Book ReviewsTreating Addictions With EMDR Therapy and the Stages of ChangeEMDR Toolbox: Theory and Treatment of Complex PTSD and DissociationNeurobiology and Treatment of Traumatic Dissociation: Toward an Embodied SelfTrauma-Attachment Tangle: Modifying EMDR to Help Children Resolve Trauma and Develop Loving RelationshipsDiagnosing and Treating Complex TraumaEMDR for the Next Generation: Healing Children and FamiliesBorderline Personality Disorder and EMDR TherapyThe Wounds Within: A Veteran, a PTSD Therapist, and a Nation UnpreparedTreating Chronically Traumatized Children: Don’t Let Sleeping Dogs Lie!The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of TraumaIntegrative Team Treatment for Attachment Trauma in Children: Family Therapy and EMDR

New York Springer Publishing Company 2014 370 65.00 (paperback)

New York Springer Publishing Company 2014 256 65.00 (paperback)

New York Springer Publishing Company 2014 510 95.00 (paperback)

New York Routledge 2014 235 155.00 (hardcover) 49.95 (paperback)

New York Routledge 2014 234 46.66 (paperback)

United Kingdom Academic Conferences and Publishing International Limited 2014 221 47.50 (paperback)

A Caruña Institute for the Treatment of Trauma and Personality Disorders 2014 314 45.00 (paperback)

New York Skyhorse Publishing 2015 216 24.95 (hardcover)

New York Routledge 2014 224 61.85 (paperback)

New York Penguin Group 2014 362 27.95 (hardcover)

New York W.W. Norton & Company 2014 297 25.97 (hardcover)

You have read on the discussion list about clinicians successfully treating addictions using eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). You have attended the workshops, read the articles . . . but still you wonder: Where to start? When to start? You stand on the treatment road in search of direction and along comes the map.

Abel and O’Brien have written a book specifically for EMDR-trained clinicians working in the addiction field. Marrying Prochaska and DiClemente’s stages of change theory and EMDR therapy, they provide concise guidelines regarding many of the issues that arise when treating this complex population.

This comprehensive book has accurately labeled chapters that end with a succinct summary, making it an easy and accessible read. It is organized into three sections, starting with a description of EMDR therapy, addiction theory, and the stages of change model. Experienced addiction clinicians may find themselves skimming this section, but clinicians newer to the field will appreciate the information.

The second section highlights each stage of change and which EMDR-related interventions might be appropriate for each. This is the user’s manual for those of us who enjoy theory but love a good treatment plan and clinical movement. This includes a gem of a section that address the much asked question—how to assess readiness for EMDR therapy?

Section 3 provides six case studies. The book closes with a vast assortment of screening tools, EMDR/addiction-related resources and protocol scripts. Abel and O’Brien provide a needed “one-stop shopping” resource to the growing community of clinicians eager to harness the power of EMDR therapy to combat the addiction-related devastation. This is the major strength of this book—its ability to organize and collate from multiple reference along with the authors’ skill at chunking a complex treatment presentation down into smaller steps. All written with a tone of deep respect for people who struggle with addictions and their unique and individual needs.

As an addiction specialist and EMDR therapist, there was one area I wish had been addressed in the book. Knipe (2005) and later Miller (2012) have made important contributions to EMDR/addiction treatment by identifying the seemingly “positive” yet maladaptive aspects of memory that rivet the addictive infrastructure in place. Abel and O’Brien address so many crucial aspects of addiction architecture, including this information, and would have completed the book for me.

That said, the addiction/EMDR field is ever changing and fluid. This oversight may simply have been a matter of timing. For that reason, I thank the authors for their contribution and for empowering EMDR therapists addressing addictions. Empowered clinicians are brightened by curiosity and hope—a welcoming beacon for clients floundering in the recovery journey.

