top of page

Some Five Star Reviews

DLM89

​

Finally have answers

Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2023

Verified Purchase

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.

 

Godfrey Silas

​

Designed For Scholars, Practitioners and Clients

​

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

Courtnee Hoyle

Author 

​

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.

Chioma Oz

​

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

"This book is packed with information and a wealth of definitions and concepts, providing a great overview of everything a clinician needs to know about trauma. I am in awe of Antonieta's concise wording of all the difficult concepts about trauma. It takes a real master to put together concepts and theories around trauma, to sort them in the right perspective, and then illustrate them so well with the help of practical examples. The examples it gives help a lot to understand and apply the theoretical concepts in practice. I particularly enjoyed the explanation of C-PTSD with allostasis and survival mode. I have great respect of the depth of knowledge Antonieta presented and I think the value of the book can be compared with the great Judith Herman and Bessel Van der Kolk's seminal books."

Sanja Rozman, MD., Author of seven books about recovery from process addictions, Psychotherapist.

"Antonieta Contreras has written a book that offers both clients and clinicians a clear view of trauma’s effects on the neurobiological domains of trauma as well as a roadmap for treatment. Traumatization and Its Aftermath switches the clinical focus from resolving traumatic events to understanding, assessing and restoring the nervous system to optimal states. To illuminate her points, Ms. Contreras provides a composite case study travelling backwards from a traumatizing experience that tipped the neurobiological scales to the familial and societal antecedents that stressed the system. Written in an easy, conversational tone that belies the complexity of the information it conveys, this book is as readable as it is comprehensive. Both clients and clinicians will want it on their shelves."

Lana Epstein, LCSW, senior trainer for the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, and EMDRIA-approved consultant in EMDR

"Antonieta Contreras offers a fresh take on the difference between trauma and hardship in order to help clinicians accurately spot the difference and avoid overgeneralizations. She masterfully integrates brain science, child development, psycho-social context, theory and clinical vignettes to make the case that trauma disorders are much more than a cluster of symptoms to be tamed, but instead best understood as development gone off course, away from growth and towards only survival. She offers compelling evidence to differentiate neglect, a silent source of traumatization for some, from the more overt representations that we encounter. She acknowledges both the mental and the physical repercussions of living in survival mode with precision and clinical clarity. If you treat trauma or study its effects, this book is a must-read."

Johanna Dobrich, LCSW-R. Author of Working with Survivor Siblings in Psychoanalysis, 2023 ISSTD Sandor Ferenczi Award winner, Psychotherapist, Teacher, Supervisor 

"Antonieta Contreras has written one of the most comprehensive books on all things trauma. Remarkably knowledgeable about the trauma field, past and present, I would be hard-pressed to see what she left out. An excellent teacher, Contreras makes difficult concepts come alive and readily accessible. She clearly differentiates trauma and traumatization, identifying the threat to safety as underlying all traumatization. Her systemic view is of great value and rarely so well-articulated, delineating how traumatization impacts various expressions of the nervous system, including emotional, regulatory, cognitive/perceptual, and identity. Throughout this book, Contreras narrates the story of 'Michaela,' a fictionalized yet very believable survivor of complex trauma. She shows the reader that what may at first glance appear to be a single traumatic event is often embedded in years of multiple, interacting factors, including personal, familial, epigenetic, and societal. While this book was initially conceived as a self-help guide, it evolved into a wonderful resource for survivors of trauma, and for beginning and seasoned trauma therapists alike. While I place myself in the latter group, I learned a lot, particularly how to think more clearly and complexly about what we mean by traumatization and its aftermath. While this book is more about the nature of traumatization than its healing, Contreras’s final chapter introduces a fascinating sequential treatment model worthy of close consideration. Go out and buy this book. You, and your patients if you are a therapist, will be glad you did."

Ken Benau, PhD, independent psychologist and author of Shame, Pride, and Relational Trauma: Concepts and Psychotherapy

bottom of page