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A Bolt from the Blue: Coping with Disasters and Acute Traumas (PDF)
by Annira Silver Salli Saari'Saari's book discusses the impact of traumatic events and the key principles underlying acute crisis work. Case study examples are used to illustrate the main features of traumatic situations and ways of processing such experiences, as well as the practical implications for crisis support.' - Bereavement Care, Volume 26, April 2007 'The book provides a basic introduction to trauma and will be an interesting initial read for those new to this field.' - Bereavement Care, Volume 26, April 2007 'What this well written book brings is a coherent understanding of the possible effects upon us as those involved first hand, as a relative/friend of someone involved, as an observer either close by or at a distance via television or other media. I think this book offers therapists, clients, and policy makers a view of how to deal with those "bolts from the blue" with more understanding of the nature of trauma and its effects upon the individual and the community. The author has put together a book that looks at the processing of a traumatic event, the effects of it upon adults and children, how to work with a traumatised person, and the impact of interventions upon the individual.' - British Psychodrama Association Journal 'The thought I am left with after reading this book is that a basic grounding in psychological first aid should be a vital part of the "tools" of all who work in the helping professions and as a necessary part of every modern citizen's education, as is medical "first aid". - Therapy Today 'Saari examines in detail the psychological effects of traumatic events on individuals. She explains each step of the process of recovery, from the initial through lingering effects that follow the return to everyday life. The importance pf psycho-social support is also addressed. The final chapter is devoted to an examination of the efficacy of single-session debriefing in preventing traumatization.' - Book News 'This is an accessible introductory text that attempts to consider a range of issues related to personal responses to traumatic events. The author is an experienced Finnish Psychologist who obviously has extensive experience in the field of crisis response and acute trauma.' - Mental Health Practice In the wake of a number of large-scale disasters in recent years, the world is all too aware of crises but largely underprepared for the psychological repercussions of traumatic events on victims and recovery staff. Salli Saari examines in detail the psychological effect traumatic events can have on an individual, taking the reader step-by-step through each stage of the process of understanding and recovery. She also discusses the role of social support, the media and the workplace in addressing trauma, and what methods can be adopted to help victims cope after a traumatic incident. Based on work within the Finnish organized crisis care network, A Bolt from the Blue shows how crisis care can be an integral part of health care services, covering all traumatic incidents from a death in the family to major accidents and disasters. This book is an essential text for any professional who comes into contact with people affected by a traumatic experience, including psychologists, counsellors, medical doctors, social workers, nurses, pastoral carers/clergy, and students in these fields. It is also accessible enough to be of use to laymen who have encountered a traumatic experience and may need help.
Bombs in the Consulting Room: Surviving Psychological Shrapnel
by Brett KahrWhat does one do when a dangerous paedophile, nearly six feet seven inches in height, threatens to kill you? How does one manage when a brain-damaged, psychotic patient spits on the office floor two hundred times during the first consultation? And what does one say when one member of a warring couple reveals the most horrific acts of sexual cruelty? In perhaps his most gripping book to date, Professor Brett Kahr offers colleagues a detailed glimpse into the challenge of working with highly distressed and disturbing individuals in long-term psychotherapy. Kahr explains the ways in which such deeply troubled people hurl "bombs" into the consulting room, leaving considerable "psychological shrapnel" in their wake. The book contains five sensitively and compellingly written clinical chapters, followed by several historical chapters which explore the ways in which Donald Winnicott attempted to manage the bombs in his consulting room, often of his own making. Kahr then examines the pioneering contribution of Enid Eichholz (later Enid Balint) who, during the Second World War, created marital psychoanalysis as a means of dealing with couples ravaged by actual wartime bombs. The book concludes with an historico-clinical chapter on how thoughtful and sophisticated classical interpretation can reduce the impact of clinical bombs. Kahr even provides us with an examination of his favourite "top ten" interpretations in the history of psychoanalysis! A unique and helpful volume, written by a practitioner steeped equally in psychoanalysis and history, Bombs in the Consulting Room: Surviving Psychological Shrapnel will be essential reading for anyone who has ever felt frightened while treating patients.
