(Psychoanalysis in a New Key Book Series) 1st Edition
by Kathleen Adams (Author)
This
book takes a painstaking look at developmental trauma as it manifests
in group, individual, and combined psychotherapies, tracking the growth
of non-abused individuals who have courageously addressed overwhelming
childhood experiences to make sense of the chaos in their lives.
The
cumulative impact of repetitive stress, fear, and shame in childhood
wreaks havoc on the developing brain, resulting in a life-long
vulnerability to anxiety, despair, and dissociative moments that are
often described as developmental trauma. Adverse childhood experiences
are often overlooked by therapists. This book focuses specifically on
the profound suffering of high-functioning private-practice patients who
manifest developmental trauma from chronic shock, shame, and neglect.
Adams offers a synthesis of diverse theoretical worlds in her study of
adaptations to cumulative trauma, namely, relational psychoanalysis, the
British school of object relations, trauma theory, neuroscience and
interpersonal neurobiology, developmental psychopathology, and
attachment theory.
Using richly detailed clinical
material, this book provides invaluably clear examples to illustrate the
effects of disorganized states in infancy, making it essential reading
for psychoanalysts, psychotherapists and clinical psychologists working
with traumatized patients.