REVIEWED BY HOPE PAYSON

Although I am familiar with the tools in Jim Knipe’s book, it will be a valuable addition to my library. The book, as stated in the preface, is intended for therapists who are trained and experienced in using EMDR therapy but who sometimes struggle with clients with complex emotional problems.

Dr. Knipe’s concise therapeutic interventions are firmly based in the adaptive information processing (AIP) theory. They are intended to supplement standard EMDR therapy procedures, applying the AIP model to the treatment of complex posttraumatic stress disorder (complex PTSD).

Dr. Knipe describes specific EMDR therapeutic tools and how to incorporate them into practice. The book is divided into four parts, each logically leading into the next. The first, Chapters 1 and 2, is an overview of Knipe’s application of the AIP model to the treatment of complex PTSD and other dissociative conditions. The second, Chapters 3–6, conceptualizes common therapeutic blocks as defenses linked to disturbing memories but containing dysfunctional positive affect. He offers ways of treating and resolving these defenses as a means of accessing the disturbing memories for processing. Of particular value is the comparison of several popular EMDR protocols for the treatment of addictions in Chapter 6. The third part of the book, Chapters 7–13, focuses on the EMDR treatment of dissociative conditions, including an excellent discussion on the development of the sense of self. The final section, Chapters 14 and 15, offer case examples illustrating the use of the tools.

Although Dr. Knipe states his book is intended for experienced EMDR therapists, I recommend it to my basic-trained consultees. Many newly trained EMDR therapists—especially those who work in agencies—have caseloads of clients with complex PTSD and feel intimidated about using EMDR. The book offers them specific easy-to-reference tools and in Chapter 2, a nice review of how and why EMDR therapy works.

In short, the clarity and organization of Dr. Knipe’s writing makes his book accessible to newly trained EMDR clinicians by reviewing trauma, defenses, the AIP model, and ego states. At the same time, he offers advanced and creative tools to address the therapeutic obstacles that can prevent the full use of EMDR therapy. I learned Dr. Knipe’s tools attending his workshops over the years, but I failed to practice them. Perhaps they were held in inaccessible “parts.” Now that they are consolidated into an easy-to-access manual, as it were, I plan to reference the book frequently, incorporating the tools into my practice.

REVIEWED BY MERRILL POWERS

Neurobiology and Treatment of Traumatic Dissociation: Toward an Embodied Self breathes new life into translating neurobiology to treating traumatic dissociation. This book provides a neurobiological framework for conceptualizing the development of traumatic dissociation. The book then applies its framework to tailored phasic treatment of traumatic dissociation, thereby informing clinical practice. The book’s audience is certainly multidisciplinary practitioners treating the trauma spectrum with EMDR therapy and other therapies. Although not blatantly identified, researchers will benefit from this book as well. The breadth of research used to support hypotheses posited in this text lends itself to a researcher’s duties.

The book is organized in two main parts. Part I focuses on synthesizing neurobiological knowledge to create a comprehensive hypothesis of how the human animal develops both association and dissociation. Part I provides a rich landscape of selected research to justify the authors’ hypotheses of the developmental relationship between the brain as a systemic organ and traumatic dissociation development. The final chapter of Part I, Chapter 11, synthesizes these neurobiological hypotheses with the adaptive information processing (AIP) model. Chapter 11 provides a clear transition from Part I to Part II. Part II offers direct treatment applications of the Part I hypotheses. Part II guides the reader through examples and techniques that uses Part I’s hypothetical underpinnings. The result of Part II is a list of comprehensive treatment actions that essentially synthesizes the eight phases of EMDR therapy with supported neurobiological recommendations, enhancing each phase of EMDR therapy for the traumatically dissociative person. Part II engages the reader by weaving attachment and human development within its application. Throughout the book, the authors present a congruent, grounded, and direct understanding of the AIP model and the treatment elements of EMDR therapy.