Bombs in the Consulting Room: Surviving Psychological Shrapnel
by Brett KahrWhat does one do when a dangerous paedophile, nearly six feet seven inches in height, threatens to kill you? How does one manage when a brain-damaged, psychotic patient spits on the office floor two hundred times during the first consultation? And what does one say when one member of a warring couple reveals the most horrific acts of sexual cruelty? In perhaps his most gripping book to date, Professor Brett Kahr offers colleagues a detailed glimpse into the challenge of working with highly distressed and disturbing individuals in long-term psychotherapy. Kahr explains the ways in which such deeply troubled people hurl "bombs" into the consulting room, leaving considerable "psychological shrapnel" in their wake. The book contains five sensitively and compellingly written clinical chapters, followed by several historical chapters which explore the ways in which Donald Winnicott attempted to manage the bombs in his consulting room, often of his own making. Kahr then examines the pioneering contribution of Enid Eichholz (later Enid Balint) who, during the Second World War, created marital psychoanalysis as a means of dealing with couples ravaged by actual wartime bombs. The book concludes with an historico-clinical chapter on how thoughtful and sophisticated classical interpretation can reduce the impact of clinical bombs. Kahr even provides us with an examination of his favourite "top ten" interpretations in the history of psychoanalysis! A unique and helpful volume, written by a practitioner steeped equally in psychoanalysis and history, Bombs in the Consulting Room: Surviving Psychological Shrapnel will be essential reading for anyone who has ever felt frightened while treating patients.
Bomji and Spotty's Frightening Adventure: A Story About How to Recover from a Scary Experience (PDF)
by Anne Westcott C. C. Hu Ching-Pang Kuo Pat OgdenOne sunny day, Bomji the rabbit and his friend Spotty the cat meet something very scary while picking flowers in the woods. The friends manage to escape, but afterwards Bomji just doesn't feel safe anymore. His body feels a bit different and he starts to have bad dreams. His friend Spotty is worried about Bomji - how can her friend be helped? Luckily, wise Teacher Owl is there for them. This therapeutic picture book allows children and adults to talk about a frightening experience. The story is followed by helpful guidance for adults on how to help their child. It explores how your body and how you feel is affected by scary experiences, and explains how you can use your body to help to recover too.
Bonus Time: A true story of surviving the worst and discovering the magic of every day
by Brian PennieHow would you live differently if life gave you a second chance?Brian Pennie shouldn’t be alive today. His drug addiction was so bad that he was deemed too much of a risk for detox. Determined to confront his demons, he went cold turkey at home. Discovered in a pool of blood, it didn’t exactly go to plan, but that’s where his life truly began.On 8 October 2013, he was finally clean after fifteen years of chronic heroin addiction, and something extraordinary happened: the world suddenly became beautiful.Free of the anxiety and fear that had always plagued him, Brian was given a second chance at life, and he devoured every minute of it. Bit by bit he rebuilt his world and began to share what he had learned with others.In this incredibly honest and inspirational book, Brian tells the story of how he turned a seemingly hopeless existence into a rich and rewarding life, showing that change is always possible, no matter how stuck we feel.
Boo! Culture, Experience, and the Startle Reflex (Series in Affective Science)
by Ronald SimonsThe startle reflex provides a revealing model for examining the ways in which evolved neurophysiology shapes personal experience and patterns of recurrent social interaction. In the most diverse cultural contexts, in societies widely separated by time and space, the inescapable physiology of the reflex both shapes the experience of startle and biases the social usages to which the reflex is put. This book describes ways in which the startle reflex is experienced, culturally elaborated, and socially used in a wide variety of times and places. It offers explanations both for the patterned commonalities found across cultural settings and for the differences engendered by diverse social environments. Boo! will intrigue readers in fields such as psychological anthropology, medical anthropology, general cultural anthropology, social psychology, cross-cultural psychiatry, evolutionary psychology, and human ethology.
