A review by cerebrospinal_druid
Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence--From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror by Judith Lewis Herman

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.