There are many strengths of this book. The most prominent strength is the authors’ ability to provide comprehensive hypotheses for clinical conceptualization and treatment of traumatic dissociation. The authors skillfully integrate multidisciplinary neurobiology to support the comprehensive hypotheses. They successfully provide a new standard of explaining trauma and dissociation. This text further provides clear guidance on how to apply the complexity of neurobiology to practice. Direct recommendations can enhance the readers’ clinical practice. Although case examples support the recommended interventions, future efficacy research is needed.

The style and tone of this text is both an asset and a barrier. There is great fluidity of writing and connectivity of content within and across chapters. With that, each chapter has sections heavy with specialized terms and complex language. The nature of the topic leads to complex language and requires specialized terms. This has been, and continues to be, the barrier with creating a usable neurobiology text for clinicians. The readers of this book will need some foundational knowledge in both general neurobiology and advanced EMDR training to fully apply the concepts. A second barrier of this book is that the writing level is very sophisticated, so much so that it could pose accessibility barriers for those who are not comfortable with an artful use of complex language.

The seasoned trauma therapist and researchers will be able to find great utility in this book by applying and researching the book’s hypotheses. In the future, the authors should consider expanding the use of tables, images, and charts to represent all of the concepts and improve its accessibility. In summary, Neurobiology and Treatment of Traumatic Dissociation: Towards an Embodied Self brings a new standard to the writing, research, and treatment of traumatic dissociation. This book is of great value to the EMDR community.

REVIEWED BY EARL GREY

The Trauma-Attachment Tangle: Modifying EMDR to Help Children Resolve Trauma and Develop Loving Relationships is a delightful and enlightening read. Do not expect the dry recounting of symptoms, case histories, and treatment methods that are sometimes found in clinical books. Lovett’s sparkling narrative style quickly draws the reader into the mystery surrounding each puzzling case study. It is a joy to follow Dr. Lovett’s thought processes as she unravels the tangle and traces each child’s current behaviors to earlier frightening events. The connections are frequently surprising. For example, in one case, Dr. Lovett’s sleuthing connects a little boy’s refusal to join the family at dinner to a preverbal event in which he witnessed the parents receiving tragic news while dining.

The first 10 chapters recount 10 child cases involving various behaviors and adverse events such as orphanage care, abuse and neglect, hospitalization, and out-of-sync parents. In each child’s case, the reader follows Dr. Lovett as she determines how to best intervene through some combination of family therapy, play, therapeutic narrative, and EMDR therapy. Dr. Lovett’s work is inspiring, and yet she avoids making grandiose claims. To the contrary, she realistically portrays the time and effort required to make therapeutic changes with hurt children and their families, pointing out cases in which many sessions were spent repeating the same series of interventions before achieving a breakthrough.

In the second section, Dr. Lovett provides descriptions of playful therapeutic activities for strengthening resources and promoting attachment that are also great fun to read. For example, I couldn’t help chuckling as I pictured Dr. Lovett and her child clients wearing sunglasses and conversing over play phones to address difficult topics.

In the final section of the book, Dr. Lovett describes how to write a therapeutic narrative when children are unable to tell their own story or cannot fully remember what happened. Dr. Lovett describes the elements of a good healing narrative and how to integrate the narrative with EMDR. Her story format remains a significant contribution to the field of trauma therapy with children as a safe and effective way of introducing EMDR trauma work into child therapy.

Dr. Lovett describes and cites appropriate research, but if a reader is looking for a book written in an academic format or one that is heavy on research, this book may not fit the bill. However, the clinical story format found in the first 10 chapters and the jargon-free style of writing is refreshing and makes the book accessible to a broad range of readers. For instance, parents of traumatized children will greatly benefit by gaining insight into the interplay between trauma, attachment, and their children’s behaviors. One drawback to the clinical narrative format is that the teaching points are less easily absorbed because they are found sprinkled within the stories and then summarized only briefly at the end of each chapter.

