Therapists feel helpless and ineffective, and clients feel more shame and hopelessness. TIST changes all that. As the subtitle “Overcoming Internal Self-Alienation” indicates, a central theme of the book is the phenomenon of dissociation, which is found in so many survivors of trauma. The human brain is a remarkable machine, refined by millions of years of evolution for survival. Perhaps its most remarkable feature is its ability to learn and adapt to different environments. One of the most extreme, but far from rare, situations that humans have to develop coping mechanisms for is abuse at the hands of a caregiver. Because trauma lives in the body as well as the mind, traditional talk therapy cannot access the deeply

Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors - WHSmith

Written by one of the preeminent experts in the field of trauma and dissociation, Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors imparts a vision of hope and validation to those suffering from complex trauma and the therapists who treat them. Janina Fisher's exceptional ability to synthesize the best of cutting edge trauma psychotherapies has resulted in a brilliant and unique roadmap for resolving chronic traumatization. Written with heart, clarity, and precision, this accessible and practical book is an outstanding contribution to the field." TIST is designed for very complex, difficult-to-treat clients; the ones therapists often feel overwhelmed by, and refer to other therapists.Janina Fisher's unique blending of IFS 'parts' with sensorimotor and mindfulness-based therapy is a terrific enhancement to psychodynamic work. Although grounded in structural dissociation theory and trauma treatment, Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors offers insights that will enrich the knowledge-base of therapists treating higher-functioning as well as deeply traumatized individuals. I recommend this remarkable book to all psychotherapists, especially psychodynamic ones, who will discover an extraordinary opportunity to expand their clinical horizons." Full Book Name: Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors: Overcoming Internal Self-Alienation

Healing the Fragmented Selves Trauma Therapy | Therapy Wisdom Healing the Fragmented Selves Trauma Therapy | Therapy Wisdom

Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors: Overcoming Internal Self-Alienation by Janina Fisher – eBook Details The concepts in this book overlap/integrate with more well-known concepts such as attachment theory and mindfulness, so it is not as intimidating as the title suggests. The writing is also very friendly. This reminds us of a fundamental difference between mental health and other areas of medicine. An operation or pill can work just as well regardless of how well you understand its mechanism. This beautifully written, sensitive volume on how to treat the clients that many deem hopeless is a must read for those working with trauma. It will take you to new places and enable you to reach for your clients and find them when they cannot find themselves. Enjoy!" I thought that the course was excellent. Janina was so kind and compassionate and just lovely in her beingness and her presentations. She is clear and so loving in the way she approaches her clients and her students. I learned so much about how to use words and presence to connect more deeply with clients and how to be welcoming and non judgemental, yet effective and connected....slowly but surely working with the legacy of trauma in us all.Adding to the challenge is the fact that many traumatised clients present with overlapping symptoms My method focuses on treating the effects of traumatic events, as opposed to treating the event itself, and on managing unsafe and addictive impulses as trauma-driven rather than manipulative and attention-seeking. We show clients how to use mindful observation to develop a relationship with their feelings, their impulses, and their traumatized parts. For the last 30 years, I’ve been on a mission to help survivors of trauma. My approach takes the intensity out of trauma treatment and helps even the most resistant clients. Fisher discusses the ways that dissociation, or alienation, manifests itself in people who have been through extended periods of trauma. She explains a biological mechanism for these symptoms, which makes sense in the light of contemporary neuroscience and the study of human and animal behavior. Dissociation — the fracturing of the personality into different parts — is the easiest, and perhaps the only possible, way of doing this.

Complex Trauma: Dissociation, Fragmentation, and Self

I am in love with Janina’s model. It is body-based, collaborative, and anti-oppressive. It has helped me develop more compassion for my clients’ parts, my own parts, and family members’ parts too. TIST is informed by concepts and techniques from sensory motor psychotherapy, IFS, and clinical hypnotherapy. The process is more gentle and requires less of clients, and the response has been extremely positive. Fisher explains the mechanism by which children who experienced abuse, people who have been kidnapped, and other survivors of complex trauma cope with the most horrific forms of violence and cruelty by dissociating — that is to say, separating the part of their personality that experiences the abuse from the parts that experience other aspects of life. Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors: Overcoming Internal Self-Alienation DESCRIPTION : In this training, you will learn exactly how trauma drives survival responses that re-create the felt sense that these are still desperate times requiring desperate measures, leading to impulsive attempts to fight or flee. TIST provides an easier and more effective way of working with any clients who still suffer from these and other effects of trauma. Best of all, TIST also prevents burn-out by decreasing the stress on YOU to “save the day.”respect: says something about my inner atttitude! If I treat a homeless person without respect, this is saying something about me and my (im)maturity, not the person. If I treat them with respect, it says something about me and my attitude (replace "homeless" with any stigmatised group - people of colour, people living in poverty, women, gay people etc. etc.). If we need "tolerance", it means we have prejudices but are aware of them and have decided not to act on them. No-one would say: "I have tolerance towards people with brown/or blue eyes".... The "buts": why quote Pema Chödrön, who (read in Daniel Shaw: Traumatic Narcissism, and his second book) belongs to a spiritual circle where children were and are sexually abused. No need for that. (also: Alice Miller - she did pioneer work, but severely psychologically abused her son Martin Miller (after her death he wrote a book) that he was on the verge of suicide (Alice Miller "interviewed" the therapist of Martin and did not respect any boundaries, the therapist revealed the contents being told in confidentialiy). Because of this, despite your best efforts you can never treat the root of their challenges: the legacy Not a self-help book but rather aimed at mental health providers. This was recommended to me by my therapist so I could understand the concept of internal self-alienation and strategies to mitigate. The title is very gnarly, but the concepts in the book are relevant both to folks who have experienced intense / disturbing trauma as well as to folks who might be dealing with a more garden variety kind of trauma caused by an emotionally fraught childhood home life.

Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors: Overcoming Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors: Overcoming

The book has been helpful for me personally so far. But also - wish this had been available to me when I was an educator, especially when I was working in a high-trauma community. I wish these concepts were available to all caretakers and people in social work fields such as education.I love the de-pathologizing of trauma symptoms through Janina's IFS-influenced approach. Being very spiritually myself, I have found myself at odds with the diagnostic/ medically influenced view of human behavior as pathological, bad or wrong. IFS and Janina's approach is such a breath of fresh air. In my younger days I was terrified of working with certain diagnosis, ie, BPD. Using this approach is so affirming and gentle, true and real that I now find working with this population easier and so much more effective.