The PTSD Workbook
By Mary Beth Williams PhD LCSW CTS and Soili Poijula PhD
New Harbinger Publications 2002
This is a very thorough, well-researched book of exercises to help someone work through PTSD. It covers all the many possible scenarios of trauma and has so many exercises that it will take some time to work through. Trauma is well described at the beginning of the book. It lists things in your past background that affect how you experience a traumatic event, how you may be involved in the event and the various factors in the aftermath.
The first exercise is a checklist of your ability to cope, including personality, attitudes, values, beliefs and tendencies. Attention is given to some traumas that keep occurring or where at least one might occur after a previous one. There are exercises in feeling safe, relaxation, breathing and grounding. Some exercises involve drawing, regardless of your artistic skills. Then you review the incidents and the dealing with memories, flashbacks, nightmares and triggers.
One can appreciate normal, natural responses such as avoidance, denial, numbing and coping that will come along in their own due time.
A chapter deals with physical disturbances, including sleep trouble, anger and self-harm, some of which is merely counterproductive habits. Then there is guilt, shame and mourning.
Challenges of understanding and dealing with emotions are a normal part of life and counselling and certainly apply here, one chapter handles how you might deal with perpetrators, including the possibility of forgiveness.
The final chapters focus on moving forward in your life. The bibliography contains relevant books on psychology and therapy, including different workbooks. Reading this book was informative for me, while I have a mental illness, I have never experienced a traumatic incident and only learned about PTSD through reading.
Review submitted by Philip Wright, Volunteer and Pathways Member
March 2025
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