Moving On After Trauma: A Guide for Victims and Fellow Travellers

Extreme trauma can have devastating emotional, relational, physical and legal effects. This book offers hope, providing survivors, family and friends with a roadmap for managing obstacles to recovery. This second edition shifts the focus from reliving the trauma to 12 rules for ‘moving on after trauma’ by making the centrality accorded to the trauma the pre-eminent target rather than the traumatic experience itself. In this approach, the trauma victim’s intense desire not to talk or think about the trauma is no longer seen as pathological. The book also addresses the wider concerns of the traumatised about justice, group treatments and medication; with suggested strategies tailored to a wide range of possible traumatic responses including PTSD, specific phobias, panic disorder, depression and body dysmorphic disorder. An important focus in this new edition is the restoration of the sense of self. For those traumatised earlier on in life guidance is given on the creation of a stable sense of self. This one-of-a-kind trauma survivor guide will be beneficial for any survivor of trauma along with their fellow travellers to recovery, including family, friends, therapists, managers, clergy and lawyers. It can also serve as a companion volume to Personalising Trauma Treatment: Reframing and Reimagining (2022) for mental health professionals.

Table of Contents:
1. What’s happening to me? 2. What is the best description of my distress? 3. Your distress might be complicated because……. 4. Am I making mountains out of molehills? 5. In preparation 6. Picturing your distress 7. Stopping fuelling your distress 8. Will I get better? 9. What works? 10. A window into ‘bona fide’ treatments and the realities 11. Viewing life through the window of the trauma and the bottom of a glass 12. Excessive vigilance 13. Tongue-tied 14. Depression and anxiety disorders 15. Resetting the alarm, refurbishment and rebuild 16. Venturing forth 17. Saboteurs 18. Better ways of handling the traumatic memory 19. The gravitational pull of exaggeratedly negative posttraumatic cognitions 20. Sharing 21. Mental time travel and me 22. When the picture freezes 23. Restoring relationships 24. Managing mood 25. A trauma induced prejudice against yourself 26 Preparing for sleep, pain and irritability 27. Encountering disturbances of sleep, pain and irritability 28.When pain and impairment are made central 29. Old baggage, new trauma 30. Seeking Help for Children and Adolescents 31. Age-adjusted help for the young 32. Justice 33. What about trauma groups? 34. What about medication? 35. Getting further help 36. Guidance for professionals

About the Author :
Michael J. Scott, is a Consultant Psychologist specialising in the assessment and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. Dr Scott is the Editor of a 4-Volume work on Traumatic Stress published in 2015 and most recently a clinician’s handbook Personalising Trauma Treatment: Reframing and Reimagining (Routledge, 2022). His publications and blog can be found at cbtwatch.com and on YouTube.

Review :
‘This self-help gem is a beacon of hope for those navigating the turbulent waters of trauma and PTSD. In a world where understanding often falls short, Michael Scott’s book stands out as a guiding light, written in a conversational and validating tone that extends a compassionate hand to readers. It offers profound insights into how past traumatic experiences come to feel so central that they dominate every aspect of daily living; and how survivors can come to terms with their past by giving their experiences the weight they deserve, rather than demand. Accessible and empowering, it seamlessly blends state-of-the-art clinical science, survivor stories, and a personalised roadmap to recovery rooted in cognitive-behavioural therapy. It equips survivors with the tools to burst free from the bubble they find themselves in, providing a comprehensive guide for reclaiming one's life. A true companion for the journey toward healing, it will benefit not just those struggling to break free from PTSD, but also their partners and families.’ Sharif El-Leithy, D.Clin.Psy, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Traumatic Stress Service, London. ‘In this substantially revised and updated text Michael Scott has once again demonstrated his brilliance, compassion, and, decades-long wealth of evidence based clinical practice in helping victims of trauma. He guides suffers of trauma into making sense of the wide-ranging symptoms at the heart of their distress but, importantly, equips them with strategies for dealing with the complex and puzzling symptoms their trauma has left guiding them to regain a sense of control and find a way out of the maze of distress they have been lost in for so long. Moving On After Trauma is an absolute must for those who have suffered trauma, their families and loved ones.’ Sundeep Sembi, Clin.Psy.D, Consultant Clinical Neuropsychologist, Psychology Chambers Ltd. ‘Dr Scott has succeeded in producing a work of value to sufferers, those around them, and clinicians. The tag of “terrified surprise” is one which will resound with many sufferers and be helpful. Running through the book are composite representations of twenty sufferers which provide images and accounts, some of which are likely to be recognised by any sufferer, and to inform relatives and carers. It is essentially a self-help guide, and also contains the author’s opinion on treatments offered and provided, alongside explanations of the cause, nature, and management of post-traumatic experiences. There is a sequence of self-help material and descriptions of treatment approaches for sufferers which is accessible and is linked to the case histories, as well as specific information for clinicians.’ L Stephen O’Brien, FRCPsych, Consultant Psychiatrist.