Anger, Healing and the Forgiveness Process 4 CD’s (6.0 hours of instruction)

 

This taped workshop addresses issues related to discerning and appropriately appropriate anger and resentment in the service of being able to accurately gauge the nature of, heal and potentially forgive (if warranted) serious offenses and transgressions that have been perpetrated on individuals. This presentation primarily covers big “F” experiences of forgiveness, i.e., that involve forms of violence (sexual abuse, sexual assault, physical abuse, emotional abuse, domestic violence), as well as abandonment and betrayal. Topics covered are neurological components of anger and perceived threat, working with anger, things to keep in mind when confronting an offender, formal and/or informal justice, social pressures to forgive and dangers of forgiving prematurely, religious models of forgiveness, the meaning of resentment and revenge fantasies, shadow work, self forgiveness, benefits and limitations of psychotherapy regarding issues related to forgiveness, learning to identify with the brokenness and humanity of the offender, releasing toxicity and offender without necessarily forgiving him/her, forgiveness, differences between forgiveness and reconciliation, necessity of accountability if reconciliation is to work and the process of psychospiritual healing. These CD’s are a must for anyone trying to overcome the effects of abuse and betrayal.
Cost $60.00

Growth through Adversity: Coming out the Other Side of Illness, Trauma and Loss

Trauma, abuse, loss, betrayal, abandonment and serious illness are some of the worst things that can happen to human beings. The majority want their problems to end and life to return to “normal.” What they frequently fail to realize is that their traumatic exposures have instigates a process of questioning and discontent that will not end until they are able to make contact with what underlies all understandings of self and life. Certain individuals move in search of something more than what they previously built their lives around, e.g., their career, looks, status, money and achievements. All of the aforementioned fail to satisfy a psyche and soul that have been awakened by the jarring effects of trauma. The overwhelming and deconstructive effects of trauma throw into question and/or destroy what was formerly used to hold internal and external reality together. In essence, traumatized individuals have been cast outside their former frames of reference and holding structures. Trauma places traumatized individuals on a path that humans have been walking for thousands of years. Following this path to its conclusion brings not only healing and resolution but also profound transformation. Growth Through Adversity affords sojourners both a map/tools (conceptual and linguistic) to stay on the path and, in some cases, make it to trails end.
Cost $45.00 

I Love a War Veteran: A Handbook for Families, Veterans and Professionals dealing with the Effects of Combat Trauma

A great deal is involved when loving a War Veteran (WV), let alone someone struggling with the effects of combat stress and trauma. The war does not end for many veterans. In fact, a significant number carry the effects of war home with them for the rest of their lives. The risk of WV’s and families becoming damaged by the effects of combat stress and trauma is significant. Unless veterans, along with their loved ones, find ways to integrate the implications of war experience into wider frames of reference they will continue to struggle with considerable pain, loss and personal diminishment. In many instances, the way life was characterized before the war has been damaged or overturned as a result of having witnessed and/or participated in killing and destruction. This handbook is designed, for veterans, family members, loved ones and professionals who work with war veterans and their families as they attempt to reconstruct their lives in the wake of war. It explores a host of issues and dynamics (i.e., training, indoctrination, military culture, stigma’s associated with seeking mental health services and the failure of military medicine and the VA to assess victims of psychological, spiritual, physical and organizational trauma) that shape the way War Veterans and their families hold the effects of war. This handbook also suggests that the way Military Psychiatry characterizes the impact of combat stress and trauma on a WV often does not consider the moral, existential and spiritual conflicts that are generated by such exposures. Finally this handbook helps veterans and families navigate through a minefield of obstacles that prevent them from resolving their war-related experiences and accessing appropriate care from both the Military and the VA.
Cost $30.00 

Healing The Soul of The Church: Ministers Facing Their Own Childhood Abuse and Trauma

