The new diagnosis of Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder presents
diagnostic and treatment challenges that need to be grappled with,
since, in a troubled world, it is increasingly important to understand
the impact and aftermath of traumatic experiences and, crucially, how to
work with those affected by them.
In Complex Trauma, Joanne Stubley and Linda Young have assembled a
fascinating range of approaches in order to explore the questions of
understanding and intervention. They detail the relevance of an applied
psychoanalytic approach, both in the Tavistock Trauma Service and, more
broadly, in illuminating understanding of traumatized individuals. The
book includes chapters related to the impact of trauma on the body, as
well as on the mind, incorporating neurobiological and attachment theory
to develop ideas on the impact and aftermath of complex trauma. A number
of specialist areas of trauma work are covered within this volume,
including work with adolescents, with refugees and asylum seekers, with
military veterans, and with survivors of child sexual abuse.
The editors bring together chapters that will be of interest to those
working with traumatized individuals in a variety of settings and using
different modalities. The central importance of relationships, as
understood within the psychoanalytic model, is depicted throughout as
being at the heart of understanding and working with traumatic
experience.
