Overcoming Trauma and PTSD: A Workbook Integrating Skills from ACT, DBT, and CBT

by Sheela Raja PhD, Susan M. Orsillo PhD (Foreword by)

Overview

If you’ve experienced a traumatic event, you may feel a wide range of emotions, such as anxiety, anger, fear, and depression. The truth is that there is no right or wrong way to react to trauma; but there are ways that you can heal from your experience, and uncover your own capacity for resilience, growth, and recovery.

Overcoming Trauma and PTSD offers proven-effective treatments based in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help you overcome both the physical and emotional symptoms of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This book will help you find relief from painful flashbacks, insomnia, or other symptoms you might be experiencing. Also included are worksheets, checklists, and exercises to help you start feeling better and begin your journey on the road to recovery.

This book will help you manage your anxiety and stop avoiding certain situations, cope with painful memories and nightmares, and determine if you need to see a therapist. Perhaps most importantly, it will help you to develop a support system so that you can you heal and move forward.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781608822867
Publisher:	New Harbinger Publications
Publication date:	12/01/2012
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	200
Sales rank:	456,940
Product dimensions:	7.80(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Sheela Raja, PhD, is an associate professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She completed postdoctoral training at the National Center for PTSD, and is a nationally recognized expert on the health effects of trauma and trauma-informed health care approaches. Her other books include Overcoming Trauma and PTSD, The PTSD Survival Guide for Teens, and The Sexual Trauma Workbook for Teen Girls.


Susan M. Orsillo, PhD, is professor of psychology at Suffolk University in Boston, and lives in the Boston area with her husband and two children. Orsillo has written and published extensively about mindfulness, anxiety, and psychotherapy, and has been involved in anxiety disorder research and treatment. She is the coauthor of the acclaimed book, Mindfulness and Acceptance-Based Behavioral Therapies in Practice, as well as The Mindful Way through Anxiety.

Table of Contents

Foreword vii

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction 1

Part 1 What Is Trauma and How Can It Affect Your Life?

1 How People Respond to Traumatic Events 11

2 Physical and Health Issues Associated with Trauma 27

Part 2 Integrating Current Therapeutic Techniques into Your Life

3 Understanding Current Evidence-Based Therapies 39

4 Managing Your Anxiety 59

5 Stop Avoiding and Start Living Again 93

6 Coping with Painful Memories, Flashbacks, Nightmares, and Intrusions 121

Part 3 Surviving and Thriving as You Look Ahead

7 How to Know Whether You Need Help from a Therapist 143

8 How to Take Better Care of Your Health 151

9 How to Get More Support 161

Afterword 173

Resources 175

References 177

Interviews

Sheela Raja lives in Oak Park, IL.

Editorial Reviews

“Relying upon the growing body of evidence-based psychological treatments for PTSD, psychologist Sheela Raja assembles a treasure trove of useful exercises and skills for people committed to recovery. This workbook is an invaluable tool to accompany psychotherapy and will prove to be an outstanding complement to existing self-help manuals. Utilizing an integrated framework for promoting behavioral health, Raja’s clinical skill and expertise resounds throughout the text. This is an important reference for patients and clinicians alike.”

—Terence M. Keane, PhD, director of National Center for PTSD in Boston, professor and assistant dean for research at Boston University School of Medicine

“Sheela Raja has produced an excellent resource for the many individuals suffering from emotional consequences of trauma that do not have access to, cannot afford, or prefer not to utilize traditional mental health services. Her book is long overdue in self-help literature. It is grounded in, and supported by, the best available research related to trauma treatment approaches. Readers can rest comfortably knowing that this is the relatively rare book written for trauma survivors that includes techniques proven to be invaluably helpful for countless others suffering from similar difficulties. They can be assured that exercises recommended in this book are bolstered by cutting-edge scientific research. Overcoming Trauma and PTSD is truly an invaluable resource—one that I will use often and recommend highly.”

—Matt J. Gray, PhD, director of clinical training and professor of psychology at the University of Wyoming

“Sheela Raja has written an accessible, clear, and compassionate book that successfully integrates important evidence-based techniques for the treatment of PTSD. She does an excellent job explaining techniques so that people can use them on their own, while also providing important guidance about when (and how) to seek professional help.”

—Holly K. Orcutt, PhD, professor of psychology at Northern Illinois University

From the Publisher