The Book About Getting Older (for people who don’t want to talk about it): Dementia, finances, care homes and everything in between
by Lucy Pollock'The most important book about the second half of your life you'll ever read. I wish everyone in the UK could be under Dr Lucy's care, but this is the next best thing' SANDI TOKSVIG 'This warm and compassionate book gets to the heart of older age. Using stories and accessible explanations, it covers issues of declining health, quality of life and choices about the things that matter most' THE BRITISH GERIATRICS SOCIETY ____ Now more than ever, we need to talk about getting older. Many of us are living to a very great age. But how do we give those we love, and eventually ourselves, long lives that are as happy and healthy as possible? Dr Lucy's book gives us answers to the questions we can voice - and those that we can't. A long life should be embraced and celebrated, but it's not all easy. Yet even the most challenging situation can be helped by the right conversation. How do we start? · How do we ask whether it's worth taking seven different medicines? · Is it normal to find you're falling out of love with someone, as they disappear into dementia? · Should Dad be driving, and if not, who can stop him? · What are the secrets of the best care homes? · When does fierce independence become bad behaviour? · How do you navigate near-impossible discussions around resuscitation and intensity of treatments? · And who decides what happens when we become ill? Serious, funny, kind and knowledgeable, this readable book helps guide us through essential conversations about getting older that go straight to the heart of what matters most.
A Book About What Autism Can Be Like
by Donna Williams Sue AdamsChris and Andrew are very good friends, but sometimes Chris does things that Andrew doesn't understand. Chris can hear a fly buzzing when it's a mile away! But he doesn't like bright flashing lights like the ones on Andrew's favourite arcade game. Chris and Andrew have lots of fun together, but at times they laugh at completely different things - it doesn't matter though, because everyone is different, and being different can be rather cool! Chris and Andrew are here to help people understand the experiences of a child with autism, and how others can help by understanding how they are different, and recognising their many unique talents. This fully-illustrated book is targeted at boys and girls aged 5+, and also serves as an excellent starting point for family and classroom discussions.
A Book About What Autism Can Be Like (PDF)
by Donna Williams Sue AdamsChris and Andrew are very good friends, but sometimes Chris does things that Andrew doesn't understand. Chris can hear a fly buzzing when it's a mile away! But he doesn't like bright flashing lights like the ones on Andrew's favourite arcade game. Chris and Andrew have lots of fun together, but at times they laugh at completely different things - it doesn't matter though, because everyone is different, and being different can be rather cool! Chris and Andrew are here to help people understand the experiences of a child with autism, and how others can help by understanding how they are different, and recognising their many unique talents. This fully-illustrated book is targeted at boys and girls aged 5+, and also serves as an excellent starting point for family and classroom discussions.
The Book of Answers: Alignment, Autonomy, and Affiliation in Social Interaction (Foundations of Human Interaction)
by Tanya StiversImagine for a moment the only way to confirm a yes-no question was by saying Yeah. How different would this make our communication? Relying on a large corpus of naturally occurring recordings of spontaneous social interaction, this book explores all of the ways that we confirm questions in our everyday social lives. Tanya Stivers analyzes what these different ways of responding allow us to do that is unique to each answer type. When do we answer with Yeah rather than He is, for instance; or when do we use more complicated forms of confirming? This information provides us with the basic response possibility space. From that point we can examine what the range of responses, in particular answers, tells us about what is important to us in managing social relationships through social interaction. The book explains that we can conceptualize the response possibility space as having three dimensions: alignment, autonomy, and affiliation. Speakers rely on the details of their response to position themselves at a particular point in that three-dimensional space, sometimes accepting trade-offs among the dimensions to achieve a stance that is higher in alignment and autonomy and lower in affiliation or higher in affiliation and autonomy but lower in alignment. The Book of Answers uses real-life conversations to find hidden patterns in how we do things together such as reach decisions, tell stories, or arrive at agreement or disagreement. Delving into the science of how we talk, this book investigates what those patterns tell us about human communication and our social lives.