Throughout the book, I appreciated the congruence of Dr. Lovett’s approach with the adaptive information processing model and the EMDR standard protocols. Her adaptations are pure common sense and the rationale is clear. In summary, Trauma-Attachment Tangle: Modifying EMDR to Help Children Resolve Trauma and Develop Loving Relationships illustrates masterful clinical work and brings insight and skill to a broad audience of parents and professionals working with our most vulnerable population of children.

REVIEWED BY DEBRA WESSELMANN

Trudy Mooren and Martijn Stöfsel have written a concise, pragmatic book. The volume is in textbook format and provides in-depth explanations of the authors’ integrative approach to the clinical treatment of complex trauma. It provides an extremely informative introduction to the field of trauma therapy with patients and family members. Their writing style has clarity and is erudite yet accessible. There is good use of related literature and research citations. The intended audience is the mental health professional who wants a complete history and theoretical and practical compendium about the field of complex trauma.

Mooren and Stöfsel have years of experience working in agency settings with a severely traumatized population of all ages, which includes refugees, war veterans, and survivors of childhood abuse and neglect. They provide case vignettes that clearly describe the issues, techniques, and results of effective trauma treatment. Their compassion toward their clients illuminates this work.

Their model for diagnosing and treating complex trauma includes the well-accepted triphase therapy (stabilization, trauma processing, and resolution). Within that model, the authors comprehensively describe several trauma treatment options, including EMDR, with excellent descriptions of interventions useful for each phase of treatment. For graduate students in the field of mental health, and those clinicians in all disciplines, new to complex trauma work, the rationale for using several different therapies integrated into client treatment, both individual and group, will be very informative.

In their comprehensive description of agency treatment, Mooren and Stöfsel indicate that the client may see several therapists in a course of treatment at the agency. Complex trauma clients have difficulty with trust often because of destabilized family settings as well as from the effects of war, unwilling resettlement, and so forth. It would have been illuminating to learn how the effects on attachment and trust and on the patient–therapist relationship in this multitherapist model are dealt with.

Two aspects of complex trauma not well covered in an otherwise comprehensive book are (a) dissociation as manifested in the personality structure of complex trauma patients and (b) any of the major systems of work with parts of the personality (ego state, structural dissociation, internal family systems). Whereas there is a short description of dissociation, and some well-described stabilization interventions, there is no theoretical discussion of these two fundamentals of complex trauma treatment. This is a significant lack. It has been well documented that trauma treatment that does not address the complex issues of dissociation and fragmentation will destabilize clients and derail the therapy.

The type of agency practice as practiced by the authors suggests that EMDR be used as an adjunctive and not a complete therapy. Yet, several pages are given to the description of EMDR, which is accurate (although the adaptive information processing [AIP] model is not described). True to the agency model, they do speak of a primary therapist and the EMDR therapist. Well-trained EMDR clinicians who work with a complex trauma clientele are well aware of the necessity of using an integrative approach within the eight-phased model.

What therapists will particularly profit from in this book is a more complete understanding of the history and complexity involved in treating complex trauma clients and the new interventions that they can add to their EMDR tool kit.

REVIEWED BY CAROL FORGASH

It is very exciting when two esteemed colleagues collaborate on a book on EMDR and family therapy. It is even more exciting when the book exceeds expectations. Such is the case with Joanne Morris-Smith and Michel Silvestre, who have written EMDR for the Next Generation: Healing Children and Families.

On the first reading of this book, I was impressed with its integration of family therapy with EMDR, the adaptive information processing model, and the insights derived from each. However, on second reading, I am even more impressed with the way these two clinicians interweave knowledge of research, developmental psychology, family therapy, neuroscience, and clinical cases into a tapestry of understanding that illuminates the field of EMDR therapy. Beginning and advanced EMDR therapists will get much from this book.

EMDR for the Next Generation: Healing Children and Families is a very thoughtful and emotional book. The research cited is well selected and fascinating. It provides a background for the cases described in the book, allowing for each case to be intellectually stimulating as well as relevant. In addition, the cases are emotionally evocative. They might bring a lump to your throat, or a sense of awe, and can even be startling at times.

