A Mission To Help Others Heal. A mission to help others heal and regain productive lives is likely what led you to pursue a career in professional caregiving. But what happens when all the accumulated suffering and trauma that you have witnessed and the pain that you have experienced starts to cause problems in your own personal and professional life? Insidious and often steeped in shame, compassion fatigue burnout and traumatic stress are very real issues that members of the caregiving community are not only at risk for but will inevitably confront at some point in their careers. The key is not to fight against or run away from these consequences of caregiving, but to recognize their normalization, origination, and the applicable steps available to heal your existing stress and build resilience for the future. In Forward-Facing® Professional Resilience: Prevention and Resolution of Burnout, Toxic Stress and Compassion Fatigue, trauma and compassion fatigue expert Dr. J. Eric Gentry and medical director and practitioner of emergency medicine Dr. Jeffrey “Jim” Dietz combine over seventy years’ worth of experience treating patients and caregivers to present a two-part text that first examines the cause of compassion fatigue, followed by a proven, simple five-step solution for healing and a renewed sense of mission. Drawing from their Professional Resilience workshop that has been attended by over 100,000 international participants, Drs. Gentry and Dietz address these issues with their readers in ways that are candid, heartfelt, insightful, and most of all—filled with hope.
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • From authors of Lean In and Originals: a powerful, inspiring, and practical book about building resilience and moving forward after life’s inevitable setbacks After the sudden death of her husband, Sheryl Sandberg felt certain that she and her children would never feel pure joy again. “I was in ‘the void,’” she writes, “a vast emptiness that fills your heart and lungs and restricts your ability to think or even breathe.” Her friend Adam Grant, a psychologist at Wharton, told her there are concrete steps people can take to recover and rebound from life-shattering experiences. We are not born with a fixed amount of resilience. It is a muscle that everyone can build. Option B combines Sheryl’s personal insights with Adam’s eye-opening research on finding strength in the face of adversity. Beginning with the gut-wrenching moment when she finds her husband, Dave Goldberg, collapsed on a gym floor, Sheryl opens up her heart—and her journal—to describe the acute grief and isolation she felt in the wake of his death. But Option B goes beyond Sheryl’s loss to explore how a broad range of people have overcome hardships including illness, job loss, sexual assault, natural disasters, and the violence of war. Their stories reveal the capacity of the human spirit to persevere . . . and to rediscover joy. Resilience comes from deep within us and from support outside us. Even after the most devastating events, it is possible to grow by finding deeper meaning and gaining greater appreciation in our lives. Option B illuminates how to help others in crisis, develop compassion for ourselves, raise strong children, and create resilient families, communities, and workplaces. Many of these lessons can be applied to everyday struggles, allowing us to brave whatever lies ahead. Two weeks after losing her husband, Sheryl was preparing for a father-child activity. “I want Dave,” she cried. Her friend replied, “Option A is not available,” and then promised to help her make the most of Option B. We all live some form of Option B. This book will help us all make the most of it.
A mission to help others heal and regain productive lives is likely what led you to pursue a career in professional caregiving. But what happens when all the accumulated suffering and trauma that you have witnessed and the pain that you have experienced starts to cause problems in your own personal and professional life? Insidious and often steeped in shame, compassion fatigue burnout and traumatic stress are very real issues that members of the caregiving community are not only at risk for but will inevitably confront at some point in their careers. The key is not to fight against or run away from these consequences of caregiving, but to recognize their normalization, origination, and the applicable steps available to heal your existing stress and build resilience for the future. In Forward-Facing(R) Professional Resilience: Prevention and Resolution of Burnout, Toxic Stress and Compassion Fatigue, trauma and compassion fatigue expert Dr. J. Eric Gentry and medical director and practitioner of emergency medicine Dr. Jeffrey "Jim" Dietz combine over seventy years' worth of experience treating patients and caregivers to present a two-part text that first examines the cause of compassion fatigue, followed by a proven, simple five-step solution for healing and a renewed sense of mission. Drawing from their Professional Resilience workshop that has been attended by over 100,000 international participants, Drs. Gentry and Dietz address these issues with their readers in ways that are candid, heartfelt, insightful, and most of all--filled with hope. This is not only a book about avoiding compassion fatigue and burnout, it's about rediscovering the joy of helping others. - Charles R. Figley, PhD, Kurzweg Chair in Disaster Mental Health, Tulane University, New Orleans