The Book of Answers: Alignment, Autonomy, and Affiliation in Social Interaction (Foundations of Human Interaction)
by Tanya StiversImagine for a moment the only way to confirm a yes-no question was by saying Yeah. How different would this make our communication? Relying on a large corpus of naturally occurring recordings of spontaneous social interaction, this book explores all of the ways that we confirm questions in our everyday social lives. Tanya Stivers analyzes what these different ways of responding allow us to do that is unique to each answer type. When do we answer with Yeah rather than He is, for instance; or when do we use more complicated forms of confirming? This information provides us with the basic response possibility space. From that point we can examine what the range of responses, in particular answers, tells us about what is important to us in managing social relationships through social interaction. The book explains that we can conceptualize the response possibility space as having three dimensions: alignment, autonomy, and affiliation. Speakers rely on the details of their response to position themselves at a particular point in that three-dimensional space, sometimes accepting trade-offs among the dimensions to achieve a stance that is higher in alignment and autonomy and lower in affiliation or higher in affiliation and autonomy but lower in alignment. The Book of Answers uses real-life conversations to find hidden patterns in how we do things together such as reach decisions, tell stories, or arrive at agreement or disagreement. Delving into the science of how we talk, this book investigates what those patterns tell us about human communication and our social lives.
The Book of Boundaries: Set the limits that will set you free
by Melissa Urban'Ground-breaking ... a must-read for everyone'BJ FOGG, PhD, Tiny Habits'The Book of Boundaries is funny, direct, and smart, bringing you actionable tools and science-backed strategies for setting boundaries using language that feels kind, natural, and empowering' Mel Robbins, New York Times bestselling author of The 5 Second RuleDo your relationships feel one-sided or unbalanced? Do you wish you could say no-nicely? Are you depleted, overwhelmed, and tired of putting everyone else's needs above your own? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you're ready to set some boundaries.Melissa Urban has already helped millions of people establish life-long healthy habits. Now, she shows you how boundaries are the key to better mental health, energy, and productivity, and more fulfilling relationships. Through more than 130 scripts, Urban helps you set boundaries with bosses, partners, family, friends, and even yourself, with tips for navigating guilt and pushback.Practical and inspiring, The Book of Boundaries will empower you to prioritise your needs and lead a life that feels bigger, freer and happier.'If you've struggled to identify and establish healthy boundaries - with family, in romance, at work, or in life - Melissa Urban shows the way forward with clarity, vulnerability, and humour'Gretchen Rubin, bestselling author of The Happiness Project
The Book of Feeling Blue: Understand and Manage Depression
by Gwendoline SmithTHE BOOK OF FEELING BLUE offers hope to those experiencing depression, explaining the nature of the condition and the many different forms it can take at different life stages, and offering straightforward advice about how to manage it. Written in a chatty, reassuring tone with supplementary illustrations included throughout to demonstrate key points, chapters cover all aspects of the condition, including how to support a family member or friend who may be suffering from it, providing a therapist's evidence-based, practical toolkit for dealing with this widespread and debilitating mental-health problem.
