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Start giftingWho You Were Before Trauma
This audiobook uses AI narration.
We’re taking steps to make sure AI narration is transparent.
Learn moreA key objective of treatment for complex PTSD is to confront the traumatic experience. But survivors still reeling from trauma can find this confrontation traumatic. Thirty years of pioneering work with trauma patients made leading German psychotherapist Luise Reddemann realize: It's immensely beneficial to rebuild survivors' sense of self before trauma confrontation.
Reddemann incorporates imagination work at every stage of the three-phase treatment model supported by the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies—before, during, and after confrontation. First, the patient reimagines their past self, tapping into forgotten sources of strength. Then, they create a mental cache of personal, positive images for warding off flashbacks and negative thinking. Ultimately, they build an "internal counterweight" to their trauma—a new identity equipped with self-compassion.
Reddemann's approach avoids the counterproductive dynamic where the therapist becomes the patient's only source of comfort. This definitive resource for therapists and patients empowers trauma survivors to be the coauthors of their own recovery narrative.
Luise Reddemann is a leading psychotherapist in Germany with over three decades of trauma therapy experience. For nearly twenty years, she led the Clinic for Psychotherapeutic and Psychosomatic Medicine in Bielefeld, where she developed Psychodynamic Imaginative Trauma Therapy (PITT). She holds an honorary professorship at the University of Klagenfurt.
Rosemary Benson is an Audible #1 bestselling narrator, singer, educator, and stage actress. She has appeared across the US, Canada, and Italy, and regularly performs with several ensembles and big bands. As a passionate learner and audiobook fan, she strives to entertain, enlighten, and encourage, so she is at home in many genres. Her musical ear allows her to produce myriad accents for storytelling, while her expertise in differentiating instruction guides her abilities in nonfiction. She lives across the river from Philadelphia with her husband and a houseful of musical instruments and books.