EMDR for the Next Generation: Healing Children and Families integrates child development, the neuroscience of trauma, and the practice of EMDR in a way that no other book in the field does. The format goes something like this: A child becomes traumatized and the family seeks therapy; the family context is explored; and different members of the family are treated, based on the dynamics of psychosocial situation. Research that is relevant to the age of the child and the child’s development as well as pertinent research in neuroscience become part of the case study. Some cases are examined repeatedly in different chapters, deepening our understanding in additional ways. In fact, when one looks at the chapter headings in this book, it is as if the authors have taken almost every current topic of importance related to EMDR and psychotherapy and applied it to working with traumatized children and families, whether it is neuroscience, developmental psychology, resilience, dissociation and integration, attachment theory, attunement, preverbal memory, the concept of the window of tolerance, and/or trauma diagnosis and how it relates to Diagnostical and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and International Classification of Diseases diagnoses.

The range of cases and concepts could be intimidating for the beginning therapist, but the writing is clear and concise, and simple cases are included. The amount of knowledge required to be a skillful child and adult EMDR therapist and integrating family therapy expertise might not only be daunting to the beginner but also provide a picture of skill and knowledge to be emulated. For such a slim volume to cover the wealth of topics that this book does implies that other resources may be necessary to flesh out knowledge in certain areas.

The final chapter is a description of child and family cases that range from simple to highly complex and involved taking place over a period of years. These cases illustrate the diversity of application possible with EMDR as it gets successfully applied to anorexia nervosa, autistic spectrum disorders (a real strength of the book), and intergenerational domestic violence.

Overall, this is an exciting and truly integrative work, aimed at helping the next generation of children. However, it is also integrative enough and state of the art enough to be aimed at being of great value for each and every generation of EMDR therapists.

REVIEWED BY ROBERT H. TINKER

Dolores Mosquera and Anabel Gonzalez have once again gifted us with their brilliant and insightful minds. Many of us have experienced the power of their clinical work at their many EMDR International Association conference presentations. We are fortunate that their two books on applications of EMDR therapy have been published in both Spanish and English. Their earlier book, EMDR and Dissociation: The Progressive Approach, first edition, revised, unified the theory of structural dissociation of the personality and EMDR. It has profoundly enriched work with clients who have dissociative disorders for many of us.

In Part 1 of Borderline Personality Disorder and EMDR Therapy, the authors integrate trauma and attachment theories, psychodynamic theories, the adaptive information processing (AIP) model and EMDR therapy, and structural dissociation as a framework to understand borderline personality disorder (BPD) and to structure its treatment. The authors carefully reference the ideas they present throughout their book.

This book is directed at EMDR-trained clinicians to enable them to become more comfortable with, and competent in, treating this challenging and very wounded population. Clinicians experienced in treating such clients will also benefit from their rich perspectives and detailed treatment recommendations.

Part 2 carefully delineates how to approach Phases 1 and 2 of the EMDR protocol (history and conceptualization and preparation) in the treatment of clients with BPD. The honoring and very gentle restructuring of defenses, the development of a clearer identity, and improved mental functions are explored with theory, practical strategies, and case examples. They illustrate the installation of healthy self-care patterns of behavior. The authors’ detailed description of the differing reasons why clients injure themselves or engage in suicidal behaviors is enriched by patient artwork and quotes and partial transcripts. Mosquera and Gonzalez present their distinct strategies for each of these differing presentations.

Phases 3–8 of the EMDR protocol in the treatment of clients with BPD is developed in Part 3. A shortcoming of this book is that this essential core of EMDR treatment is the shortest section of the book, only 40 pages. Core negative beliefs, trauma processing, and specific recommended procedures are discussed. Using Knipe’s (2005) essay on defenses, they write,

The authors offer an excellent list of tentative positive cognitions. They adapted an idea of Litt (2007) and developed a differentiation of self-procedure. The authors use a relational bridge from the therapeutic relationship to others in the patient’s life. And they recommend processing in a limited way, as in the original EMD protocol used in 1989 and 1990, to contain and prevent destabilization.

