Filling a gap that exists in most traumatology literature, The Posttraumatic Self provides an optimistic analysis of the aftermath of a traumatic event.

This work appreciates the potentially positive effects of trauma and links those effects to the discovery of one's identity, character, and purpose. Wilson and his distinguished contributors explore the nature and dynamics of the posttraumatic self, emphasising human resilience and prompting continued optimal functioning. While taking into consideration pathological consquences such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the authors study the impacts a traumatic event can have on one's inner self, and they help the victims transform such an event into healthy self-transcendent lifecycles. The Posttraumatic Self will help victims and healers transform the way they deal with the complexities of trauma by making important connections that will allow for healing and growth.

'The Posttraumatic Self is a richly illustrated guide to healing the traumatized individual across the life cycle. The focus on the self, in all of its complexity, serves as a constant tread across all of the authors' contributions, providing a coherence and continuity rarely achieved in edited volumes.' - Frank W. Putnam, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, USA 'No author knows more nor better understands the complex and tragic psychic consequences of trauma for the self than John P. Wilson. This is a must reading for everyone from victims to healers, and for all those seeking to understand the power of the human spirit to transcend the destructive forces that leave us unwilling to trust, reluctant to hope, and unable to love. The defining book in the field.' - Anthony J. Marsella, Ph.D., D.H.C., Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychology, University of Hawaii, USA