Book Summary: Overcoming Trauma and PTSD: A Workbook Integrating Skills from ACT – DBT and CBT by Sheela Raja

Overcoming Trauma and PTSD: A Workbook Integrating Skills from ACT, DBT, and CBT by Sheela Raja can assist you in overcoming symptoms such as sleeplessness or intense flashbacks. The book includes worksheets, checklists, and exercises to support your recovery process.

It helps you address upsetting memories and dreams, manage anxiety, overcome avoidance of specific situations, and decide whether to seek professional therapy. Above all, it will help you build a support network to facilitate your recovery and progress.

After experiencing a traumatic incident, you may feel a wide range of emotions, including fear, anger, sadness, and anxiety. While there is no “right” or “wrong” way to respond to trauma, there are methods to learn from your experience and enhance your resilience, growth, and healing.

Overcoming Trauma and PTSD: A Workbook Integrating Skills from ACT – DBT and CBT by Sheela Raja Introduction

Overcoming Trauma and PTSD: A Workbook Integrating Skills from ACT, DBT, and CBT by Sheela Raja is a comprehensive guide for individuals dealing with the effects of trauma and PTSD.
The book addresses the profound impact of traumatic experiences on one’s life, including challenges in managing emotions, forming relationships, and participating fully in daily activities.

It emphasizes the achievable healing and thriving that often accompany trauma.

The workbook introduces readers to three evidence-based therapeutic approaches: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Each therapy offers unique techniques and strategies for managing symptoms of PTSD.
CBT focuses on changing negative thought patterns and behaviors, DBT helps develop mindfulness and improve emotional regulation and interpersonal skills, and ACT encourages acceptance of thoughts and feelings, even negative ones.

The book is structured into three parts: understanding trauma, providing specific exercises for managing PTSD symptoms, and exploring professional support and physical health care.

Overcoming Trauma and PTSD: A Workbook Integrating Skills from ACT – DBT and CBT by Sheela Raja Table Of Contents

• Foreword …………………………………………………. vii
• Acknowledgments ……………………………………….. viii
• Introduction ……………………………………………… ix

Part I: What Is Trauma and How Can It Affect Your Life?

1. What Is Trauma and How Can It Affect Your Life? …………. 1
2. How People Respond to Traumatic Events ……………….. 11
3. Physical and Health Issues Associated with Trauma ……… 27

Part II: Integrating Current Therapeutic Techniques into Your Life
4. Understanding Current Evidence-Based Therapies …………. 39
5. Managing Your Anxiety ………………………………….. 59
6. Stop Avoiding and Start Living Again ………………………. 93
7. Coping with Painful Memories, Flashbacks, Nightmares, and Intrusions ……………………………….. 111

Part III: Surviving and Thriving as You Look Ahead
8. How to Know Whether You Need Help from a Therapist ………. 143
9. How to Take Better Care of Your Health ……………………. 151
10. How to Get More Support ………………………………… 161

• Afterword …………………………………………………… 175
• Resources ………………………………………………….. 177
• References ………………………………………………….. 179

Overcoming Trauma and PTSD: A Workbook Integrating Skills from ACT – DBT and CBT by Sheela Raja Book Summary

Part I: What Is Trauma and How Can It Affect Your Life?

Discover an in-depth understanding of trauma and its profound impacts on your life with our guiding document, “What Is Trauma and How Can It Affect Your Life”. The document is designed to enlighten you about various types of traumatic events, their possible aftermath, and how they can lead to conditions like PTSD.

Learn about fundamental therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) that play an essential role in managing trauma-related symptoms. With a focus on exposure techniques, mindfulness, distress tolerance, and more, we aim to help you understand and address the effects of trauma on mental health and well-being.

Furthermore, master techniques and exercises specially curated to manage anxiety and overcome trauma. Our guide emphasizes breaking the cycle between anxious thoughts, body reactions, and emotions and encourages the regular practice of techniques to improve overall well-being.

Gain insights into the challenges of emotional numbness, memory loss of trauma-related events, detachment, and feelings of a shortened lifespan that individuals with PTSD may face. With our document, access a toolbox of coping strategies for dealing with painful memories, flashbacks, nightmares, and intrusions related to traumatic experiences.

Prepare to face your fears, connect with others, write about your traumatic experiences, and more. This document is a step towards healing and recovery from trauma, ultimately helping you to cope with the adverse effects of trauma and PTSD in your daily life.

Conclusion: PTSD and trauma can take a toll on your physical health. It is important to pay close attention to the ways you are dealing with your feelings of depression, anxiety, guilt, or self-blame. In the long term, using drugs and alcohol, smoking, overeating, or engaging in risky sex can harm your health in many ways.

The exercises in this workbook, along with professional assistance, can help you find alternative ways to cope with negative feelings so you can live a longer, healthier life.

Part II: Integrating Current Therapeutic Techniques into Your Life

Part II: Integrating Current Therapeutic Techniques into Your Life is an enlightening chapter in our document. This section equips individuals who are wrestling with the impacts of trauma and symptoms of PTSD with effective therapeutic techniques to help manage their conditions.

The chapter delves into the essence of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). By understanding these therapies and their underlying principles, individuals can learn to live healthier lives by reducing their symptoms.

It further outlines common elements such as exposure techniques, interpersonal skills, and behavioral coping among others.

A unique feature is the worksheet provided, aimed at helping you decide which techniques are best suited to your specific trauma-related experiences and symptoms.

Part II goes beyond just suggesting techniques – it gives you the tools to take active steps towards healing.

Conclusion: Re-experiencing trauma is a challenging symptom of PTSD. However, some level of emotional pain and re-experiencing is completely normal.

You are a human being having natural reactions to what you’ve endured. Learning to speak to yourself with compassion and kindness can help you manage these experiences. Employing grounding and mindfulness techniques can also reduce the duration and intensity of flashbacks.

Additionally, practicing alternate endings to nightmares during your waking hours can make them less frightening. Finally, integrating reason with emotion will help you better care for yourself.

By anticipating stressful situations and planning how to handle them, you move one step closer to living the life you truly want.

Part III: Surviving and Thriving as You Look Ahead

Part III: Surviving and Thriving as You Look Ahead offers a comprehensive guide on handling trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for both the person dealing with it and their loved ones.

This Part talk about recognizing when professional help is required, finding the right therapist, and improving physical and mental health practices.

It advocates the development of coping mechanisms, building solid social support networks, and effectively supporting loved ones dealing with PTSD.

This part underscores the significance of communication, personal well-being, and the healing power of connection and support in overcoming trauma.

Conclusion: Although PTSD is about anxiety and fear, it is also about a lack of connection. Finding ways to develop friendships as well as acquaintances is a part of healing. Remember that
your trauma history is one aspect of your life, and you do not need to share it with everyone. You can choose the people and settings in which you talk about trauma.

It’s important to give emotional support as well as let others know how they can support you. Family and friends need to engage in good self-care, encouragement, and listening to help loved ones with PTSD. The bottom line is that connection to others is an essential part of healing from trauma.

Overcoming Trauma and PTSD: A Workbook Integrating Skills from ACT – DBT and CBT by Sheela Raja Book Details

About the Author: Sheela Raja

Dr. Sheela Raja is a licensed clinical psychologist and an associate professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She completed her internship and post-doctoral training at the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Boston, MA. Dr. Raja has published extensively on the interplay between physical health and trauma. Committed to making evidence-based psychology accessible, she frequently contributes to print media and national television.

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