From Publishers Weekly
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.
--Ce texte provient d'une édition qui n'est plus publiée ou qui est non diponible.
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.
--Ce texte provient d'une édition qui n'est plus publiée ou qui est non diponible.
de Peter A. Levine
