Kathy Steele – författare

Denna bok är en färdighetsträningsmanual för personer med traumarelaterade dissociativa störningar (DID och DDNOS). Boken kan – och bör - användas av patienter och deras behandlare i samband med individuell terapi samt i strukturerad gruppbehandling i såväl öppenvård som slutenvård.Även om det finns flera färdighetsträningsmanualer som adresserar psykisk traumatisering, är denna bok den första handbok som finns för personer med komplex traumatisering och allvarliga dissociativa störningar. Den är integrativ och baserar sina interventioner på vedertagna teorier och modeller för behandling av kroniskt traumatiserade patienter.Den här boken ger redskap för att förstå hur dissociation och traumatiska minnen påverkar människor liksom hur vi kan utveckla färdigheter för att hantera dem. Den fungerar också som en guide för psykoterapeuter som arbetar med patienter som lider av dessa störningar och erbjuder en strukturerad färdighetsträning till dem som lider av dissociativa störningar som följd av psykisk traumatisering. Författarna presenterar aktuella och viktiga teorier och visar hur de kan tillämpas i psykoterapeutisk behandling av trauma och dissociation. De använder sig av en kombination av korta utbildningsstycken, hemuppgifter och övningar.Boken börjar med en översikt av begreppet dissociation och dess symptom. Författarna beskriver även de färdigheter man behöver lära sig för att börja läka ut tillstånden; t ex reflektion, att förstå och reglera känslor, att utmana dysfunktionella tankar, att hantera raseri, rädsla, skam och skuld, att hantera triggers, att lära sig att hantera sin självdestruktivitet och att ta små steg mot att förbättra sina relationer till andra. De erbjuder övningar för att utveckla en bättre sömn och få en bättre vardag i vilken man kan slappna av, reflektera och ladda sina batterier.En guide för gruppledare i slutet av boken ger en översikt för hur introduktion och avskedstagande kan ske vid de tänkta 32 gruppsammankomsterna. Hemuppgiftsövningar för att underlätta lärande och förändring går som en röd tråd genom hela boken.

They typically have a wide array of symptoms, often classified under different combinations of comorbidity, which can make assessment and treatment complicated and confusing for the therapist.Many patients have substantial problems with daily living and relationships, including serious intrapsychic conflicts and maladaptive coping strategies. Their suffering essentially relates to a terrifying and painful past that haunts them. Even when survivors attempt to hide their distress beneath a facade of normality—a common strategy—therapists often feel besieged by their many symptoms and serious pain. Small wonder that many survivors of chronic traumatization have seen several therapists with little if any gains, and that quite a few have been labeled as untreatable or resistant.In this book, three leading researchers and clinicians share what they have learned from treating and studying chronically traumatized individuals across more than 65 years of collective experience. Based on the theory of structural dissociation of the personality in combination with a Janetian psychology of action, the authors have developed a model of phase-oriented treatment that focuses on the identification and treatment of structural dissociation and related maladaptive mental and behavioral actions. The foundation of this approach is to support patients in learning more effective mental and behavioral actions that will enable them to become more adaptive in life and to resolve their structural dissociation. This principle implies an overall therapeutic goal of raising the integrative capacity, in order to cope with the demands of daily life and deal with the haunting remnants of the past, with the “unfinished business” of traumatic memories.Of interest to clinicians, students of clinical psychology and psychiatry, as well as to researchers, all those interested in adult survivors of chronic child abuse and neglect will find helpful insights and tools that may make the treatment more effective and efficient, and more tolerable for the suffering patient.

Therapists around the world ask similar questions and struggle with similar challenges treating highly dissociative patients. This book arose not only out of countless hours of treating patients with dissociative disorders, but also out of the crucible of supervision and consultation, where therapists bring their most urgent questions, needs and vulnerabilities.The book offers an overview of the neuropsychology of dissociation as a disorder of non-realisation, as well as chapters on assessment, prognosis, case formulation, treatment planning, and treatment phases and goals, based on best practices. The authors describe:What to focus on first in a complex therapy and how to do itHow to help patients establish both internal and external safety without rescuingHow to work systematically with dissociative parts of a patient in ways that facilitate integration rather than further dissociationHow to set and maintain helpful boundariesSpecific ways to stay focused on process instead of contentHow to deal compassionately and effectively with disorganised attachment and dependency on the therapistHow to help patients integrate traumatic memoriesWhat to do when the patient is enraged, chronically ashamed, avoidant or unable to trust the therapistHow to compassionately understand and work with resistances as a co-creation of both patient and therapistRelational ways of being with the patient are the backbone of treatment and are themselves essential therapeutic interventions. As such, the book also focuses not only on highly practical and theoretically sound interventions, not only on what to do and say, but places strong emphasis on how to be with patients, describing innovative, compassionately collaborative approaches based on the latest research on attachment and evolutionary psychology.Throughout the book, core concepts—fundamental ideas that are highlighted in the text in bold so they can be seen at a glance—are emphasised. These serve as guiding principles in treatment as well as a summing-up of many of the most important notions in each chapter. Each chapter concludes with a section for further examination. These sections include additional ideas and questions, exercises for practising skills and suggestions for peer discussions based on topics in a particular chapter, meant to inspire further curiosity, discovery and growth.

This training manual for patients who have a trauma-related dissociative disorder includes short educational pieces, homework sheets, and exercises that address ways in which dissociation interferes with essential emotional and life skills, and support inner communication and collaboration with dissociative parts of the personality. Topics include:understanding dissociation and PTSDusing inner reflectionemotion regulationcoping with dissociative problems related to triggers and traumatic memoriesresolving sleep problems related to dissociationcoping with relational difficultieshelp with many other difficulties with daily lifeThe manual can be used in individual therapy or structured groups.