What is trauma? Why do its effects last far beyond the event or events that caused it? Why are our human reactions to it so debilitating? Most importantly, how can we help someone heal the deep wounds that it can leave in its wake?
The experience of trauma is far more common than most of us realize--many of us, if not most, are affected by this hidden epidemic. Veterans of war and survivors of terrorism, crime, accidents and disasters are not the only people who suffer from PTSD. Unless effectively treated, trauma can cause havoc in lives and relationships, keeping our dreams forever out of reach.
There is a solution. It involved treating all the effects of trauma--in body, mind, and spirit. Based on over forty years of clinical expertise, Dr. Peter Bernstein's Trauma: Healing the Hidden Epidemic offers clear and uncomplicated explanations of multiple types of trauma. These include: shock trauma; developmental trauma (more commonly occurring, while less understood); and secondary or vicarious trauma. The book describes the most effective course of treatment for healing trauma on a profound level, beyond the capability of drugs or talk therapy alone.
Some trauma sufferers minimize their traumatic events or don't remember them at all. Others are reluctant to seek treatment for trauma because its very effects leave them feeling hopeless. Dr. Bernstein's book, written primarily for trauma victims and their friends and family (although therapists and other mental health professionals will find much of interest), educates readers in all forms of trauma and offers simple, personable guidance for healing.
About the Author: Peter M. Bernstein received his master's in Social Psychology, Department of Sociology, from San Jose State University and his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from International University. He completed a professional certification program in Reichian therapy with Gerald Frank, DC, and received post-doctoral recognition from the American Psychotherapy Association as a Diplomate and Fellow. Fomerly the Clinical Director of Center Point Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programs, Dr. Bernstein has been in private practice since 1974 as a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and is the founder and director of the Bernstein Institute for Integrative Psychotherapy and Trauma Treatment. He is the creator of Reichian Myofascial Release Therapy (RMFR), a new modality to treat physical and emotional pain and trauma. Dr. Bernstein is the author of numerous published articles and has led a wide variety of workshops for professionals, including resiliency and secondary trauma training for case workers and clinical staff at the Department of Veterans Affairs. He helped found and continues to be the moving force behind Sonoma Coast Trauma Treatment, a non-profit foundation dedicated to healing combat-related trauma for veterans, service members and their families. An Army infantry veteran of the Vietnam War era, Dr. Bernstein and his wife, Lynn, live in Petaluma, California. He can be contacted at www.bernsteininstitute.com.
