BACK

FROM

THE

BRINK

 

A Family Guide to

Overcoming Traumatic Stress

 

Don R. Catherall, Ph.D.

 

 

 

The Phoenix Institute

Chicago, Illinois

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Toward the end of World War II, my father suffered a series of traumas on Tarawa, Peleliu, and Iwo Jima in the Pacific. He was later wounded on Okinawa. And my mother, while still a child, lost her mother to a major ill­ness. So I know what it is to grow up in a family where people have been traumatized. I married a woman who also knows what it's like to grow up in such a family: Her father was the sole survivor of the bridge on a U.S. de­stroyer that was hit by a kamikaze plane three days before the war ended. Over the years I've come to appreciate the ubiquitous nature of trauma; many, many families have been exposed, and even people who weren't present when a trauma occurred are affected by it. Once a trauma touches a family, its effects seep down through the genera­tions.

 

This book is dedicated to the children. We heal our­selves because we owe it to them.

CONTENTS

   

     Acknowledgments

     Introduction

 

Part I HURTING

 

 1  A Broken Life: Traumatization and How It Happens

 2  Still Staggering from the Blow: Living with a Trauma

 3  Staggering in Sync: Loving a Trauma Survivor

 

Part II HELPING

 

 4  The Recovery Process: An Overview

 5  Guidelines for the Trauma Survivor: Reaching Out/Delving Within

 6  Guidelines for Loved Ones: Talking/Listening/ Relating to the Trauma Survivor

 7  Guidelines for Parents: If the Survivor Is a Child

 

Part III HEALING

 

 8  Overcoming the Physical Symptoms: Feeling Yourself Again

 9  Repairing the Damage to the Sense of Self: Feeling Whole Again

10  Healing Rituals

11  Resolving Deep-Seated Blocks: Working Through, Reconnecting, and Moving On

12  Seeking Professional Help: Finding the Right Therapist and the Right Treatment

 

      Afterword

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

 

There are three groups of people I wish to acknowledge as making this book possible. The first is my family: my wife, my daughter, and my son. I always thought writers thanked their families because of the moral support they received while writing, but it's much more than that. They sacrificed the most valuable thing we have, family time. Thank you, Kim, Kate, and Cody.

 

The second group I wish to thank consists of the people who gave me editorial help. They were Linda Lowenthal and Maria Mack at Bantam, and elsewhere, Cathy Hemming and, most of all, the indomitable Nancy Kalish. Nancy's spirit is uplifting, I hope this book conveys the spirit she infused into this project. They all provided tremendous support and encouragement by believing in the importance of this topic. They are also skillful editors who helped me organize my thoughts more coherently.

 

The final, and most important, group that I must thank is the people who shared their personal traumas with me—my clients. It is these individuals and families who've taught me the most about traumatization and recovery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,

Humpty Dumpty took a great fall;

All the king's horses and all the king's men

Couldn't put Humpty together again

. . . . It was time to get the family involved