The Most Comprehensive Trauma Book in the Market
A Systemic Approach to Understanding and Healing Trauma Disorders
Some Five Star Reviews
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2023
I’ve read a bunch of the big trauma books. I have never suffered a catastrophic event and I still felt that I carry the effects of trauma but wasn’t sure; not even after therapy (where they mostly got me wrong)…this book, which I gulped down in a few days, helped me finally understand the extent to which I did or did not suffer from traumatization and why. I saw myself in it, but I also saw my friends, my family. It made me want to shout from the rooftops - that issue you’re having, that fear you feel, that fight you had, it’s not your fault, it’s your body’s maladaptive alteration!! Oh and you don’t have to keep repeating what that alteration is making you do.
The world would be a better place if more people read this book and became well-versed in what trauma really is. I’m certainly never going to see mental health the same way again.
Designed For Scholars, Practitioners and Clients
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Antonieta Contreras brings to convergence her many years of scholarship, research and practice in the domain of trauma therapy. This vast experience ultimately finds its culminating expression in this rare volume.
Since volumes written on trauma abound, why would this one be rare? Antonieta Contreras is endowed with the rare gift to incise through the mechanistic details that usually occlude the interior aspects of psychopathology; particularly as frequently explained by practitioners in the field.
Single-handedly, she reaches across to convey with unvarnished lucidity all that should be understood about the vast and intricate dimensions of trauma. The inexplicable mysteries entangled in trauma can only be apprehended and healed successfully by practitioners endowed with the requisite facility. Such a facility was bestowed upon Antonieta Contreras. It is whence this volume derives.
As a research scholar in clinical health, this book is an invaluable resource for my doctoral project. It is in that spirit that I enthusiastically extol its efficacy.
Godfrey Silas, MA, dance therapist and documentary film producer - LIQUID LOVE
Author
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Antonieta Contreras, a board-certified neurofeedback clinician, details the neurobiology of trauma in her book, Traumatization and Its Aftermath. Contreras differentiates between trauma and traumatization, giving examples to clarify the meaning. The author explores many topics, like why people develop trauma disorders and the ways they may surface in their daily lives, discusses traumatizing agents and how they can prolong a person’s reaction to an event, touches on actions a person may take when they perceive a threat of trauma after experiencing a similar situation, how certain self-conscious states can cast a shadow on the mind, and outlines a clear diagnosis of PTSD. The book covers trauma in adults and children and reveals markers for identifying it.
The text makes the psychological terms more understandable and is current with the knowledge of trauma and its repercussions. Without diminishing reactions to horrific events, Antonieta Contreras dissects traumatization and provides helpful diagrams for a more visual perspective. In one way or another, it’s possible that the material in the book will relate to almost everyone who reads it. I was intrigued by the stories Contreras shared and interested in shame as a “destructive emotional state” and the brain’s protective mechanisms and what can activate them. The author delivers up-to-date research, eliminating misinformation, and steering others away from mislabeling without alienating or shaming readers. Traumatization and Its Aftermath would be a great addition to a psychology class, a good reference book, and a thoughtful gift for readers who are fascinated by the brain’s protective abilities.
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Many people in society today battle with trauma, knowingly or unknowingly. Some even misinterpret the meaning of trauma. Some do not know what trauma means or its possible effects. Luckily enough, this book explains the concept of trauma, its effects, and all it entails. In the book Traumatization and Its Aftermath by Antonieta Contreras, the author, through detailed research, untangles the intricacies surrounding trauma and distinguishes between the causes and effects while emphasizing the need to differentiate between external and internal factors. Common misinterpretations and misconceptions were explained, and the author highlights the confusion surrounding the term 'trauma' and aims to bring clarity by exploring the various facets of traumatization.
I liked how this book broadened my knowledge of the concept of trauma. Once I started reading this book, I discovered that my previous knowledge on the subject was just vague and based on what I saw in movies. This book helped correct the misconceptions about trauma and gave a deeper understanding of it. For instance, I never knew that different parts of the brain played different roles when it came to trauma, but after reading this book, I am aware of this now.
This book was well-researched. Just by reading through it, one can see how much work the author put into it. There are references at the end of each chapter, and these helped authenticate the work. The only downside of this book is that it seemed complex. Some readers may not easily grasp some of the concepts in this book because of its complexity. However, this only shows how versed the author is in the topic. The author tried to make some of the concepts easier to understand by sharing real-life stories.
This book deserves a full rating, so I rate it 5 out of 5 stars. The minor drawback is not enough to affect the overall rating of the book. This book was exceptionally edited and void of any forms of error. I recommend it to people who want to understand how trauma works and how it affects the brain. I also recommend it to anyone who wants to go into the science of psychology. This book will help them a lot.
A Beautiful Email from a Reader
Vesna from Slovakia sent this email:
"I am reading Traumatization and Its Aftermath and I must say that I have never read a better book about trauma. I gained insight into my life, my story, why what happened to me happened to me.
When the author explained the process of traumatization, I understood that this is a natural course of events when something constantly eats away at you and you cannot escape. I also understood when it had all started for me, which I was unable to pinpoint due to my severe dissociation.
When I started high school, I suddenly couldn't eat dairy anymore, and I read it in this book for the first time that intolerance to dairy or gluten is a sign that changes are happening in the body. This explained to me the subsequent "quiet" period I had when I was acting "normal" on the outside, but in reality I was in allostasis.
The thing that stayed with me the most is that it is by no means necessary that everything has to do with the outside world and that I’ve put too much emphasis on that. I understand this now as traumatic thinking when you're just trying to explain your symptoms to yourself, but not really understanding what is going on. It’s only now that I’ve realized that this is neither fair nor true. But that's how I explained it to myself, even though I was wrong. That's how I’ve experienced it, as a sort of default thinking, which is also explained in the book.
It’s a very comforting book to read. In fact, it explained everything I wanted to know and what I was interested in, and everything is in line with my experiences. I realized it's really not okay to accuse myself of anything. For the longest time, I was without access to knowing for sure that there's nothing wrong with me. I look at it completely differently now and I am able to use this wisdom and calm down.
I was very pleased that the book made such a strong case for dissociation, because I stopped feeling ashamed about it. It's completely logical. I just did this to help myself. I remember exactly why and how I did it and that I was proud of myself at the time. I felt strong.
I also understood there is no need to fear dissociation. In my case, I started to be very afraid of it. Mainly because I had forgot why I was doing it, which confused and scared me. This book taught me that everything is reversible. Or almost everything, if I understood correctly."
Editorial Reviews
Sanja Rozman, MD., Author of seven books about recovery from process addictions, Psychotherapist.
Lana Epstein, LCSW, senior trainer for the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, and EMDRIA-approved consultant in EMDR
Johanna Dobrich, LCSW-R. Author of Working with Survivor Siblings in Psychoanalysis, 2023 ISSTD Sandor Ferenczi Award winner, Psychotherapist, Teacher, Supervisor