{"id":5757,"date":"2023-11-30T02:37:05","date_gmt":"2023-11-30T02:37:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.giftfromwithin.org\/?page_id=5757"},"modified":"2024-01-13T15:22:40","modified_gmt":"2024-01-13T15:22:40","slug":"trauma-ptsd-book-reviews-page-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.giftfromwithin.org\/ptsd\/trauma-ptsd-book-reviews-page-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Reviews on Psychology Books and Tapes by Gift From Within Members to Help Trauma Survivors with PTSD – Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Healing & Recovery for Men:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n


Patti:


“Iron Man Family Outing: Poems About Transition Into a More Conscious Manhood<\/a>,”
by\u00a0Rick Belden<\/a>. 1990. (Amazon rating 5 stars). $11.95.


This was a delightful, touching, sometimes disturbing book of poetry. It is profound in that it is written by a man who has opened his heart and soul with so much honesty and courage. I find this extremely noteworthy in a society that seems to discourage men from feeling at all, and definitely from disclosing their feelings. I sure hope this trend catches on.

A relatively short work (around a hundred pages), illustrated in some parts, the author has divided his work into seven parts that seem to follow his journey from childhood to adulthood and from pain into hope. His poetry deals with every important aspect of life including love, sex, family relationships and how pain, cruelty and withholding of love affects a child for every part of his future.

I would love to put a copy of this book into the hands of every male I know, but I also encourage those of my gender who seek to better understand the male psyche to pick up a copy of this book. Ordering information was not included but the author may be reached at\u00a0<\/strong>https:\/\/www.rickbelden.com\/<\/strong><\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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<\/strong>“Wounded Boys: Heroic Men: A Man’s Guide To Recovering From Child Abuse,”<\/strong><\/a>
by Daniel Jay Sonkin, Ph.D. (Amazon rating 5 star). $11.01.


I believe this an excellent book for men who are in the beginning stages of acknowledging their childhood abuse issues. It is done in a workbook format and is unintimidating and written for the abused man although a spouse or girlfriend or significant other will also learn a lot about the negative behavior of those they care about. A most important issue for the abused male is to learn to acknowledge the abuse, to slowly get comfortable saying “I was abused.” Then learning how to deal with the emotional, psychological scars and feelings that have affected their thinking and behavior. Behavior that may have wrecked relationships, careers and the constant inner\/self abuse. Dr. Sonkin shows through case examples the ways abused men have learned to help themselves put a break on their negative behaviors including perpetuating cycles of violence, depression, and anger. Abused men can change and lives can get better and relationships can improve. It starts with you, and this book will help you on your healing journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Patti:


<\/strong>“A Matter of Time,”<\/strong><\/a> by Nancy Rae (Amazon rating 5 star). $16.16.


<\/strong>This book is unique in that it is the story of a male victim of child sexual abuse written by a woman. It is unique to GFW readers in that we seldom hear much about the struggles men face who suffered the type of abuse many of our members faced. To me this story was valuable because of the insight it offered to our male counterparts and also because it brought home, once again, the fact that there is no cure for PTSD but that we can live a meaningful life and that our symptoms can lesson, especially when we have and accept the support of our friends, peers and family.

Nancy Rae chronicles the fictional story of David who was victimized as a child and as an adult and his long struggle to accept himself, to understand himself and to understand he was not to blame for what he suffered. It also clearly portrays the importance of accepting love and support from those who want to reach out to us, the hurt when those we do love are not able to understand us, and the damage done when those we trust to help us, namely therapists, end up abusing our vulnerability and trust to their own ends.

Although this is a fictional story, one can see that the author is acquainted with those who have lived this struggle, and that she has done research on the subject of sexual abuse of males, a subject often overlooked because men are taught they have to be strong and that it is weak to ask for help.

I found this book touching and informative and I feel it is a story that needs to be told. I also feel our members would find this book a valuable addition to their libraries and a research tool for those interested in this subject. If you know a man who has suffered abuse, this book would make a great gift as a tool for reaching out to someone who may not open up in a face to face conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Inspirational:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths.”<\/strong><\/a> by Bruce S. Feiler. (Amazon rating 4 stars). $10.36.


