Overcoming Traumatic Stress: A Self-Help Guide Using Cognitive Behavioral Techniques

Terrible events are very hard to deal with. Those who go through a catastrophic life experience often feel permanently changed by the impact of what has happened. They become numb and shut off from those around them, or grief or guilt may constantly weigh them down. Memories of horrifying scenes may intrude unexpectedly during waking hours while sleep may be disturbed by vivid, unpleasant dreams.

Traumatic stress responses, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder are psychological conditions that result from a person's coping mechanisms having been completely overwhelmed by a terrible experience. These 'flashbacks' may be so severe that sufferers may feel that they are losing their sanity and subsequently become ever more isolated in their distress.

To overcome the effects of trauma it is necessary to change those reactions and begin to see events in a different light. This book demonstrates, with practical advice and tested exercises, how to find new, effective ways of coping with, and finally overcoming traumatic stress.