This work addresses the fact that a number clergy and religious suffer from the effects of untreated childhood abuse, as well as trauma experienced in adult ministries, e.g., in the missions or inner city. Repeated studies have shown that one in three women and on in six men claim some form of sexual abuse experienced before the age of eighteen. Church ministers are not excluded from these statistics. Similarly these figures say nothing about the prevalence of physical and emotional abuse, as well as trauma experienced in adulthood, that exists in the backgrounds of some ministers. Part I contains a comprehensive overview of psychological trauma. Part II examines the impact unresolved trauma has on all facets of clerical and religious life. The relationship of unresolved abuse and trauma to sexual misconduct, paedophilia, addiction, co-dependency, perfectionism, intimacy, and community life are examined. A chapter on trauma and missionary life is included, as is a detailed appendix documenting the symptomatic profile of a trauma victim across all levels of development (i.e., from childhood to adulthood).“Healing the Soul of the Church” addresses a painful and sensitive subject. It offers hope, insight and direction to minsters suffering from the debilitating effects of unresolved childhood abuse and /or trauma. It is required reading for anyone concerned about healing today’s church.
Cost $25.00 

Living and Working in Environments of Violence and Trauma: A Resource Manual for Humanitarian Workers

Many professionals work in high-risk environments and with traumatized populations. The chance of developing stress-related problems in these environments is high. It is essential that professionals and organizations learn how to diminish the impact of trauma. This manual is designed to prepare, support and return personnel living and working in environments of violence. This includes professionals in the fields of mental-health, medicine, fire-fighting, law enforcement, as well as soldiers, probation officers, prison personnel, Peace Corps and Vista Volunteers, relief and disaster workers, missionaries, teachers, journalists and chaplains. Marked decreases in the incidence of post-traumatic stress can occur if the following are put in place, e.g., Organizational Understanding and Support, Appropriate Organizational Policies and Procedures, Proper Assessment & Discernment, Preventative Education, A Network of Professional Resources, In-Field Support Regular Stress-Debriefings and Spiritual Frameworks Capable of Addressing Extreme Experiences. The information contained in this manual improves career longevity and productivity, as well as overall health. On an organizational level it decreases health care costs, reduces attrition, and raises overall morale. It is a must for any organization or individual exposed to violence and trauma on a regular basic.
Cost $45.00 

A Healing Response to Terrorism: A Handbook for Mental Health and Spiritual Responders

Psychological and spiritual care is usually second/third level priorities when addressing the needs of terrorist or mass disaster victims. Medical care, food, containment of toxic substances and housing are the primary focus of police, fire and humanitarian personnel. Considerable research, both in the US and abroad, suggests that the long term effects of such traumas are psychological (PTSD, depression, substance abuse, domestic violence, suicide, anxiety attacks and sleep disturbances) and/or spiritual (challenges to or lose of faith, confrontations with evil, a need for meaning, how to overcome suffering and whether to forgive or not). This handbook addresses preventative measures (training, planning, as well as policies and procedures) that various business, educational and government organizations should put in place in order to minimize the emotional impact of mass disasters. In addition, treatment (on site, off site and long term, as well as psychological and spiritual) is covered in detail. It is a must for administrators and professional responders regarding prevention, treatment and self-care.
Cost $25.00 

Complicated Trauma: Diagnosis and Treatment (A Working Manual for Therapists, Physicians and Pastoral Counsellors).

Traumatic events can no longer be considered in isolation. More and more trauma victims are carrying a constellation of trauma-related injuries, i.e., multiple experiences of trauma over the entire lifespan, along with substance abuse, developmental deprivations, personality disorders/features and a variety of co-morbid symptoms. All the above come together, not only to shape post-traumatic reactions, but also the very structure of personal identity. The needs of victims become even more complex when institutional, cultural, gender and religious factors are taken into consideration. Therapists can no longer afford to treat all of the aforementioned elements in isolation. This work provides practitioners a comprehensive approach to the assessment/treatment of Complicated Trauma. It goes beyond looking at trauma in terms of single events, PTSD symptoms, psychological stabilization and returns to functioning. Rather it focuses on the underlying shifts that take place in organizations of self, other, world and God. This work is a must for therapists, physicians, nurses, social workers, hospice volunteers, chaplains, humanitarian workers, pastoral counsellors, spiritual directors and body workers who accompany victims of trauma on their complex journey of healing.
Cost $55.00 