<\/strong>This is the story of one person’s personal exploration about Abraham. It is about how Christians, Jews and Muslims all lay claim to being Abraham’s original heirs. This book is beautifully written and will give the novice reader of religious history a good introduction to the similarities and differences between the 3 religions. There are no answers but it is fascinating how the author discusses Abraham, a man who started out as a spiritual father and then became the personal property of these religions. I appreciate the author using the word Heart in his title as that is what we all need to pay attention to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Callings : Finding and Following an Authentic Life.”<\/strong><\/a> by Gregg Michael Levoy. (Amazon rating 4.5 stars). $10.61.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This book will bring a smile to your lips. It is so very interesting because it attempts to answer questions we have had at one time or another in our lives. What am I supposed to be doing? How do I know this is what I am? How do I know if I’m following my true calling and if not, what do I do about it? This book is beautifully written by Gregg Levoy who has examined his own life in this way. He lectures and teaches about callings. He gives us wonderful stories and examples of people who discovered their callings. He allows us to examine what may or may not be true calls or “siren calls.” Gregg Levoy uses metaphors, psychology and spirituality interwoven with wonderful true stories of people who have found their “center.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The Listening Project.” I loved this story of a woman who in the l960’s meditated daily and asked herself a single question. “What can I do to help the earth?” She said she received “promptings,”to this question and according to Gregg Levory “she has followed them into the most unorthodox arenas and unexpected pilgrimages. She was told to listen to serve others and herself. She must listen to needs, sufferings, secrets, dreams and demands.” After doing this for many years as a teacher in SF she took another step. She decided to travel the world and do the same thing. “This would be necessary if she wanted to serve people properly as a social activist working to prevent nuclear war. She had to know more about people.” So she sold her home and possessions and decided to go all around the world and listen to people talk about their lives. What bothered them and why they were unhappy. She listened and listened. She did this for four months. She went to places where she had friends or friends of friends so she had a place to stay. She made a sign and sat on a park bench. The sign said American Willing To Listen. Word spread wherever she went and she never felt the same way about people and their lives again. “Her listening project, which she writes about in her book Heart Politics, has become a continuing practice, a kind of tuning up of my heart to the affairs of the world. I hear the news differently now and act with a larger context in mind. I hold myself accountable to the people whose lives I have seen, and carry with me some of their pain. It does not weigh me down.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greg discusses if there are right or wrong ways to receives a call and how do we know which is which. How do they come to us? And there are all kinds of callings, those having to do with a profession or a career or simply how to be more loving and compassionate. The stories are powerful, touching and inspiring. You will feel good reading this book and it will help you get in touch with how you are feeling about your life, and help guide you to change if that is your desire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Joni:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The Sprituality of Imperfection.”<\/strong><\/a> by Ernest Kurtz and Katherine Ketcham. (Amazon rating 5 stars). $12.24.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am re-reading a fantastic book that I had read about 4 years ago. It’s really inspiring in that it helps the reader understand our limitations and accept that we are perfect in our imperfectness. Its full of storytelling from Hebrew prophets to Greek thinkers, Buddists, Christians…really insightful messages that provide hope and inspiration to anyone seeking spiritual growth and guidance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Memoirs:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n


Patricia Pott:
<\/strong>
<\/strong>“Before the World Intruded: Conquering the Past and Creating the Future<\/a>,” by Michele Rosenthal. 2012. (Amazon rating 5 stars). $14.95.<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Trauma can hit in many forms. Many of us have suffered sexual abuse, horrific accidents, domestic abuse, and child abuse. Michele’s came in the form of an incredibly painful illness that was so rare her doctors were amazed at being faced with something they had never seen before. Michele was only thirteen when she was bedridden and in unbearable pain as her body betrayed her after being given a pill for a bladder infection. She had a reaction to that pill and it took a trip to a hospital in Manhattan for her to get a proper diagnosis of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS). The doctor then informed her that they could do nothing to stop it, that it would have to run its course. He told her they would make her as comfortable as possible as the medication worked its way out of her body through her skin. Any comfort Michele felt at being diagnosed soon disappeared as she realized being made “as comfortable as possible” really meant that she would suffer a pain few people ever have to endure, as blisters erupted all over her body.

By the time Michele was able to go home she felt she was two different people in the same body. She was the person she was before the illness and a new person who suppressed the pain she had born and refused to talk about it to anyone. Although she was only thirteen, the trauma of her ordeal had changed her forever and she would deal with the effects for many long years before she fought her way through the symptoms of PTSD into healing.

