Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness: Practices For Safe And Transformative Healing

Author: David A. Treleaven, Willoughby Britton

Stock information

General Fields

  • : $59.00 NZD
  • : 9780393709780
  • : Ingram Books
  • : ingram
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  • : March 2018
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  • : 44.99
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  • : books

Special Fields

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  • : David A. Treleaven, Willoughby Britton
  • : Treleaven, David A.
  • : Hardback
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  • : English
  • : 616.85210651
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Barcode 9780393709780
9780393709780

Description

From elementary schools to psychotherapy offices, mindfulness meditation is an increasingly mainstream practice. At the same time, trauma remains a fact of life: the majority of us will experience a traumatic event in our lifetime, and up to twenty percent of us will develop posttraumatic stress. This means that anywhere mindfulness is being practiced, someone in the room is likely to be struggling with trauma. At first glance, this appears to be a good thing: trauma creates stress, and mindfulness is a proven tool for reducing it. But the reality is not so simple. Drawing on a decade of research and clinical experience, psychotherapist and educator David Treleaven shows that mindfulness meditation-practiced without an awareness of trauma-can exacerbate symptoms of traumatic stress. Instructed to pay close, sustained attention to their inner world, survivors can experience flashbacks, dissociation, and even retraumatization. This raises a crucial question for mindfulness teachers, trauma professionals, and survivors everywhere: How can we minimize the potential dangers of mindfulness for survivors while leveraging its powerful benefits? Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness offers answers to this question. Part I provides an insightful and concise review of the histories of mindfulness and trauma, including the way modern neuroscience is shaping our understanding of both. Through grounded scholarship and wide-ranging case examples, Treleaven illustrates the ways mindfulness can help-or hinder-trauma recovery. Part II distills these insights into five key principles for trauma-sensitive mindfulness. Covering the role of attention, arousal, relationship, dissociation, and social context within trauma-informed practice, Treleaven offers thirty-six specific modifications designed to support survivors' safety and stability. The result is a groundbreaking and practical approach that empowers those looking to practice mindfulness in a safe, transformative way.

Reviews

"Treleaven's writing is engaging and accessible... [He] has written a timely book about how to modify and accommodate for trauma experiences when practicing mindfulness... Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness is practical, well-organized, and will undoubtedly help clinicians be more cautious and effective when using mindfulness approaches with clients who have trauma histories." -- Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy


"This as an informative and readable book, which is evidence based, full of scholarly research as well as lively illustrative case stories and important, practical therapeutic wisdom." -- Human Givens

Author description

David A. Treleaven, PhD, is an educator and trauma professional whose work focuses on the intersection of trauma, mindfulness, and social justice. Trained in counseling psychology at the University of British Columbia, he received his doctorate in psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies. He has been studying mindfulness for twenty years and has a private practice in the San Francisco Bay Area.