In the closing Part 4, the authors address the interpersonal context of the client with BPD. Chapters address the patient’s family, the complex presentations of people with BPD in intimate relationships, and the challenges of the therapeutic relationship.

This book is written for EMDR-trained therapists and richly guides our work with these clients, both directly and in working with their family member to create better understanding and responses. It would also be useful for any therapist seeking to better understand BPD.

REVIEWED BY FARNSWORTH LOBENSTINE

The Wounds Within: A Veteran, a PTSD Therapist, and a Nation, coauthored by psychotherapist Mark Nickerson, LICSW, and Joshua Goldstein, professor emeritus of International Relations at American University, demonstrates an engaging writing style as the book weaves together three threads of information: (a) the account of a veteran suffering with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), (b) the impact of such struggles on the veteran’s family, and (c) the institutional limitations of the Department of Veterans Affairs (frequently referred to as both DVA and VA). Woven throughout the book are the personal struggles of a young man who dutifully served his country with honor and ultimately committed suicide after returning home from combat. Later in the book, the author describes the efforts of parents to change the DVA policies and the author being trained in EMDR therapy with its effective use in treating other veterans.

Readers will gain from the insights of Nickerson’s experience as a psychotherapist as well as the book’s bird’s-eye view of a family struggling to help their son, an Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran. A strength of this book is its realistic account of the struggles of the veteran suffering with combat trauma and moral injury. The authors provide an insight into what it is like to be a member of a caring family who is wounded by a son’s emotional wounds as they helplessly witness his destructive patterns. The Wounds Within: A Veteran, a PTSD Therapist, and a Nation depicts the professional care modeled by a seasoned therapist (the author) while appreciating the healthy nurture of the veteran’s family, which anchors them through very difficult times.

Another strength is this book’s appeal to a diverse audience ranging from therapists interested in treating the mental health needs of veterans to readers who wish to gain insight into what it is like to be a family witnessing their son going off to war and the destructive pattern of a combat veteran whose life on return home has become unmanageable. It is a contrast between the winsome young adult as he was before military service and the broken struggling marine who returned from combat to a nation unprepared to adequately care for its wounded. Caught in the middle are the caring parents who witness the developing suicidal patterns exhibited by their son in spite of their efforts to find assistance at their local DVA hospital. At a time where there are more than 22 veterans per day committing suicide, this book makes a significant contribution.

The authors were challenged to present a congruent human interest story while at the same time provide the reader with sufficient information regarding the DVA treatment policies and how those policies impacted this veteran. They mostly succeeded in balancing the task. The veteran’s story is so engagingly described that the interjection of the DVA information seemed disruptive on occasion. Perhaps the authors captured with ink and paper what the veteran lived. An additional contribution is the description of how parents of a deceased veteran can use his death as a cause to change the DVA policy for the benefit of other wounded veterans.

Mark Nickerson’s account of learning EMDR therapy as an effective treatment for adverse life events, including PTSD and moral injury, is an important addition to the book. Persons interested in the effective treatment of adverse life experiences will benefit from reading this book. Anyone wishing to learn more about the impact of war on families will find this book helpful. It is a valuable contribution to the literature on PTSD, veterans, veteran families, and EMDR therapy as an effective treatment. I highly recommend it.

REVIEWED BY E. C. HURLEY

Beneath the appealing cover of this slim volume is a manual for the stabilization treatment of children severely traumatized in early childhood. Arianne Struik, psychologist and program director at a Dutch child and adolescent hospital, presents her phased stabilization model, “the sleeping dogs method,” for all professionals and lay caretakers therapeutically engaged, including parents and foster parents.

