Thriving in the Wake of Trauma

Thema Bryant-Davis is an internationally recognized counselor, educator, and advocate, and an expert on the cultural context of trauma recovery. Her doctorate in Clinical Psychology is from Duke University and she completed her post-doctorate training at the Harvard Medical Center Victims of Violence Program. Formerly the American Psychological Association representative to the United Nations and Senior Staff Coordinator of the Princeton University SHARE Program against sexual violence and harassment, she is now Director of Oasis Institute International in Los Angeles. Oasis staff members provide training on the issues of trauma and culture to judges, nurse examiners, doctors, counselors, police officers, government officials, advocates, volunteers, students, and survivors.

Bryant-Davis is an internationally renowned expert on trauma, so it is no surprise that this is the single most powerful book on trauma in recent history. The author argues that cultural context provides the most salient information about everyone, and particularly those who have experienced trauma. This context includes a wide variety of considerations, from predictable variables such as gender, socioeconomic status, race, and religion to variables less studied and/or understood--e.g., sexual orientation, disability, and migration status. The complexity of both the culture and the trauma (physical, sexual, emotional, etc.) make the recovery a multifaceted journey. Bryant-Davis defines thriving as the post-trauma growth that the survivor may experience as a result of making healthy choices during recovery, and perhaps the most useful contribution of this volume is the road map the author provides for thriving. For instance, she encourages journaling, arts and crafts, movement, drama, music, nature, and social support as creative paths to developing trust, coping strategies, healthy sexuality, and means of thriving. Offering excellent tools that can realistically provide a therapeutic springboard for healing, this book is a valuable addition to literature on trauma. Essential. Upper-division undergraduate, graduate, research, and professional collections.

• Series ForewordPrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroductionSafetySelf CareTrustShame and Self BlameMemoriesMourning and LossesAngerBody ImageSexualityCoping StrategiesThrivingAfterwordReferences