The Book Of Friendship
by Josie BarnardA fascinating study of friendship, looking first at friendships in childhood and the challenge of maintaining them as adults. Barnard skilfully explores different types of friendships, from the personal to the social, and discusses the extent to which they create and are created by the societies within which they exist. 'As a child I found friendships alluring and confusing, even frightening. What would it be like to have someone you could trust like that? My upbringing was socially and demographically isolated. I couldn't 'do' friendships. I was sombre and bespectacled. To my delight, at infant school, a girl called Dawn invited me back for tea. The return invitation saw Dawn in our dilapidated house, choking on a bay leaf because she had been too embarrassed to ask why there was a leaf in her food and had tried to swallow it. That was the end of that alliance, and perhaps the start of my interest in trying to work out this elusive, potent thing called friendship
The Book of Games and Warm Ups for Group Leaders 2nd Edition
by Leo RutherfordBased on Shamanic principles and the philosophy that laughter and play are basic human needs that feed the soul and unleash natural creativity, the tried, tested and proven activities in this book can be used with all ages. They are helpfully split into different sections, covering everything from warm-up games to verbal improvisation games, theatre games and warm-downs. Drawing on decades of experience in this substantially revised and expanded new edition, the author shares the games, improvisations and dance structures that he has found most effective in his work as a group leader and participant, and includes tips throughout on how to be a good facilitator and run a successful group. With lists of resources, including a musicography, the book is an inspiring and practical resource for anyone running a group.
The Book of Games and Warm Ups for Group Leaders 2nd Edition (PDF)
by Leo RutherfordBased on Shamanic principles and the philosophy that laughter and play are basic human needs that feed the soul and unleash natural creativity, the tried, tested and proven activities in this book can be used with all ages. They are helpfully split into different sections, covering everything from warm-up games to verbal improvisation games, theatre games and warm-downs. Drawing on decades of experience in this substantially revised and expanded new edition, the author shares the games, improvisations and dance structures that he has found most effective in his work as a group leader and participant, and includes tips throughout on how to be a good facilitator and run a successful group. With lists of resources, including a musicography, the book is an inspiring and practical resource for anyone running a group.
The Book of Highs: 255 Ways to Alter Your Consciousness without Drugs
by Edward RosenfeldModern mindfulness meets '70s nostalgia in this fully revised classic, packed with over 250 activities to transcend the limits of ordinary consciousness without drugs. Part encyclopedia and part self-help, it&’s perfect for readers looking to explore the untapped potential of mind and body.
The Book of Hope: 101 Voices on Overcoming Adversity
by Jonny Benjamin Britt PflügerThere is always hope, even when we cannot seem to seek it within ourselves.From the best advice you’ll ever get to the joy of crisps, the 101 brilliant contributors to The Book of Hope will help you to find hope whenever you need it most. Award-winning mental health campaigner Jonny Benjamin, MBE, and co-editor Britt Pflüger bring together people from all walks of life – actors, musicians, athletes, psychologists and activists – to share what gives them hope.These 101 key voices in the field of mental health, from the likes of Lemn Sissay, Dame Kelly Holmes, Frank Turner and Zoe Sugg, to Joe Tracini, Elizabeth Day, Hussain Manawer and Joe Wicks, share not only their experiences with anxiety, psychosis, panic attacks and more, but also what helps them when they are feeling low. This joyful collection is a supportive hand to anyone looking to find light on a dark day and shows that, no matter what you may be going through, you are not alone.Jonny Benjamin is known for his book and documentary film, The Stranger on the Bridge, which fought to end stigma around talking about mental health, suicidal thoughts and schizoaffective disorder. When his campaign to find the man who prevented him from taking his own life went viral, Jonny was one of a wave of new figures lifting the lid on mental health struggles. In this book, he brings together a range of voices to speak to the spectrum of our experiences of mental health and the power of speaking up and seeking help.
