Review by Choice Review
Ships capsize, bombs explode, and natural disasters--earthquakes, fires, tsunamis--unfold; many die, but others survive and must navigate life following the upheaval, adjusting worldviews in the process. When the unmanageable or the unimaginable--serious trauma or loss--happens, some people falter, some suffer through, and some seem resilient come what may. Joseph (psychology, health, and social care, Univ. of Nottingham, UK), who has studied trauma for two decades, reports that among the resilient are those who experience and subsequently display what a variety of psychology researchers and practitioners now refer to as "posttraumatic growth." This growth is emotionally challenging and often painful, but many, even most, people both cope with and adapt to their experiences across time. They frequently report wringing from their experiences a variety of benefits for themselves, including better understanding of how they connect to others and what authentic living means to them. This is still a relatively new area of research, so this book is particularly welcome. Besides the eight chapters, Joseph provides three appendixes aimed at helping people understand posttraumatic stress and when to seek professional guidance. Along with the understandably curious, clinicians and counselors will be drawn to this book. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers. D. S. Dunn Moravian College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
"Trauma," with its connotation of experiential shock and protracted emotional pain, has become one of the bywords of modern culture. Yet, maintains British psychologist Joseph, trauma can lead to personal growth and a richer life, including a "reprioritization of values" and a greater appreciation of the gift of life. While part of the still relatively new movement of positive psychology, Joseph is not pollyannaish; he acknowledges that the stress that follows trauma can be intense and extensive. The most helpful part of Joseph's book is a postscript in which he offers guidance for readers trying to manage their emotions, including six markers of growth, beginning with taking stock and expressing change in action. The book fails to differentiate between types of trauma-surely someone who has witnessed a murder, suffered rape, or been tortured undergoes a different recovery process than someone who has been in a serious car accident-and offers only cursory descriptions of such therapeutic treatments as "compassionate mind training." As traditional views of the consequences of trauma have been too dour, Joseph's claim, in this otherwise informative and thoughtful book, that trauma can lead to an "existential journey to a richer life" may be a touch too upbeat. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
The book's titular line comes from Nietzsche's famous "that which does not kill him makes him stronger" and Joseph (psychology, Univ. of Nottingham) here attempts to bear the adage out. Drawing from a series of surveys administered to survivors at intervals after a traumatic event, he argues that unpleasant and traumatic events, however unwelcome, can be catalysts for personal growth, e.g., greater thankfulness, deeper spirituality, increased appreciation of friends and family. Verdict The author cautions that people in the throes of post-traumatic stress disorder don't want to hear about the lessons they will eventually learn-precluding sufferers from readership. Possibly therapists are the intended audience, although they are directed not to promote the idea of positive lessons in therapeutic sessions. The general reader is probably not going to be too startled by the message. Joseph has written a book without an audience.-Mary Ann Hughes, Shelton, WA (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A traumatic event can have positive effects, writes the author, by jolting us into valuing friends and families more and being less concerned with ephemeral pleasures.Joseph (Psychology/Univ. of Nottingham; Post-traumatic Stress, 2010, etc.) is a proponent of positive psychology. As someone who grew up in Northern Ireland during the height of that country's political violence, he has had firsthand experience of the effects of traumatic events. At the time, the author was drawn to tales of superheroes who stood up to violence and made the world a better place. In his professional capacity, he has treated trauma victims beginning with survivors of the 1987 Herald of Free Enterprise shipwreck, in which 193 out of 500 passengers were killed. Joseph also draws on a wealth of historical sources such as the writings of Holocaust survivors to substantiate his critique of the current definition of PTSD. In his opinion, while the diagnostic term was valuable in calling attention to the disorder during the Vietnam War, increased broadening of the criteria to include relatively trivial events such as the defeat of a favorite football team and reliance on medication to treat PTSD are problematic, especially since statistics show that the majority of those suffering genuine trauma do not develop full-blown PTSD. Joseph believes that misdiagnoses can become self-fulfilling prophecies, and he suggests that those who do experience full-blown PTSD may benefit by becoming more resilient in confronting and mastering adversity. They may even experience greater happiness in the long run. Conversely, "swallowing a magic pill" to alleviate psychological distress may stand in the way of "an existential journey to a richer life."A sure-to-be-controversial, provocative challenge to prevailing wisdom on how to deal with stress.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
