Transforming the pain

by Karen W. Saakvitne

In your profession, do you help or work with people who have been traumatized? Do you listen to stories of abuse, suffering, or trauma from your clients every day? If so, you know it is important to hear and bear witness to trauma survivors' experiences and not be changed. You know firsthand the personal cost of the work you do and the struggle to make sense of powerful, often painful, feelings and altered beliefs. This transformation of a helper's inner experience is called vicarious traumatization (VT); it is an inescapable effect of trauma work. Transforming the Pain is the first workbook to address VT. It is designed to take care of the helper - to help you asses, address, and transform your own VT.Authors Karen W. Saakvitne and Laurie Anne Pearlman define and describesthe VT process and offer reassurance that you are not alone with these painful experiences. The book includes self-assessment worksheets, and guidelines and specific exercises for addressing VT and improving self-car