Given the relationship between trauma, loss, and interpersonal bonds, the editors have assembled a noteworthy list of contributions discussing trauma associated with close relationships (divorce, infertility, widowhood). Certainly, trauma is closely associated with loss. This edited volume offers the perspective of over twenty leading scholars in the study of trauma and loss. Each chapter offers extensive coverage of contemporary issues (terror management, rational suicide, spirituality, stigmatization). Relationship issues within these topics are also explored.

All losses are touched with ambiguity. Yet those who suffer losses without finality bear a particular burden. Pauline Boss, the principal theorist of the concept of ambiguous loss, guides clinicians in the task of building resilience in clients who face the trauma of loss without resolution. Boss describes a concrete therapeutic approach that is at once directive and open to the complex contexts in which people find meaning and discover hope in the face of ambiguous losses. In Part I readers are introduced to the concept of ambiguous loss and shown how such losses relate to concepts of the family, definitions of trauma, and capacities for resilience. In Part II Boss leads readers through the various aspects of and target points for working with those suffering ambiguous loss. From meaning to mastery, identity to ambivalence, attachment to hope–these chapters cover key states of mind for those undergoing ambiguous loss. The Epilogue addresses the therapist directly and his or her own ambiguous losses. Closing the circle of the therapeutic process, Boss shows therapists how fundamental their own experiences of loss are to their own clinical work. In Loss, Trauma, and Resilience, Boss provides the therapeutic insight and wisdom that aids mental health professionals in not "going for closure," but rather building strength and acceptance of ambiguity. What readers will find is a concrete therapeutic approach that is at once directive and open to the complex contexts in which people find meaning and discover hope in the face of ambiguous losses.

This authoritative volume describes the state of the science of early intervention for trauma and traumatic loss across the lifespan and in a variety of contexts. While few would dispute the importance of helping people cope with severe life stressors, important questions remain about how to identify those at risk for chronic problems and which interventions actually facilitate recovery over time. Following a review of current knowledge on the predictors and course of acute stress disorder, PTSD, and traumatic grief, the volume presents a range of early intervention models designed for very young children, older children, and adults. Authors examine the empirical literature and recommend evidence-based clinical strategies whenever possible, while delineating an extensive agenda for future research. Also covered are the lessons learned from early intervention with specific populations: 9/11 survivors, combat veterans, emergency services personnel, survivors of sexual violence, and others.

First published in 1999. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

First published in 1999. Those grieving the loss of a loved one who has died under traumatic circumstances form a special group of mourners. Separate from those going through "simple bereavement", these mourners must cope with a double-edged sword: the grief of the loss and the trauma of the knowledge of how the loved one may have had to endure traumatic stress during their final minutes of life. This ground-breaking new addition to the Series in Trauma and Loss will enable mental health professionals to distinguish between those who are going through the 'normal' grieving process in the aftermath of a traumatic event, and those who are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. A by-product of years of research and experience, this book helps buttress the theoretical bridge between thanatology and traumatology. This text focuses on the unique features of death-related PTSD, its assessment, and treatment. With case examples that draw upon consistent concepts and definitions, and equal attention to scholarly and practical concerns, the book argues that traumatic elements must be worked through first before grief and loss accommodations are achieved. More importantly, the new research and treatment methods presented by the leading experts in the field provide professionals and laymen alike with a valuable guide for understanding and helping those who grieve a loss under traumatic circumstances. Divided into two parts, Part 1: Conceptual and Empirical Foundations attempts to lay the empirical and theoretical foundation for the treatment chapters that follow. Part 2: Applications provides direction for helping clients grieve their traumatic losses

Although losing someone you love to a sudden or violent death is a shocking experience, there are steps you can take to heal. This book provides compassionate support and creative ways to soothe and transform your emotions with powerful, but simple strategies that: - Promote healing and calm feelings of anxiety, anger, or despair - Alleviate nightmares, intrusive images, and ruminating thoughts - Relieve guilt and regrets so you can open up to new experiences in your life - Help you get the kind of support you want from other people - Retain "the living story" of your loved one and sense them as a positive presence in your life Recent reviews: "Courtney Armstrong's Transforming Traumatic Grief provides practical tools to comfort grievers, promotes resilience and hope for those who have been devastated by tragedy and loss, and shows ways to create renewed meaning in life beyond grief and trauma." - Bill O'Hanlon, author of Thriving Through Crisis and Quick Steps to Resolving Trauma "Unlike other books detailing therapies that work at the cognitive level of the mind, "Transforming Traumatic Grief" is a how-to book of practical (and even more importantly) attainable activities and proven strategies for those dealing with grief and loss. As a therapist specializing in trauma counseling and her own personal experience with loss, Armstrong builds a strong case for why we need to speak to the emotional brain in a language it understands. Unless we do, she argues, the traumatized and grief-stricken simply can't experience a shift in how they're feeling. Written in a voice that emanates from a very personal place, Armstrong's book is both comforting and empowering. It's for anyone having difficulty moving through grief or growing from their traumatic experience. It's also for therapists who want to help their patients help themselves in between appointments or post-therapy." Nancy Gerhsman, www.artforyoursake.com "A must-read! An indispensable guide for transforming traumatic grief into healing reconnection." - Jon Connelly, Ph.D, LCSW, Founder, Institute for Rapid Resolution Therapy

The assumptive world concept is a psychological principle of the conservation of human reality or "culture" - it is a lens for seeing the psychological disturbances that occur in times of change. In this collection, the authors examine the assumptive world from diverse theoretical perspectives, providing the reader with an array of different viewpoints illuminating the concept and its clinical usefulness.

The Handbook of Traumatic Loss adopts a broad, holistic approach that recognizes traumatic loss much more fully as a multidimensional human phenomenon, not simply a medical condition. Initial chapters build a foundation for understanding traumatic loss and explore the many ways we respond to trauma. Later chapters counterbalance the individualistic focus of dominant approaches to traumatic loss by highlighting a number of thought-provoking social dimensions of traumatic loss. Each chapter emphasizes different aspects of traumatic loss and argues for ways in which clinicians can help deal with its many and varied impacts.

Art and Mourning explores the relationship between creativity and the work of self-mourning in the lives of 20th century artists and thinkers. The role of artistic and creative endeavours is well-known within psychoanalytic circles in helping to heal in the face of personal loss, trauma, and mourning. In this book, Esther Dreifuss-Kattan, a psychoanalyst, art therapist and artist - analyses the work of major modernist and contemporary artists and thinkers through a psychoanalytic lens. In coming to terms with their own mortality, figures like Albert Einstein, Louise Bourgeois, Paul Klee, Eva Hesse and others were able to access previously unknown reserves of creative energy in their late works, as well as a new healing experience of time outside of the continuous temporality of everyday life. Dreifuss-Kattan explores what we can learn about using the creative process to face and work through traumatic and painful experiences of loss. Art and Mourning will inspire psychoanalysts and psychotherapists to understand the power of artistic expression in transforming loss and traumas into perseverance, survival and gain. Art and Mourning offers a new perspective on trauma and will appeal to psychoanalysts and psychotherapists, psychologists, clinical social workers and mental health workers, as well as artists and art historians.