Women traumatized in childhood hurt themselves more often than men do because men are socialized to act aggressively and fight back, notes psychologist Miller, who is director of Clinical Mentoring at Antioch/New England Graduate School. Here she addresses childhood trauma, to which the individual may react by dissociating, but such fragmentation of the personality becomes the basis of her failure to protect herself as an adult. While integrating various treatment approaches, Miller's program focuses on the "triadic self," which she describes as the victim, abuser and nonprotecting bystander within. In the painful narratives culled from her private practice, Miller establishes that such self-destructive behavior as bulimia and cosmetic surgery "tells the secret story of women's childhood experience over and over again." She describes the behavior of her clients as trauma reenactment syndrome (TRS), which, stresses Miller, explains why they are impervious to treatment in 12-step programs and conventional therapy, often being misdiagnosed and mistreated. The author presents evidence that TRS women can be helped to lasting recovery.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Women Who Hurt Themselves explores the suffering of women who reenact childhood trauma, particularly abuse or neglect, through self-destructive behavior. Miller is a therapist who has treated hundreds of women with this condition (which she labels Trauma Reenactment Syndrome, or TRS) and whose behaviors include self-mutilation, alcoholism, drug addiction, and eating disorders. She argues that women with TRS did not feel protected as children, and thus have trouble protecting themselves as adults. She explains what TRS is and outlines her therapeutic program, which begins by exploring the symptoms and, as therapist and patient develop a trusting relationship, gradually moves into an examination of the original trauma. The goal of therapy is for the patient to develop her own ``protective presence.'' Miller's responsiveness as a therapist is evident; she warns against blind adherence to existing formulas, stressing the need for multifaceted approaches to abuse and addiction. She cautiously avoids buzzwords and admirably emphasizes the differences in women's situations. However, the breadth of experiences that could be described as traumatic, and of behaviors that could be called self-destructive (chain-smoking and sexual promiscuity are included), make this book confusing for the lay reader. Surely women inflict violence on themselves for a variety of reasons; like much recovery literature, Women Who Hurt Themselves may exaggerate the explanatory power of trauma. Further confusing the discussion are the many traits that Miller attributes to TRS that are actually common to women with a wide variety of histories--excessive apologizing, for example, or caring for others at the expense of oneself. Women Who Hurt Themselves should be helpful to mental health professionals who work with female trauma survivors, though some of its generalities should be taken with caution. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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4.4 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Starting point, Jun 24 2001

"snarla" (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Women Who Hurt Themselves: A Book Of Hope And Understanding (Paperback)

I think this book is a must read for anyone who is treating or in a relationship with a women her engages in risky behaviors or self-mutilation. It puts the I don't understand into, ok I get it a bit. I don't think it is an end all book since the trauma and abuse often goes deeper than this book does. I do however reccomend it as a starting point to other more triggering books. I think this book along with being a must read is also a must keep for referral for yourself and family and to give to people who want to understand better the journey of these tortured women.

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5.0 out of 5 stars I highly recommend this book!, Feb 26 2005

Ophelia de Serres "(Wo)Men Speak Out" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Women Who Hurt Themselves: A Book Of Hope And Understanding (Paperback)

Dusty Miller has done an exceptional job of diagnosing outside of the box. Far too often therapists and others in the counselling field misdiagnose and mistreat those who are suffering from TRS. This book offers hope to those who inflict pain upon themselves by outlining the limitless forms in which the abuse can manifest itself. She makes women who hurt themselves feel less alone. I would highly recommend this book.

http://www.opheliaslove.org

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4.0 out of 5 stars Proceed with Caution, Dec 31 2002

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This review is from: Women Who Hurt Themselves: A Book Of Hope And Understanding (Paperback)

This was a good book for people interested in the phenomenon of self-mutilation and people who have advanced quite far on the road to recovery, but beware otherwise. It's very intense and has a great deal of upsetting and graphic stories of abuse- many of which are sexual in nature. It's hard to get through at times. If you are in the midst of dealing with a cutting problem, this might be too hard to read. If you are just starting to recover, this might trigger a relapse. It's a good book, but just proceed with great caution.

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Most recent customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Maybe a good book for professionals, but not for me.
My therapist let me borrow his copy of this book when he first started treating me. If anything, this book was more upsetting to me than helpful. Read more

Published on Dec 5 2002

4.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read!
I actually met Ms. Miller at a convention in Albany, NY this past year. She is a very compassionate woman & extremely knowledgeable on this subject. Read more

Published on July 29 2001 by Jennta Bear