Roger Baker 
Understanding Trauma 
How to overcome post-traumatic stress

What is post-traumatic stress disorder? What does it feel like? And how can it be overcome? Trauma is a term that many of us find alienating and clinical. But in fact trauma is something most people encounter at some point in life, and post-traumatic stress – far from being a mental disorder – is a normal reaction to abnormal events: even breaking a bone or witnessing a car crash. Drawing on 20 years of research and clinical practice, Roger Baker explains the many symptoms of post-traumatic stress and lays out a self help programme – emotional processing therapy – which can defuse the distressing memories of trauma and reduce the occurrence of flashbacks, nightmares and tensions. Professor Baker also advises strategies to prevent post-traumatic stress in the first place. Full of real-life case studies, this is essential reading for trauma sufferers, their family and friends, and specialists alike.

Table of Content

Contents
Acknowledgments 6
Section I
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder 7
1. A Life Spoiled 8
2. What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? 18
3. Post Traumatic Stress in the Dock 34
4. Why Me? 41
Section II
The Psychology Behind PTSD 51
5. Emotional Processing 52
6. Burying the Memories 61
7. Emotions, the Stuff of Life 70
Section III
The Need for Therapy 79
8. Susan’s Story 80
9. Healthy and Unhealthy Reactions to Trauma 88
10. Emotional Processing Therapy 96
Section IV
Self-Help Programme for PTSD 103
11. Max’s Story 104
12. Preparing for Therapy 118
13. Emotional Processing Style 129
14. Facing the Memories 139
Section V
The Journey Onwards 151
15. Stumbling Blocks 152
16. The Deal 157
17. Sweet or Deadly Oblivion? 167
References 175
Index 187

About the author

DR ROGER BAKER is Professor of Clinical Psychology at Bournemouth University. He has worked in a dual role as researcher and clinical psychologist at Leeds, Aberdeen, and Bournemouth Universities and in NHS Trusts specialising in Mental Health. He is the author of the highly acclaimed Understanding Panic Attacks and Understanding Trauma.