Reversing the Trauma of War: PTSD Help for Veterans, Active Duty Personnel and Their Families

by Phyllis Kahaney, Rachel Epstein, Gerald N Epstein (Foreword by)

Overview

Reversing the Trauma of War offers you new hope and healing by harnessing the power of your mind

Your mind no longer needs to be a "war zone."

Reversing the Trauma of War is for all veterans and active duty personnel who have witnessed and survived combat and are still struggling with PTSD. Just as you trained for battle, you can now retrain your mind for civilian life This book is for you if you have experienced any or all of these devastating PTSD symptoms:

• Addiction • Guilt • Anxiety • Hypervigilance • Anger • Insomnia • Depression • Flashbacks • Nightmares • Pain

Reversing the Trauma of War empowers you to become calmer, more confident, and form healthy relationships

Designed specifically for military personnel, this book introduces you to safe and effective visual imagery exercises that help you cope with stressful situations and turn around the automatic reactions that arise in PTSD.

Reversing the Trauma of War is also a great resource for family members of present and former military personnel as well as healthcare practitioners.

INCLUDES A SPECIAL SECTION FOR CLINICIANS

“A must read for Vets suffering from PTSD . . .”

– Brian J. Masterson, MD Ret. Col. USAF

Phyllis Kahaney, MSW, PhD

Worked as a readjustment counselor at the San Diego Vet Center treating veterans with PTSD.

Rachel Epstein, LAc, JD

Is the Director of the American Institute for Mental Imagery and a healthcare practitioner.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781883148263
Publisher:	ACMI Press
Publication date:	06/01/2020
Pages:	246
Sales rank:	345,813
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.56(d)

About the Author

Phyllis Kahaney, MSW, worked as a readjustment counselor at the San Diego Vet Center treating veterans with PTSD.

Rachel Epstein, L.Ac. is the Director of the American Institute for Mental Imagery (www.drjerryepstein.org/AIMI), a and a healthcare practitioner.

Dr. Gerald Epstein was one of the foremost practitioners of integrative medicine. Trained as a Freudian analyst, he abandoned this direction in 1974 to study therapeutic uses of the imagination under the guidance of Madame Colette Aboulker-Muscat in Jerusalem. Early in his career, he pioneered the use of mental imagery for treating both physical and emotional problems. As his work evolved over the years, he become a leading exponent of the Western spiritual tradition and its application to healing and therapeutics. He was an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in NYC and founded the American Institute for Mental Imagery (AIMI). He conducted successful research in the efficacy of mental imagery in the treatment of asthma and heart strength. www.drjerryepstein.org

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Foreword

Preface: Phyllis' Story

Preface: Rachel's Story

Chapter 1: What Is Mental Imagery

Chapter 2: Healing As Freedom

Chapter 3: How to Practice Mental Imagery

Chapter 4: Hypervigilance

Chapter 5: Anxiety and Fear

Chapter 6: Anger

Chapter 7: Triggers

Chapter 8: Isolation

Chapter 9: Depression

Chapter 10: Guilt

Chapter 11: Insomnia and Nightmares

Chapter 12: Loss and Grief

Chapter 13: Physical Pain

Chapter 14: Concussions and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Chapter 15: Overcoming Addiction

Chapter 16: Military Sexual Trauma

Chapter 17: Life Plan and Stopping Exercises:

Using Your Will

Chapter 18: For the Families of Vets

Chapter 19: Creating Your Own Exercises

Chapter 20: Choosing to Live Life Well

Chapter 21: Notes for Healthcare Professionals: Mental Imagery

as a Therapeutic Modality

Chapter 22: For Clinicians: Techniques to Reverse Nightmares,

Flashbacks, and Intrusive Memories

Endnotes

Sources of Imagery

References

Main Index

Index of PTSD Patient Stories

Index of Mental Imagery Exercises

About the Authors

Editorial Reviews

Reversing the Trauma of War is exceptional. It is not only a mustread but a must-use both by those suffering with PTSD and by practitioners who work with those who suffer from the ravages of war. I have found it useful both personally and in my practice of treating those who have experienced many forms of trauma. Because of the complex presentation of PTSD, this handbook should be considered a “tool box.” It provides personal vignettes

and multiple guides to manage the multitude of symptoms associated with PTSD. It has been an honor to review this work for I see it as great resource for all who suffer from and all who treat PTSD.

--Brian J. Masterson, MD, MPH, FACP, FACLP

Col, USAF (Ret.), MC, CFS,

FMR Commander, AF Theater Hospital, Balad, Iraq, 2006–2007,

Psychiatry & Internal Medicine

What a gem of a book! Reversing the Trauma of War is a gift of hope for veterans and their families whose lives are compromised by trauma and PTSD. While the clear, step-by-step mental imagery exercises are very user-friendly, don’t let the simplicity fool you: the practices are grounded in the most recent cutting-edge research to effectively rewire the brain and regulate the nervous system. In my work as a psychotherapist, this book is a valued resource in my practice toolbox, and for my clients.

Leslie Davenport, MA, MS, LMFT

Faculty, California Institute of Integral Studies;

editor, Transformative Imagery

Brilliant! The book is amazingly well written, communicates effectively at the appropriate level, is well organized, and includes terrific case studies, great dialogue, and an array of practical exercises that boggle the mind in their variety, cleverness, and detail. I recommend it to everyone — laypersons, undergraduates, mental health professionals, and your next-door neighbor.

Alan S. Kaufman, PhD

Clinical Professor of Psychology,

Yale University, School of Medicine, Child Study Center

What Kahaney and Epstein have achieved is unique. Weaving together an understanding of combat PTSD, personal stories, and an easily accessible guide to self-care and resolution, they offer healing through the simple and powerful tool of mental imagery. A remarkably practical book, the authors break down common themes of combat PTSD, offer simple explanations and provide mental imagery “recipes” that one can easily understand and use

immediately.

Randy Kasper, LCSW, PhD

Director, School of Imagery & Health;

Professor of Social Work, California State University

From the Publisher