The Challenge of Forgiveness: As Faced by Victims of Betrayal and Abuse

Victims of violence and betrayal are frequently pressured by family and community members, along with offenders and their supporters, to forgive perpetrators and those who abandoned/betrayed them in the wake of their abuse. This type of pressure occurs regardless of whether perpetrators have apologized, rehabilitated or compensated victims for the damaged caused. As a result, premature forms of forgiveness are often ploys used by the powerful to whitewash culpability and continue oppressing wounded and disempowered populations. Most victims of abuse initially hope that their perpetrators will apologize, be sanctioned/punished and rehabilitated; while victims are exonerated and compensated for their losses. Unfortunately, such restorative responses rarely materialize. Consequently, most victims are not in the mood to reflect upon the nature of their injuries or consider the motives of their abusers. Their focus is on survival and preventing any form of revictimization. New Age and Pop Psychology understandings of forgiveness only add to their confusion and fail to meet their deeper needs. As a result of above, the majority of abuse victims get stuck and bogged down in some form of resentment, mistrust and addictive behaviour. To make matters more complicated, the unforgiving and resentful are often considered emotionally immature, psychologically impaired and/or spiritually defective by people at large when, in reality, most are trying to preserve what is left of their personal spirit in the face of social minimization, indifference and feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. Most resentful victims cling to a hope that someday they will be vindicated and justice will be served. Those in search of justice and healing typically have limited options. Social and legal systems usually prove unsatisfactory. Psychotherapy and inner work are usually the only options available. This journey of healing is typically done on one’s own or in conjunction with a mental-health professional. Sadly, most mental-health professionals know very little about abuse or the role forgiveness plays in healing. In addition, psychotherapists focus primarily on reframing cognitive beliefs rather than considering the social/political factors that contributed to their client’s abuse, as well as how the implications of abuse, coupled with continued feelings of resentment, affect the client’s overall well-being and relationships to both God and humanity. The Challenge of Forgiveness is required reading for all victims of abuse, concerned family member or supportive professionals who are trying to work through the effects of human-generated violence (while avoiding being contaminated by the unresolved effects of resentment and inabilities to forgive). 
Cost $30.00

Vicarious Trauma: A Handbook for Professionals Working with Traumatized Populations

Vicarious Trauma is an occupational hazard. Professionals working regularly with victims of trauma are at serious risk of developing Vicarious Trauma, Compassion Fatigue an/or Burnout. Professionals regularly exposed to crime scenes, criminal evidence, forensic investigations, medical injuries, accidents, combat and stories of trauma will be affected. Trauma is toxic. It assaults the foundations of how they characterize internal and external reality. Without support and effective detoxing protocols professionals; run the risk of serious health problems, addiction to high-risk activities and substances, along with domestic violence, divorce, suicide, homicide and a loss of faith (in both God and humanity).

Psychologists, Social Workers, Drug and Alcohol Counselors, EMT’s, Police and Probation Officers, Forensic Specialists, Hospice Workers, Medical Professionals, Chaplains, International Relief and Crisis Intervention Workers, Lawyers, Judges, Military Personnel, and Correctional Officers must learn how to care for themselves in regard to vicarious trauma, as well as advocate for healthier work environments and organizational policies that emphasize self-care and trauma-awareness. Vicarious Trauma is a must for professionals wanting to maintain overall health, as well as professional effectiveness and career longevity.
Cost $30.00

The Way of the Wound (A Spirituality of Trauma and Transformation)

Countless victims of childhood abuse, domestic violence, violent crime, rape, war, life-threatening illness and natural disaster struggle with the impact of their injuries.  Former ways of making sense have been injured or destroyed.  The lives of many are without meaning or direction.  Unless helped to integrate the significance of their traumatic wounds into more comprehensive approaches to self, life and God victims run the risk of addiction, wasted potential, numerous psychological and physical problems, as well as commitments to distorted spiritualities. Victims of trauma are asked to embark on a path of healing that mystics, shamans and mythic heroes have been walking for thousands of years.  The only difference is that the path is contemporary and, therefore, potentially more conscious.  Trauma provides a modern access to this spiritual path and can initiate powerful experiences of conversion. If properly supported and accompanied trauma has the power to transform all facets of reality. 
The Way of the Wound lays out a path of healing, along with the central issues/obstacles that survivors encounter at every crucial point along the way.  This work offers direction to every victim of trauma wanting to move to the next level of healing. Topics addressed are: Trauma Generated Spirituality, Understanding Trauma (definitions, types, impact), Confronting Existential Vulnerabilities, Relationship and Differences between Ego, Self and Spirit and The Journey (i.e., Answering the Call, Entering the Unknown, Being Shredded, Return of the Repressed, Encounters with Evil, Sifting Through Former Beliefs, the Problem of Suffering, Profound Transformations, Hard Road Back to Others, The Call to Social Advocacy and Modern Day Saints .
Cost $30.00