Growing Beyond Survival: A Self-Help Toolkit for Managing Traumatic Stress

Growing Beyond Survival: A Self-Help Toolkit for Managing Traumatic Stress. Growing Beyond Survival is a self-management workbook, which teaches skills that empower survivors to take control of and de-escalate their most distressing trauma related symptoms. Developed with input from survivor advocates in Maine, New York, and Maryland, and with the support of the Departments of Mental Health in the states of Maine and New York, this self-help toolkit is both comprehensive and flexible.

This versatile workbook can be used as an independent self-help program, in the context of individual therapy, or in a group setting. It teaches trauma survivors to recognize, contextualize, and understand distressing dissociative and posttraumatic reactions. It also creates a structure in which to learn and practice skills for self-regulation of the troublesome thoughts, feelings, and impulses related to traumatic experiences. Rather than simply offering “band aid”-type crisis intervention, this self-paced program empowers survivors with an understanding of where the symptoms come from and why. By learning a variety of interventions, skills, and techniques, survivors are able to select and make use of different “tools” for different self-regulation purposes.

Review
“Elizabeth Vermilyea offers trauma survivors a wealth of practical coping strategies in the context of a clinically sound rationale. Growing Beyond Survival integrates concrete techniques for regulating emotions into a systematic approach for enhancing self-awareness. The book’s encouraging and supportive tone gives survivors much-needed permission to engage in self-care. Trauma therapists also will find the book a useful resource from which they can glean many tips for helping their clients with self-regulation.” –Jon G. Allen, Ph.D., Helen Malsin Palley Chair in Mental Health Research, The Menninger Clinic Immediate Past Editor, Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic

“I plan to use Growing Beyond Survival in conjunction with my own therapy. My therapist has also reviewed the book and said it would be an excellent companion in our work together. Although some of these skills are not new to me, I have only seen or heard of them piecemeal. I look forward to using them to aid my healing process. I’d like to thank Elizabeth Vermilyea and Sidran for giving survivors such important tools for healing.” –K W, Maine

The following resources may help you:

1. Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness
2. Growing Your Life From Inside Out
3. Awaken Your Strongest Self: Break Free of Stress, Inner Conflict, and Self-Sabotage
4. Level of Stress – Stress Management
5. The Worry Solution: Using Breakthrough Brain Science to Turn Stress and Anxiety Into Confidence and Happiness
6. The Art of Comforting: What to Say and Do for People in Distress [Kindle Edition]
7. Five Simple Steps to Emotional Healing: The Last Self-Help Book You Will Ever Need
8. Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others

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