As many of us have experienced, trauma can be accompanied later on by other illnesses. Michele was diagnosed with Epstein-Barr Virus which turned into chronic fatigue syndrome and then fibromyalgia. Some of us deal with these illnesses and understand how difficult they are. It took Michele years to recover from this. The toll on her life, her work and her relationships was devastating.

It is difficult to convey, in a short book review, how touching this book was to me and how I was able to have my own journey validated through the painful story Michele shared. I would hope that many people will read her story and benefit from the sense of camaraderie they will receive from the story of someone else who “gets it”.

Michele is an incredibly brave lady and I am amazed at how she persevered until she found a life of happiness. I found myself, many times, making notations in the margins of her book because she wrote things so familiar to me. Her story is painful, difficult to read because of the struggles she went through alone. But her story is also beautiful and inspirational and one I would recommend to all suffering from PTSD or going through any type of illness that seems overwhelming.

Patricia Pott
Gift From Within

Note: Please visit Michele’s site www.healmyptsd.com<\/a>
Michele’s book is available through Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle format.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Patti:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Falling Through the Earth: A Memoir<\/strong><\/a>, by Trussoni, Danielle. New York: Henry Holt and Company, LLC. 2006. $11.20.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Falling Through the Earth is one of those books I would love to see made into a movie. Written along the lines of Before Women Had Wings, the book is a memoir of a young girl’s experience with her father, a Vietnam Veteran, who suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD). It graphically portrays how PTSD can affect an entire family. The affect can be so traumatic to children that they sometimes also end up with symptoms of PTSD. The affects on the author are evident when she learns to hide her pain because of being disbelieved in the past by her father, when she complained of being ill. By eleven years of age she is delving into acts of self-harm. As an adult, in an attempt to understand her father, the author visits Vietnam. The book vacillates between her experience there and her childhood memories with her father.

The author describes Vietnam\/PTSD in a heart-rending paragraph (page 170) where she describes it as invading every part of her family’s life, likening it to a physical presence, a “monster.” The book has an important message, especially with so many veterans returning home from Iraq. I feel it would make a valuable gift for a veteran, or his\/her family, who is suffering from PTSD but perhaps is unaware of it and how it, consequently, may be affecting other loved ones. The book is also a touching account of forgiveness, understanding and courage by a young girl who finds a way to have a good life in spite of her troubled beginnings in a dysfunctional home. I feel it offers hope to all of us who suffer from PTSD because of childhood trauma in a dysfunctional home. It is a valuable book in that it deals with combat-related PTSD and PTSD from family dysfunction.

Patti Brown, member
Gift From Within
April 9, 2007<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Father Joe: The Man Who Saved My Soul<\/a>,” by Tony Hendra. (Amazon rating 4 stars. $11.58.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you read Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom I believe you will enjoy this book. Tony Hendra is a satirist and one of the first editors of the National Lampoon. He is also an author and filmmaker and now he says, a “successful husband and father. ” It took a while to become that. The man he claims “saved his soul” was Father Joe, a Benedictine Monk. The friendship between these two men would last 50 years until Father Joe’s death.

Father Joe was the most influential man in Tony Hendra’s life since he was l3 years old. How they met is humorous and touching. When he was an adolescent, Tony committed “the sin” of sleeping with a grown married woman. He was brought to see Father Joe by the woman’s husband who was tutoring him in religious doctrine. Tony was scared he would be “crucified” and instead he found a warm, intelligent, “funny looking,” gentle man who did not judge him but instead was compassionate. This relationship would change his life and he knew it.

Tony wanted to become a monk and live with Father Joe but Father Joe wisely sent him out in the world. Father Joe was a listener and a “genius at listening,” and making comments that helped you learn to think for yourself. As time went by, Tony was plagued with uncertainty, and doubted his religious beliefs. He thought making fun of people and criticizing them as a satirist was the way to change the world. Tony Hendra went through good and bad periods in his adult life and sometimes he visited Father Joe out of obligation but deep inside, Tony knew the bond would never end.

As the years went by, Tony was successful at making a good living being funny. He was unsuccessful in regards to important things like being a good husband and faithful companion. He drank too much. It came to the point where he almost took his own life. Father Joe was a constant and throughout his adult life gave Tony guidance, love and understanding and helped him to become a person. It’s a memoir filled with humor, insight and is an everlasting tribute to this wonderful man, Father Joe. I highly recommend it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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