Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors

Janina Fisher, PhD, is assistant education director of the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, an EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) consultant, and a former instructor at the Trauma Center, a clinic and research center founded by Bessel van der Kolk. Known for her expertise as a clinician, author, and presenter, she is also past president of the New England Society for the Treatment of Trauma and Dissociation, a former instructor at Harvard Medical School, and coauthor (with Pat Ogden) of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: Interventions for Trauma and Attachment.

• Table of ContentsList of FiguresAcknowledgementsIntroductionChapter One: Alienation from Self: How We Survive Overwhelming Experiences Chapter Two: Understanding Parts, Understanding Traumatic Responses Chapter Three: Parts Instead of Wholes: New Roles for Client and Therapist Chapter Four: Seeing Our ‘Selves:’ an Introduction to Parts Work Chapter Five: Befriending Our Parts: Sowing Seeds of Compassion Chapter Six: Complications of Treatment: Traumatic Attachment Chapter Seven: Treatment Challenges: Suicidality, Self-Harm, Addictions, and Eating DisordersChapter Eight: Complications of Treatment: Dissociative Disorders Chapter Nine: Repairing the Past: Embracing Our SelvesChapter Ten: Restoring What was Lost to Wounded ChildrenAppendix A: Five Steps to "Unblending"Appendix B: Meditation Circle for PartsAppendix C: Internal Dialogue TechniqueAppendix D: Treatment Paradigm for Internal Attachment RepairAppendix E: Dissociative Experiences LogAppendix F: The Four Befriending Questions

"This beautifully written, sensitive volume on how to treat the clients that many deem hopeless is a must read for those working with trauma. It will take you to new places and enable you to reach for your clients and find them when they cannot find themselves. Enjoy!"Sue Johnson, PhD, professor, researcher, and author of Love Sense: The Revolutionary New Science of Romantic Relationships "Written by one of the preeminent experts in the field of trauma and dissociation, Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors imparts a vision of hope and validation to those suffering from complex trauma and the therapists who treat them. Janina Fisher’s exceptional ability to synthesize the best of cutting edge trauma psychotherapies has resulted in a brilliant and unique roadmap for resolving chronic traumatization. Written with heart, clarity, and precision, this accessible and practical book is an outstanding contribution to the field." Pat Ogden, PhD, founder, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute"The role of cumulative trauma in the fragmentation of self-experience, the strategies for identifying, together with the client, the non-integrated parts of the personality during the clinical exchanges, and the integrating power of the psychotherapy dialogue have rarely been dealt with in such a convincing and original way as in the pages of this fascinating book." Giovanni Liotti, MD, APC School of Psychotherapy, Rome, Italy "Janina Fisher’s unique blending of IFS ‘parts’ with sensorimotor and mindfulness-based therapy is a terrific enhancement to psychodynamic work. Although grounded in structural dissociation theory and trauma treatment, Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors offers insights that will enrich the knowledge-base of therapists treating higher-functioning as well as deeply traumatized individuals. I recommend this remarkable book to all psychotherapists, especially psychodynamic ones, who will discover an extraordinary opportunity to expand their clinical horizons." Kenneth A. Frank, PhD, Psychotherapy Integration Training Program, National Institute for Psychotherapies Readers will close the pages of Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors with a solid grasp of therapeutic approaches to traumatic attachment, working with undiagnosed dissociative symptoms and disorders, integrating "right brain-to-right brain" treatment methods, and much more. Most of all, they will come away with tools for helping clients create an internal sense of safety and compassionate connection to even their most dis-owned selves.The Phoenix Spirit