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The Places that Scare You
The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times
- Author Pema Chodron is a Tibetan American buddhist nun with much to say

Trauma and Recovery
Trauma and Recovery
- Judith Herman has long been a leader in helping us undertsand PTSD and this book distills her wisdom

The PTSD Workbook
The Ptsd Workbook : Simple, Effective Techniques for Overcoming Traumatic Stress Symptoms
- Designed to help you self-diagnose
 

THE DYNAMICS OF PTSD: A positive approach to coping with trauma

PART 2: As the trauma unfolds
Articles

Your child is ill and you must decide on treatment. You have witnessed something terrible and the police need your help. Your husband has announced he wants a divorce and you need to take action immediately to protect your position. How do you deal with your feelings when circumstances call for you to function rationally?

  • Go on short-term autopilot - If there is a crisis that you must deal with, you may need to shut off your feelings to do what must be done. If your child is ill and you must make quick decisions, you will need to focus on the problem at hand. But never forget that this is only a short-term strategy.
  • Promise yourself a time to deal with the situation (and then live up to the promise) - Going on auto-pilot can be seductive. We want to believe that we have dealt with the trauma and can continue to keep it at bay. Yet for many of us, refusing to deal with our feelings about painful incidents ends up getting us into even more trouble. The best idea may be to set a date-certain - Friday at 4 p.m. I will devote an hour to working through my feeling about what happened. The other half of that equation, of course, is to live up to that promise when the time comes.
  • Take mini-breaks - Whenever and wherever you can, try to take a moment to lift up your head and see the bigger picture. Take a 10-minute walk outdoors, literally taking the time to smell the roses. You may not be able to appreciate it at the moment, but you need to see for yourself that the beauty of life will be waiting there for you when you can honor it fully again.
  • Don't beat yourself up - We have a tendency to put unrealistic burdens on ourselves. We cannot take a momemt away from the hospital. We need to make a flurry of phone calls right now - and if we forget just one, terrible things will happen. This is a good time to take a deep breath and remember that all we can do is our best. We are not indestructible super-heroes and super-heroines.
Optimize Fitness Systems
Bonnie Bucqueroux, who works with her sister Tina Sarkey to produce The Healers website, has spent the past 30 years working to reduce violence and trauma in our society, through her teaching, writing and training.
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TO HELP KIDS COPE

Kids and Terrorism
Terrorism and Kids: Comforting Your Child
- These are tough times for everyone and this books helps parents talk constructively with their kids