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Aftershocks of Stress, Crisis and Trauma

by Dr. Lee Hartley

127 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #02-0650; ISBN 1-55369-837-1; US$14.95, C$22.95, EUR15.00, £10.40

Stress, crisis and trauma can be dis-empowering. You can let go of the past and take your power back.

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about the book      about the author      sample excerpts      catalogue info

About the Book In Aftershocks of Stress, Crisis and Trauma, Dr. Hartley provides the reader with two distinctive patterns that assist in understanding post-traumatic stress and what to do after it has occurred. One pattern is related to the loss of personal power as a result of trauma, and the other one focuses on taking power back. She assists the reader to identify the various ways trauma occurred, and then illustrates the negative behaviors people adopt to escape from the emotional and physical overwhelm of the trauma. Although these "Zone Out" and "Strike Out" behaviors can give some momentary sense of relief, unfortunately over time the use of them can actually become addictive and dis-empowering. The different stages of identifying and releasing the emotional/physical symptoms are presented, as well as the concept of the subconscious decisions that are made in the midst of traumatic events. Personal stories of dramatic changes in people's lives illustrate the use of various therapeutic modalities to quickly release the symptoms and empower the individual. In this book, you will discover the parallels to the traumas that you have experienced, and realize that you too can let go of the past and take your power back.

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About the Author Lee Hartley works as a psychotherapist assisting people to overcome the debilitating effects of trauma, and in regaining a sense of balance and well-being in their lives. In addition to her work with clients, she is a trainer, writer and book "wrangler." Her office is in Los Gatos, California. Demetrios Nichols lives in the mountains above Santa Cruz in California where he pursues his passion for sculpting, writing, building and dreaming.

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Sample Excerpts

Chapter 1

Michael's Story

"The car bounced crazily up onto the median and suddenly began speeding straight toward me. I clutched the steering wheel, terrified. It seemed like it was all happening in slow motion. My body felt frozen, but my thoughts were racing, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. A jumble of impressions and sounds went through my mind as I waited for that car to hit me. I had images of my family, and as crazy as it sounds now, I actually thought for a moment that I was going to die! I just don't understand. In hindsight it doesn't seem like a very big deal, but my reaction was. And my life has been a mess ever since I experienced that moment of terror."

1st Appointment

Michael told me this story within minutes of entering my office. What he was describing had all the elements of an overreaction to a traumatic incident. I quickly made a note as a reminder to take a look at this incident more thoroughly later.

Michael continued. "Ever since that moment at the intersection five months ago I have constantly felt nervous. I can't stop thinking about what happened and I'm not getting much sleep. To try to relax I started having a drink at night and now that's gotten out of hand. My wife is really worried and insisted that I get some professional help. I've been talking about it so much that everyone is just sick of it." Michael made a helpless gesture and said, "I don't have a clue what to do."

He was clearly dis-spirited. His shoulders were turned in and down as if protecting himself, his body was tense and his breathing shallow. From our phone conversation when he had made this appointment I knew Michael was extremely anxious and that he was having recurring memories that had been triggered after witnessing this recent traffic accident. I gently encouraged him to tell me more about what had happened at the accident scene and the reactions he was having as a result.

"I've been so nervous ever since that car just missed hitting me. Now I feel jumpy all the time! Bits and pieces of three accidents that I haven't even thought about in years are creeping into my mind and I cannot seem to stop them. For the past few months I've felt like I'm being overwhelmed by strange images and terrible sounds that keep popping into my mind, even when I'm busy with work.

It never stops! There always seems to be some past images or memories on my mind, and it's driving me nuts!"

In my work specializing in therapy related to stress and post-trauma disorders I've heard many variations of the phrase "it's on my mind all the time" so hearing Michael say the same thing wasn't a surprise to me. New clients frequently complain of these unwanted mental intrusions that are usually accompanied by uncomfortable physical sensations. It leaves them bewildered and confused.

Once Michael started talking a current of words poured forth. He gave me a detailed picture of the recent near miss. "About five months ago I was driving to an appointment. I was stopped at a signal, the third car back from the intersection, just listening to the radio and feeling relaxed as I waited for the light to change. That particular intersection has two lanes that turn left, and the far right lane enters the freeway. At that spot there's always a lot of last second switching lanes. It's kind of tricky."

Michael paused to reposition himself in the chair. He was tense and became even more rigid as he continued. "A big, older car approached the intersection. I could see the driver was talking and gesturing in a very animated way to her passenger. When she pulled out into the intersection she swerved wide, and began drifting over into the right lane. She jerked the steering wheel back to the left to avoid sideswiping a car beside her, overcorrected, and slammed into the curb. Her car bounced up onto the median and suddenly was headed straight toward me. I thought for sure I was going to be hit and ever since then I've felt totally overwhelmed and anxious."

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In the work that I do I encourage people to review their own childhood experiences, search for incidents where their emotional foundation was shaken and seek answers by filling in the gaps in their own stories. These unique stories of early life hold the clues to present day physical and emotional health. When there are missing portions of stories, or an aspect of an event that is only partially understood, that information needs to be recalled. The missing data that may be a vital piece of the story often is repressed to protect the child's mind from the sensory overload of the experiences after it occurred. But these repressed memories become detrimental over time and can be reactivated by an aftershock that is similar in emotional content.

Surprisingly, there are only a few incidents strong enough to be considered a root cause event. All later stress reactions in a person's life can be traced to those specific incidents. Even someone who seems to have had a life filled with trauma and chaos, will have had only a few initial events that evolve to become the root of every reaction they have afterwards. Releasing the trauma of those incidents will bring about dramatic changes in an individual's outlook and result in a marked improvement in general health.

Some initial traumatic incidents seem to occur later in life. However, in virtually all cases, even though they may have been overwhelming, they are only a re-activation of an initial stress response established early in life. In effect, the new trauma is merely a trigger that opened a direct pathway to the repressed memory of an old, initial negative event. Understanding and changing these reaction patterns are the subject of this book. You are invited to use the information provided in Aftershocks of Stress, Crisis and Trauma to assist to desensitize yourself and take your power back.

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Catalogue Information

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