Traumatic Relationships and Serious Mental Disorders

Mental, physical, or sexual abuse in close personal relationships commonly results in trauma that is very different from the trauma os accidents, illness, or war. Little is more intellectually challenging, emotionally demanding, and difficult than therapeutic work with survivors of such traumatic personal relationships and those close to them. This book provides psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses, and counsellors with a powerful conceptual framework and a concise, masterly review of a huge knowledge base that will support and guide treatment and prevention programmes for these serious problems. This volume: synthesises extensive clinical experience with a comprehensive review of the clinical and research literature presents a unique developmental perspective informed by attachment theory, while integrating key aspects of evolutionary, neurobiological, cognitive behavioural, interpersonal, and psychodynamic concepts explains not only how trauma creates extreme distress in the patient, particularly as manifested in PTSD, but also how it undermines the individual's ability to cope with such distress delineates the significant contribution of trauma to other serious disorders, including dissociative disturbances, depression, drug abuse, eating disorders, self-harm, and personality disorders The key elements of successful interventions are the engagement and motivation of the patient. This book provides therapists with the framework, knoledge base, and practical guidelines for educating patients and those close to them about the nature of traauma, its consequences, and treaatment. The author presents in detail his own "tried and tested" education-based interventions. This book will be an immensely valuable resource for practitioners and academics working ina ll therapeutic traditions. "This excellent book achieves rare success in synthesising academic scholarship and sound clinical principles in understanding and treating disorders relating to trauma. Allen's conceptual clarity and masterful use of narratrive, makes coherent those disorders characterised by incoherence. Equally clinician and teacher, he shows how containment and care, self-regulation and support can mend the wounds inflicted by attachment trauma." Antonia Bifulco, Ph.D. Royal Holloway, University of London, UKAllen, Jon G. is the author of 'Traumatic Relationships and Serious Mental Disorders', published 2001 under ISBN 9780471485544 and ISBN 0471485543.