Coping with trauma A guide to self-understanding

Allen, a psychologist with the Trauma Recovery Program at the Menninger Clinic, has written a well-researched, highly readable work on trauma, which will be very useful for trauma sufferers and mental health professionals alike. His well-informed, thoughtful perspective on trauma is presented in a way that will appeal to a diverse audience. He provides material on a variety of aspects including the effects of trauma, trauma-related psychiatric disorders, and treatments available for the traumatized. Allen includes a particularly interesting discussion on the role attachment plays in an individual's response to trauma. He also takes on the highly controversial subject of recovered memories in a balanced, objective, and sensitive manner. Aphrodite Matsakis's I Can't Get Over It: A Handbook for Trauma Survivors (1992) is similar to Allen's work in that it is also well written and geared for the lay person, but Allen's is a more current summary of professional knowledge and is less of a self-help work. There is a real need for works like this--written for the lay person without sacrificing a thorough scientific examination of the topic. Highly recommended for all academic library users. L. S. Johnson; Auburn University