The Book of Minds: How to Understand Ourselves and Other Beings, from Animals to AI to Aliens
by Philip BallPopular science writer Philip Ball explores a range of sciences to map our answers to a huge, philosophically rich question: How do we even begin to think about minds that are not human? Sciences from zoology to astrobiology, computer science to neuroscience, are seeking to understand minds in their own distinct disciplinary realms. Taking a uniquely broad view of minds and where to find them—including in plants, aliens, and God—Philip Ball pulls the pieces together to explore what sorts of minds we might expect to find in the universe. In so doing, he offers for the first time a unified way of thinking about what minds are and what they can do, by locating them in what he calls the “space of possible minds.” By identifying and mapping out properties of mind without prioritizing the human, Ball sheds new light on a host of fascinating questions: What moral rights should we afford animals, and can we understand their thoughts? Should we worry that AI is going to take over society? If there are intelligent aliens out there, how could we communicate with them? Should we? Understanding the space of possible minds also reveals ways of making advances in understanding some of the most challenging questions in contemporary science: What is thought? What is consciousness? And what (if anything) is free will? Informed by conversations with leading researchers, Ball’s brilliant survey of current views about the nature and existence of minds is more mind-expanding than we could imagine. In this fascinating panorama of other minds, we come to better know our own.
The Book of Minds: How to Understand Ourselves and Other Beings, from Animals to AI to Aliens
by Philip BallPopular science writer Philip Ball explores a range of sciences to map our answers to a huge, philosophically rich question: How do we even begin to think about minds that are not human? Sciences from zoology to astrobiology, computer science to neuroscience, are seeking to understand minds in their own distinct disciplinary realms. Taking a uniquely broad view of minds and where to find them—including in plants, aliens, and God—Philip Ball pulls the pieces together to explore what sorts of minds we might expect to find in the universe. In so doing, he offers for the first time a unified way of thinking about what minds are and what they can do, by locating them in what he calls the “space of possible minds.” By identifying and mapping out properties of mind without prioritizing the human, Ball sheds new light on a host of fascinating questions: What moral rights should we afford animals, and can we understand their thoughts? Should we worry that AI is going to take over society? If there are intelligent aliens out there, how could we communicate with them? Should we? Understanding the space of possible minds also reveals ways of making advances in understanding some of the most challenging questions in contemporary science: What is thought? What is consciousness? And what (if anything) is free will? Informed by conversations with leading researchers, Ball’s brilliant survey of current views about the nature and existence of minds is more mind-expanding than we could imagine. In this fascinating panorama of other minds, we come to better know our own.
The Book of Minds: How to Understand Ourselves and Other Beings, From Animals to Aliens
by Philip BallUnderstanding the human mind and how it relates to the world of experience has challenged scientists and philosophers for centuries. How do we even begin to think about ‘minds’ that are not human? That is the question explored in this ground-breaking book. Award-winning science writer Philip Ball argues that in order to understand our own minds and imagine those of others, we need to move on from considering the human mind as a standard against which all others should be measured.Science has begun to have something to say about the properties of mind; the more we learn about the minds of other creatures, from octopuses to chimpanzees, to imagine the potential minds of computers and alien intelligences, the more we can begin to see our own, and the more we can understand the diversity of the human mind, in the widest of contexts. By understanding how minds differ, we can also best understand our own.
The Book of Minor Perverts: Sexology, Etiology, and the Emergences of Sexuality
by Benjamin KahanShortlisted for the Modernist Studies Assocation Book Prize Statue-fondlers, wanderlusters, sex magicians, and nymphomaniacs: the story of these forgotten sexualities—what Michel Foucault deemed “minor perverts”—has never before been told. In The Book of Minor Perverts, Benjamin Kahan sets out to chart the proliferation of sexual classification that arose with the advent of nineteenth-century sexology. The book narrates the shift from Foucault’s “thousand aberrant sexualities” to one: homosexuality. The focus here is less on the effects of queer identity and more on the lines of causation behind a surprising array of minor perverts who refuse to fit neatly into our familiar sexual frameworks. The result stands at the intersection of history, queer studies, and the medical humanities to offer us a new way of feeling our way into the past.
