Extreme trauma can have devastating emotional, relational, physical and legal effects. This book offers hope, providing survivors, family and friends with a roadmap for managing obstacles to recovery.

This second edition shifts the focus from reliving the trauma to 12 rules for ‘moving on after trauma’ by making the centrality accorded to the trauma the pre-eminent target rather than the traumatic experience itself. In this approach, the trauma victim’s intense desire not to talk or think about the trauma is no longer seen as pathological. The book also addresses the wider concerns of the traumatised about justice, group treatments and medication; with suggested strategies tailored to a wide range of possible traumatic responses including PTSD, specific phobias, panic disorder, depression and body dysmorphic disorder. An important focus in this new edition is the restoration of the sense of self. For those traumatised earlier on in life guidance is given on the creation of a stable sense of self.

This one-of-a-kind trauma survivor guide will be beneficial for any survivor of trauma along with their fellow travellers to recovery, including family, friends, therapists, managers, clergy and lawyers. It can also serve as a companion volume to Personalising Trauma Treatment: Reframing and Reimagining (2022) for mental health professionals.

Michael J. Scott, is a Consultant Psychologist specialising in the assessment and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. Dr Scott is the Editor of a 4-Volume work on Traumatic Stress published in 2015 and most recently a clinician’s handbook Personalising Trauma Treatment: Reframing and Reimagining (Routledge, 2022). His publications and blog can be found at cbtwatch.com and on YouTube.