The first chapter summarizes current thinking on body-brain-stress interactions, dissociation, attachment, and other pertinent concepts, illustrated by case history vignettes in well-formatted boxes. Some of this material seems too advanced for some segments of the book’s broad audience. For instance, Struik addresses the difference between the complex concepts of dissociation and structural dissociation, correctly pointing to confusion and insufficient research on the distinction: an academic concept difficult even for trained clinicians.

Chapter 2 briefly summarizes contemporary-phased trauma therapies on which she bases her sleeping dogs method, which includes motivational work and six “tests,” which are not tests per se but sequentially ordered steps: safety, daily life skills, attachment, emotional regulation, “cognitive shift,” and “nutshell.” These are necessary for tolerance of trauma processing. She asserts that these children must be capable of expressing a “nutshell” overview of their traumatic events while staying within the window of tolerance prior to trauma processing treatment. The final chapter addresses treatment planning with helpful worksheets.

There is a seven-page section on trauma processing with EMDR which she acknowledges as her preferred approach, although there is no mention of EMDR in the “Contents” section. It is puzzling that she does not acknowledge that EMDR psychotherapy specifically stresses preparation and stabilization as part of its eight-phased method. Given that the book targets a general population, there is inadequate explanation of the EMDR approach, but adaptations suitable for experienced EMDR therapists are defined.

Alas, there are several inaccuracies about EMDR. These include her description and application of the cognitive interweave, defined by Shapiro (2001) as a strategy “to jump start blocked processing by introducing certain material rather than depending on the client to provide it all” (p. 244). Struik instead defines the interweave as a “short question or remark in order to get the child to shift easily from one cognition to another” (p. 49). Developmental considerations are not addressed: Younger children often process less cognitively because of their more less developed ability to abstract.

Struik’s description of Joan Lovett’s storytelling technique contains numerous errors, including specific target age group, nature of parental involvement, narrative content, and incorporation of emotions. Perhaps she has developed her own technique drawn from Lovett’s work, and it may indeed work for her, but she needs to clarify the differences and acknowledge her version as an adaptation.

There are also other conceptual inconsistencies. For example, dissociation is defined as “reduced awareness” (p. 17) but in the EMDR section relates to dissociative identity disorder.

In all, this book has potential as an overview of trauma and application of stabilization skills. Struik is clearly a skilled and experienced therapist. Numbered paragraphs and subheadings organize the information. Case histories and cartoons enhance the material. I sincerely hope that the next edition will address the errors and shortcomings so that the book can fulfill its potential.

REVIEWED BY FRANCES KLAFF

Van der Kolk’s fascinating book, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, is directed toward clinicians who treat complex trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). After reading this book, I immediately enrolled in Dr. van der Kolk’s online intensive Trauma Treatment Certificate program. The author summarizes research data, case studies, and personal experiences to ground his argument: Trauma may not be resolved or integrated through talk therapy alone. He contends that necessary treatment protocols such as EMDR therapy, yoga, meditation, and mindfulness may more effectively facilitate integration of traumatic memories lodged in the mind and body through sensory awareness. In addition, he discusses process-oriented theoretical perspectives relevant to trauma treatment protocols such as cognitive behavioral therapy, internal family systems therapy, adaptive information processing model, psychotherapy, yoga, meditation, and mindfulness-based stress reduction. The author emphasizes that in treating trauma, therapists need to consider approaches that move beyond where language can reach.

Van der Kolk breaks down his five-part discussion across 20 chapters. Each part tackles the nuances of trauma and relevant empirical qualitative research. These parts are Part One “The Rediscovery of Trauma,” Part Two “This Is Your Brain on Trauma,” Part Three “The Minds of Children,” Part Four “The Imprint of Trauma,” and Part Five “Paths To Recovery.” In this final part, the author devotes a chapter to EMDR: “Letting Go of the Past: EMDR.”