The Book of Moods: How I Turned My Worst Emotions Into My Best Life
by Lauren Martin"Hilariously witty, unflinchingly honest, and brimming with hope." Bobbi Brown"A fascinating, thorough, and truly helpful book. I loved it!" Sarah Knight, New York Times bestselling author of Calm the F*ck DownThe Happiness Project meets So Sad Today in this "hilariously witty, unflinchingly honest" book from the beloved founder of Words of Women, contemplating the nature of negative emotions, and the insights that allowed her to take back control.Five years ago, Lauren Martin was sure something was wrong with her. She had a good job in New York, an apartment in Brooklyn, a boyfriend, yet every day she wrestled with feelings of inferiority, anxiety and irritability. It wasn't until a chance encounter with a (charming, successful) stranger who revealed that she also felt these things, that Lauren set out to better understand the hold that these moods had on her, how she could change them, and began to blog about the wisdom she uncovered. It quickly exploded into an international online community of women who felt like she did: lost, depressed, moody, and desirous of change.Inspired by her audience to press even deeper, The Book of Moods shares Lauren's journey to infuse her life with a sense of peace and stability. With observations that will resonate and inspire, she dives into the universal triggers every woman faces - whether it's a comment from your mother, the relentless grind at your job, days when you wish the mirror had a Valencia filter, or all of the above. Blending cutting-edge science, timeless philosophy, witty anecdotes and effective forms of self-care, Martin has written a powerful, intimate, and incredibly relatable chronicle of transformation, proving that you really can turn your worst moods into your best life.
The Book of My Son Reuben: A Psychologist on the Loss of His Child
by David Cohen"I wish I had not had to write this book because then my lovely son Reuben would still be alive," says David Cohen. "He was adorable, formidably intelligent, a loving son, a loving brother. He died far too young. He had the bad luck to have two grandparents who had addictive personalities. His efforts to resist the lure of drugs failed. And so did I." The Book of My Son Reuben is a personal account of how psychologist David Cohen coped – and did not cope – with the death of his son, Reuben. Offering a unique perspective on the experience of parental loss, it offers a personal and analytical exploration of sorrow and guilt, and of what research tells us about trauma and grief. Illustrated throughout with David Cohen’s personal insight into how he continues to navigate his loss, this honest book provides a deeper understanding of loss for parents who have experienced it, as well as those who support them. The book remembers the many parents who have lost children throughout history and chapters weave personal perspectives with the latest research. It examines the experience of sudden deaths, the failures of society in preventing children from dying, the role of social media, how the loss of a child impacts fathers, siblings and relationships, and the usefulness – or otherwise – of bereavement therapies. A tribute to Reuben’s life, this sensitive volume is for those who have experienced loss and want to gain better understanding of their experience, as well as psychologists, psychotherapists and counsellors working with families.
The Book of My Son Reuben: A Psychologist on the Loss of His Child
by David Cohen"I wish I had not had to write this book because then my lovely son Reuben would still be alive," says David Cohen. "He was adorable, formidably intelligent, a loving son, a loving brother. He died far too young. He had the bad luck to have two grandparents who had addictive personalities. His efforts to resist the lure of drugs failed. And so did I." The Book of My Son Reuben is a personal account of how psychologist David Cohen coped – and did not cope – with the death of his son, Reuben. Offering a unique perspective on the experience of parental loss, it offers a personal and analytical exploration of sorrow and guilt, and of what research tells us about trauma and grief. Illustrated throughout with David Cohen’s personal insight into how he continues to navigate his loss, this honest book provides a deeper understanding of loss for parents who have experienced it, as well as those who support them. The book remembers the many parents who have lost children throughout history and chapters weave personal perspectives with the latest research. It examines the experience of sudden deaths, the failures of society in preventing children from dying, the role of social media, how the loss of a child impacts fathers, siblings and relationships, and the usefulness – or otherwise – of bereavement therapies. A tribute to Reuben’s life, this sensitive volume is for those who have experienced loss and want to gain better understanding of their experience, as well as psychologists, psychotherapists and counsellors working with families.