seminal work on trauma. It goes into history, definitions, PTSD, complex PTSD, various types of trauma, and treatments. It is also extremely easy to read and wonderfully informative. This was one of my favorite social work texts for many reasons (not least of which is that it only cost me something like $1.62 on Amazon's marketplace).
jtllnt's review against another edition
4.5
It feels weird to say that I enjoyed a book about trauma but I will say that I found it to be fascinating and informative. I think my favorite part is how she places violence in a political/social justice context instead of just looking at traumatic events as isolated events with actors unconnected to any broader systems of power and violence. It’s also just cool to read such a seminal text on trauma and for it to still ring true three decades later.
kd2n's review against another edition
5.0
The first time I picked up this book, I treated it as a nightstand book, and would read a few pages before I went to bed. This was certainly a mistake, as I promptly started having dreams about war and abuse. The thing that stuck with me the most was Herman's discussion of Freud's research, and his discovery and later recanting of the pervasiveness of childhood and domestic sexual abuse. To think that he and other researchers chose the path of least resistance, that of sexual fantasy, which became a decades (or century, arguably) long distraction from the real issues women and children were facing in their homes, was beyond infuriating. I put the book down, but it continued to gnaw at me, so three years later, I borrowed the audiobook from the library.
Not being a practitioner, the most useful part of this book is Part I - Traumatic Disorders. Her discussions of war, domestic abuse, and child abuse provide keen insight into their destructive nature and their impact on individuals and the families and communities of which affected members are a part. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a primer on trauma.
Not being a practitioner, the most useful part of this book is Part I - Traumatic Disorders. Her discussions of war, domestic abuse, and child abuse provide keen insight into their destructive nature and their impact on individuals and the families and communities of which affected members are a part. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a primer on trauma.
hamalee's review against another edition
3.5
To balance out The Body Keeps The Score. There's still some suspicious floof.
lilyheron's review against another edition
4.0
Raw and difficult to read, but an excellent contribution to the field. cw: Focuses mostly on extreme child abuse, including lots of graphic content from survivors.
cerebrospinal_druid's review against another edition
5.0
“Though frightening, these attacks are an implicit tribute to the power of the healing relationship. They remind us that creating a protected space where survivors can speak their truth is an act of liberation. They remind us that bearing witness, even within the confines of that sanctuary, is an act of solidarity. They remind us also that moral neutrality in the conflict between victim and perpetrator is not an option. Like all other bystanders, therapists are sometimes forced to take sides. Those who stand with the victim will inevitably have to face the perpetrator's unmasked fury. For many of us, there can be no greater honor.” (From the 1997 afterword)
Brilliant body of work. Took me many months to work my way through (hard to read at times), but worth every drop (empowering). Herman traces trauma’s study and treatment over the course of 20th century and coins complex trauma. At each point of the book, she confers the dignity due to survivors and impresses the truth that trauma healing is ever-housed in the relational, social, and political domains.
Brilliant body of work. Took me many months to work my way through (hard to read at times), but worth every drop (empowering). Herman traces trauma’s study and treatment over the course of 20th century and coins complex trauma. At each point of the book, she confers the dignity due to survivors and impresses the truth that trauma healing is ever-housed in the relational, social, and political domains.
marychase's review against another edition
5.0
I’ve read parts and passages many times over the last several years, but this is my first time to read the whole thing. It’s a brutal, transformative book.