Does Stress Damage the Brain? Understanding Trauma-Related Disorders from a Mind-Body Perspective

J. Douglas Bremner, 2005

Can what you see, hear, feel, and experience actually result in a permanent change in your brain? This provocative question arose from research discoveries by J. Douglas Bremner and others that showed that extreme stress might result in lasting damage to the brain. Anyone who has experienced even moderate stress in their life will benefit from the insights in this clearly written, accessible book.

Trauma-Informed Practices with Children and Adolescents

William Steele, 2011

The book synthesizes research from leading trauma specialists and translates it into easy-to-implement techniques. The approaches laid out address the sensory and somatic experiences of trauma within structured formats that meet the “best practices” criteria for trauma-informed care: safety, self-regulation, trauma integration, healthy relationships, and healthy environments. Each chapter contains short excerpts, case examples, and commentary relevant to the chapter topic from recognized leaders in the field of trauma intervention with children and adolescents. In addition to this, readers will find chapters filled with easily applied activities, methods, and approaches to assessment, self-regulation, trauma integration, and resilience-building. The book’s structured yet comprehensive approach provides professionals with the resources they need to help trauma victims not just survive but thrive and move from victim thinking to survivor thinking using the current best practices in the field.

Trauma through a Child’s Eyes: Awakening the Ordinary Miracle of Healing

Peter Levine and Maggie Kline, 2006

An essential guide for recognizing, preventing, and healing childhood trauma, from infancy through adolescence—what parents, educators, and health professionals can do. Trauma can result not only from catastrophic events such as abuse, violence, or loss of loved ones, but from natural disasters and everyday incidents such as auto accidents, medical procedures, divorce, or even falling off a bicycle. At the core of this book is the understanding of how trauma is imprinted on the body, brain, and spirit, resulting in anxiety, nightmares, depression, physical illnesses, addictions, hyperactivity, and aggression. Rich with case studies and hands-on activities, Trauma through a Child’s Eyes gives insight into children’s innate ability to rebound with the appropriate support, and provides their caregivers with tools to overcome and prevent trauma.