An introductory presentation of EMDR, the chapter contains a summary of EMDR research and personal anecdotes to support his view that EMDR is an effective integrative approach to psychotherapy. Van der Kolk’s evidence-based research findings are drawn from a study that compared pharmacological treatments with EMDR therapy for PTSD. He notes, “ . . . EMDR also produced a greater reduction in depression scores than taking antidepressant” (p. 254). At the same time, van der Kolk acknowledges that pharmaceutical treatments are sometimes necessary along with EMDR. For example, he states, “Clinicians have only one obligation: To do whatever they can to help their patients get better” (p. 262).

Van der Kolk describes posttraumatic experiences among children, adults, and veterans in storytelling form. However, some readers may be offended by his candid articulations. He contends that unless the past trauma experience is integrated in the mind and body, the individual will present PTSD symptoms, which reflect a reenactment of unresolved trauma.

Van der Kolk’s book includes an appendix that cites consensus-proposed criteria for developmental trauma disorder. There is also a “Resources” section and a listing of further readings that may be helpful. One limitation is that the literature review is dense yet general. Interested readers may want more information than this book was able to include. Although he does summarize new research data, the text may serve a review for therapists trained in EMDR therapy.

Finally, engaging, informative, and accessible to clinicians and the general public, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma also serves as a comprehensive reference that has already proven to be useful in my clinical practice. I recommend it to anyone who seeks to more fully understand complex trauma and PTSD and effective treatments based on empirical research.

REVIEWED BY PAMELA ASHKENAZY

Debra Wesselmann, Cathy Schweitzer, and Stefanie Armstrong’s book, Integrative Team Treatment for Attachment Trauma in Children: Family Therapy and EMDR, presents a model in which an EMDR therapist and a family therapist work in tandem providing attachment trauma therapy. Their text poses that, by working collaboratively, the two therapists can improve identification of negative cognitions, family support, and effective advocacy. The authors present an insightful and thought-provoking resource for clinicians working with those affected by attachment trauma.

The book is broken into two parts: “Case Conceptualization and Foundation Work,” and “EMDR Strategies.” In Part I, the authors provide a superior breakdown of Francine Shapiro’s standard protocol of EMDR and the adaptive information processing (AIP) model (Shapiro, 2001). This overview of the AIP model describes the impact of early neglect and the history of neurobiological research pertaining to symptomatic behaviors in children with attachment trauma. The authors’ easy-to-read version of the AIP model alone makes this book well worth the investment for clinicians of all levels in understanding the impact of trauma. Part I also details the role of the family therapist within context of integrative team treatment.

Part II, “EMDR Strategies,” offers the EMDR clinician helpful interweaves and resources to employ EMDR while building trust between the child and caregiver. Both Parts I and II offer skillful transcripts of actual sessions and case histories illustrating the concepts reviewed. The authors identify challenges EMDR clinicians face working with children, specifically in highlighting the importance of the preparation phase of EMDR and in the concept of attunement. A definitive strength of this book is the affirmation that not only the child but also the family stand to benefit from comprehension of life through the trauma lens. The authors’ commitment to this high standard is evidenced by their writing of a companion book entitled Integrative Parenting: Strategies for Raising Children Affected by Attachment Trauma (2014). The companion resource is written specifically for caregivers in easy, nonclinical terms and intended as a supplement to therapy.

The book in review, Integrative Team Treatment for Attachment Trauma in Children: Family Therapy and EMDR, stresses building resources and self-regulating behaviors prior to processing traumas. Useful tools such as session transcripts, research, resources, and appendices with practical interventions for use by family and EMDR clinicians are provided. Although strategies for work with children without a secure caregiver, such as those in foster care or residential facilities are provided, more on this topic would have been appreciated.

A downside of the text is the lack of information on practical execution of the model. Given that children with attachment trauma often receive treatment via foster care, residential, or clinic settings, suggestions for implementation of this model in these settings would be a welcome addition in future versions of an otherwise invaluable resource for all clinicians.

REVIEWED BY STACEY C. STEVENS