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Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness

By: David A. Treleaven, Willoughby Britton
Narrated by: Paul Brion
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Publisher's Summary

From elementary schools to psychotherapy offices, mindfulness meditation is an increasingly mainstream practice. At the same time, trauma remains a fact of life: The majority of us will experience a traumatic event in our lifetime, and up to 20 percent of us will develop post-traumatic stress. This means that anywhere mindfulness is being practiced, someone in the room is likely to be struggling with trauma. At first glance, this appears to be a good thing: Trauma creates stress, and mindfulness is a proven tool for reducing it. But the reality is not so simple.

Drawing on a decade of research and clinical experience, psychotherapist and educator David Treleaven shows that mindfulness meditation - practiced without an awareness of trauma - can exacerbate symptoms of traumatic stress. Instructed to pay close, sustained attention to their inner world, survivors can experience flashbacks, dissociation, and even retraumatization. This raises a crucial question for mindfulness teachers, trauma professionals, and survivors everywhere: How can we minimize the potential dangers of mindfulness for survivors while leveraging its powerful benefits?

Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness offers answers to this question. Part I provides an insightful and concise review of the histories of mindfulness and trauma, including the way modern neuroscience is shaping our understanding of both. Through grounded scholarship and wide-ranging case examples, Treleaven illustrates the ways mindfulness can help - or hinder - trauma recovery.

Part II distills these insights into five key principles for trauma-sensitive mindfulness. Covering the role of attention, arousal, relationship, dissociation, and social context within trauma-informed practice, Treleaven offers 36 specific modifications designed to support survivors' safety and stability. The result is a groundbreaking and practical approach that empowers those looking to practice mindfulness in a safe, transformative way.

©2018 David A. Treleaven (P)2018 Tantor

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Trauma revisited for the 21st century

Certainly one of the most intelligent books on trauma I have read to date. The particular emphasis on how the blythe use of mindfulness can be inappropriate and damaging in the hands of inexperienced therapists.

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Absolutely essential for mindfulness teachers

This book is nothing short of spectacular. It is very eye opening in many different ways from addressing systems of oppression and exploring how that influences trauma, and how mindfulness instructions can be adjusted to better support people with trauma.

While it is an essential read for anyone wanting to teach mindfulness, its also incredibly useful for anyone who is wanting to practice mindfulness particularly for people who may have experienced trauma in their life from childhood abuse to systematic racism, sexism etc.

Highly highly recommend this great book.

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