Internationally recognized trauma treatment expert Dr. J. Eric Gentry presents his three-step Forward-Facing(R) process for healing from toxic stress that you can start today, without needing to revisit the pains of the past. Freedom from and freedom to... It's an indisputable truth that we live in the safest, healthiest, and most advanced time period in history-yet we are sicker and more stressed out than ever. Technology and other modern-age advancements have connected us in unprecedented ways, but they also provide us with a 24/7-view to the world's problems. As stress-related physical and mental illnesses increase and suicide rates spike, we're a nation of people navigating not only the fears and uncertainties of our present but the experienced trauma of our childhoods-which informs our threat response in the here and now. Amidst all of this upheaval, we might ask ourselves: How can I find transformative healing and lasting resilience without escaping society altogether? It is possible to heal yourself, and this simple solution is one you can begin right now. Distilled from decades of neuroscience, psychotherapy, and evidence-based trauma treatment methods for immediate use by the everyday reader, Dr. Gentry's Forward-Facing(R) Freedom instantly gives you back control of your body and brain, without ever having to relive your traumatic stress. Imagine this scenario unfolding in your own life: Freedom from stress, anxiety, trauma, interpersonal conflicts and failed relationships, self-criticism, and even despair. All of it replaced with the freedom to-freedom to feel safe, peaceful, and in total physical and mental comfort; to experience boundless levels of joy and positive growth; to behave with intention and in alignment with your principles; and best of all, to have hope. In the style of pioneering, popular psychology works such as Bessel van der Kolk's The Body Keeps the Score and Bruce Perry's Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma that educate about trauma's physiological origins and how to override this instinctual response, Dr. Gentry's three-step Forward-Facing(R) process is poised to become the next touchstone in the neuropsychology field. Championing our innate capacities for overcoming a traumatic past, speaking truth to wellbeing over illness, and tapping into a well of intentionality and resilience to take on each day no matter what it may hold, Forward-Facing(R) Freedom offers a new kind of solution for toxic stress, one so desperately needed today. Here's what you'll learn as you adopt Forward-Facing(R) Freedom's practices in your own life: -Where stress really comes from-your nervous system as a means of survival-and techniques for mindful relaxation to release the stress and prevent more from accruing. -A deeper understanding of how the traumas of the past impact you today, and tools for replacing reactive thoughts and actions with intentional ones by defining your personal code of honor, mission in life, and vision for the future. -Simple methods for identifying and managing triggers to build resilience and foster post-traumatic growth, marked by better relationships and a new appreciation for life. It's time to take back control of your happiness and health- to face forward with these newfound abilities to heal your past, transform your present, and enjoy a future on purpose.
In 1990, after a sudden cardiac event, Joyce Mikal-Flynn was dead for twenty-two minutes. While CPR and determined doctors returned her to life, she came to find that this new life wasn’t her life at all. Faced with depression, personal and professional setbacks, she ultimately recognized that this was not an end point—but a beginning. Over time, she understood that taking control begins with the essential choice to move forward. Her struggles fueled her. You got this, she told herself with every obstacle, failure, and misstep. Trauma and crisis are inescapable aspects of life. Framed, at times, as something to get over, trauma never fully leaves those who experience it. For over two decades, Dr. Mikal-Flynn has worked with and studied issues faced by survivors. She understands and recognizes their desire to move forward, identifying specific mindsets and behaviors that encourage progress. Making the choice to move forward, fierce determination, and well-researched actions are key for survival and growth. Interlacing stories with research on genetics, posttraumatic growth, and the neuroscience of resilience and happiness, this book outlines how survivors of trauma structure a positive and productive response. An ingenious strengths-based rehabilitation system—metahabilitation—engages them by uncovering and developing their resilience, grit, and capacity for growth after trauma. This book shows you how survivors are built and presents a unique system guiding them forward.
