For hundreds of years, the human response to personal and collective
catastrophe has been recognized. Major historical events of the twen-
tieth century have highlighted the reality of the human response to
extreme traumatization, especially the experience of persons exposed to
the concentration camps of Nazi Germany, the dropping of atomic bombs on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the unique features of the Vietnam conflict.
However, it was not until1980, with the publication of the third edition
of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-111), that post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD) was fully recognized as a distinct and valid
diagnostic category with a permanency not hitherto afforded post-trauma
stress syndromes. Consequently, a formidable PTSD literature has emerged
since the late 1970s. Included among the wealth of research and clinical
papers are a variety of edited books containing contributions from the
major authorities in the field (e.g., Figley, 1978, 1985; van der Kolk,
1984; Kelly, 1985; Sonnenberg, Blank, & Talbott, 1985; Milgram, 1986;
Ochberg, 1988). However, to date no publication has brought together and
integrated the variety of theoretical and therapeutic perspectives in a
form readily accessible to clinicians. It is to this gap in the
literature that this contribution is addressed.