Perhaps because in South African we
are so immersed in trauma and trauma therapy because of our level of violence
in society, it is that I found this book somewhat clinical and lacking in
certain respects.  When I saw the title I was excited, but in my opinion the
author failed to carry through the theme of taking trauma through to
transformation in any meaningful way.  The treatment plans are great but reductionistic
— seldom does a trauma treatment plan run smoothly, but little of those
challenges and how to deal with them are present in the book.  In my opinion,
‘planning’ a process of treatment involves the assumption that things will run
according to that plan, which, in my experience is seldom the case. 

The focus on 9/11 to the exclusion
of other types of trauma was problematic for me — perhaps again because of the
variety and complexity of trauma we work with in South Africa.  The author
failed to expose the reader to some of the debates and learning that arose, in
terms of trauma treatment, post 9/11, particularly the issue around the
re-traumatizing effect of ‘re-telling the story’ that came from the stories of
victims of 9/11 which radically changed or at least questioned, the way we
think about trauma counseling.

I was not sure what population this
book was intended for.  It holds little novelty in terms of the needs of the seasoned
trauma practitioner and yet it is not useful for the lay person as the
treatment plans need to be administered by a professional.  I agree however,
that it would be useful in bringing more people to using hypnosis as an
effective methodology in trauma recovery.

On a positive note I found the
first chapter, in terms of the theoretical underpinnings of trauma treatment,
to be interesting, although I think that some of the paradigms could have been
treated in more detail.  This was where the question of the target population
arose in my mind.

©  2007 Elaine Saunders

Elaine Saunders, Industrial Psychologist,
Trauma Counsellor, South Africa

Categories: MentalHealth