This groundbreaking new guide was written specifically for therapists, psychologists, and clinicians to assist clients suffering from chronic stress/PTSD by implementing an innovative, salutogenic (strengths - and resource-based) philosophy into their daily therapy work. First, the book identifies four active ingredients that should be present in all trauma treatment-followed by the Empowerment and Resilience Structure treatment manual, which pinpoints the critical components and baseline standards for the field of trauma counseling that are not model dependent, and are designed for immediate application. Trauma Competency for the 21st Century is inspired by the salutogenic approach to treatment: working with wellness factors (those that support health and well-being) rather than those that cause disease. The goal is to empower the client through a renewed belief in their own abilities, capacities, and resiliencies, and to instill a genuine hope for a future marked by healing and fulfillment.
Overcoming Compassion Fatigue is a fresh workbook approach to effectively handle the inherent exhaustion, burnout and stress professionals naturally face when working with those in pain and distress. Written by two practicing clinicians experienced in compassion fatigue and CBT, this manual will equip you with practical tools to manage your work and minimize your risk of personal harm. Expertly weaved with personal experiences, assessment tools, proven interventions, and prevention strategies. You’ll take away: · Self-assessment measures to determine your level of risk · CBT skills to overcome distress · Worksheets and exercises to equip you to make powerful changes · Strategies to change your workplace · Practical, personalized self-care planning tools Reviews: "Martha and John have put together a practical, practitioner-friendly workbook that addresses compassion fatigue with understanding and caring. They offer evidence based clinical tools reflecting behavioral, cognitive as well as mindfulness exercises in addition to assessment strategies that can be used to facilitate resilience. I highly recommend this resource to ensure professional competency." -- Robert J. Berchick, PhD, ABPP, Board Certified in Cognitive Behavioral Psychology, Perelman School of Medicine, Academy of Cognitive Therapy Certified CBT Consultant "This is an excellent book that addresses an important and timely topic for anyone working in the helping profession. It is well written and engaging and provides assessment measures and helpful exercises that are invaluable to the reader. I highly recommend to anyone who is a care provider." -- Frank M. Dattilio, Ph.D., ABPP, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School "Overcoming Compassion Fatigue offers invaluable resources that will benefit all practitioners - rookies and veterans alike. This well-researched workbook is filled with practical self-assessment tools and concrete strategies for detection, intervention and prevention. Integrating CBT techniques provides a unique and very hands-on approach to managing compassion fatigue and related of caregiver." -- Fraçoise Mathieu, author of The Compassion Fatigue Workbook: Creative Tools for Transforming Compassion Fatigue and Vicarious Traumatization
Everyone suffers disappointment, rejection, injustices, and losses, perhaps even traumatic ones. The spiritual pain born of such suffering can paralyze us, leaving us broken inside and barely getting by with the motions of life. Whether we remain stuck or move forward is determined in large part by our resilience. Concise and compassionate, Becoming Resilient takes our most common question when tragedy strikes--Why?--and replaces it with the healthier, more productive question, What next? A professional Christian counselor for 20 years, author Donna Gibbs draws on her experience helping clients get unstuck, sharing secrets for building resilience that will change readers' experience of suffering. She offers practical tools and effective coping strategies to deal with whatever life throws their way so they can move through suffering--and come out stronger on the other side.
Peace by Piece Not since Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning have I read a narrative of trauma survival and recovery that has impacted me this profoundly. Cheryl writes in unflinching first person, giving voice to the little girl trapped in the dark heart of abject torture-the terror and loss is real-time and sensorial for the reader-and out the other side into the light of recovery and healing. It is a breathless journey that leaves the reader awe-struck and reverent to the resilience of children to survive evil with their innocence intact and the eternally-springing hope of being loved and accepted by their abusers. This book is a rare treat that navigates the path of heartbreak to the path of posttraumatic growth all the way to the restoration of life, love, safety, joy, meaning and satisfaction-peace by piece. It is an intimately personal story that shimmers with honesty and is not once melodramatic or contrived. Instead, this book is a finely chiseled heroine's story. The story of a courageous adult who returns to her painful past to rescue and champion her younger self out of the miasma of past violence to the Grace of the present that-by the end of the book-we find ourselves celebrating. Reading the last page of this book felt as though something important was achieved and something precious received-not just for Cheryl, but also for myself and all humankind. A month after reading this book I find it still continues to haunt me...in the best of ways. J. Eric Gentry, PhD, DAAETS, FAAETS President Forward-Facing Institute
