Product reviews for From Trauma to Transformation

Perhaps because in South African we are so immersed in trauma and trauma therapy because of our level of violence in society, it is that I found this book somewhat clinical and lacking in certain respects. When I saw the title I was excited, but in my opinion the author failed to carry through the theme of taking trauma through to transformation in any meaningful way. The treatment plans are great but reductionistic-”seldom does a trauma treatment plan run smoothly, but little of those challenges and how to deal with them are present in the book. In my opinion, 'planning' a process of treatment involves the assumption that things will run according to that plan, which, in my experience is seldom the case.

The focus on 9/11 to the exclusion of other types of trauma was problematic for me-”perhaps again because of the variety and complexity of trauma we work with in South Africa. The author failed to expose the reader to some of the debates and learning that arose, in terms of trauma treatment, post 9/11, particularly the issue around the re-traumatizing effect of 're-telling the story' that came from the stories of victims of 9/11 which radically changed or at least questioned, the way we think about trauma counseling.

I was not sure what population this book was intended for. It holds little novelty in terms of the needs of the seasoned trauma practitioner and yet it is not useful for the lay person as the treatment plans need to be administered by a professional. I agree however, that it would be useful in bringing more people to using hypnosis as an effective methodology in trauma recovery.

On a positive note I found the first chapter, in terms of the theoretical underpinnings of trauma treatment, to be interesting, although I think that some of the paradigms could have been treated in more detail. This was where the question of the target population arose in my mind.