Chris Cortman - Keep pain in the past: getting over trauma, grief and the worst thats ever happened to you

Praise for Keep Pain in the Past

Heart-tugging stories, sage advice and insightful questions make this a must-have book for anyone suffering from PTSD or any other trauma. With masterful writing, the authors help the reader let go of the past, live in the present and, perhaps most important of all, look forward to the future.

Allen Klein, bestselling author of The Healing Power of Humor and You Cant Ruin My Day

This book offers real stories and a path to authentic emotional healing for people recovering from past hurts and traumatic events. Writing with hope and compassion, the authors guide the reader through an actionable stepwise process of gaining their life back after traumatic experiences and keeping the emotional pain in the pastfor good!

Helen Odessky, PsyD, author of Stop Anxiety from Stopping You

Millions of people suffer from PTSD which can dramatically impact their lives. The self-healing process mapped out in Keep Pain in the Past is based on decades of successful treatment of patients and offers help and hope to those who need it. With this remarkable remedy, readers can go from surviving to thriving.

Dr. John Duffy, author of The Available Parent ; also podcasts on WGN Radios BETTER show

Keep Pain in the Past is a well-thought-out tome of helpful, step-by-step tools for healing from physical and emotional trauma. Authors Cortman and Walden present questions for the reader to ask himself or herself at the end of each chapter and provide suggestions that are sensible and real for one to step out of PTSD and to step up to his or her brighter future.

KJ Landis, author of Happy Healthy You

Individuals suffering from drug and alcohol or other addictions, or from anxiety, depression, resentment, and compulsive behavior, as well as those having difficulty moving on from bad experiences, can greatly benefit from the knowledge and practical exercises in this book.

Calvina Fay, executive director, Drug Free America Foundation, Inc.

Time may not heal all wounds, but a powerful process can. Im so grateful to the authors of Keep Pain in the Past for restoring hope that trauma can be healed without years of psychotherapy. Each wounded heart is longing to be whole again. This book is the perfect companion for that journey.

MK Mueller, author of to Great

The work Dr. Chris Cortman is doing in the field of trauma recovery is some of the most important work being done today. In Keep Pain in the Past , he shares the compelling stories of people he has helped using a simple (though not easy) five-step framework. Through these stories, helpful writing prompts, and other detailed tools and resources, readers see what is actually possible in regards to recovering from trauma (whether with a capital T or a small t), and can begin to attend to their own recovery. I am looking forward to employing The Fritz in my own ongoing personal work!

Karen C.L. Anderson, author of Difficult Mothers, Adult Daughters: A Guide for Separation, Liberation & Inspiration

Keep
Pain in
the Past

Copyright 2018 Chris Cortman & Joseph Walden

Published by Mango Publishing Group, a division of Mango Media Inc.

Cover Design: Roberto Nuez
Layout & Design: Morgane Leoni

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Keep Pain in the Past: Getting Over Trauma, Grief and the Worst Thats Ever Happened to You

Library of Congress Cataloging
ISBN: (p) 978-1-63353-810-8, (e) 978-1-63353-811-5
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018952275
BISACPSY022040PSYCHOLOGY / Psychopathology / Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD)

Printed in the United States of America.

Keep
Pain in
the Past

Getting Over Trauma, Grief and the Worst Thats Ever Happened to You

Dr. Chris Cortman & Dr. Joseph Walden

Mango Publishing
Coral Gables, FL

This book is dedicated to everyone whos been told, Time heals all wounds, but it didnt. Its also dedicated to people who were told, Its called PTSD, and there is no cure, so you just have to live with it. Let me not forget those who were told that, There is no such thing as multiple personality, youre making that up for attention. And, of course, its for people who were sexually assaulted, molested, raped, sold, abused, and then when you bravely told someone, you werent believed.

This book is for all of you who have been abandoned, betrayed, neglected, threatened, beaten, terrorized, bullied, cheated on, swindled, scammed, conned, rejected, or never picked for the basketball team. Its for you who have come forth and told your story, and especially for you who as yet have not. This book is for anyone willing to hope and believe one more time. This book is for you.

Contents

Time passages. Theres something back here that you left behind. Oh, time passages. Buy me a ticket on the last train home tonight.

Al Stewart

Is Anyone Living in the Now?

Are you at peace with everything that has ever happened to you? I asked my waitress, wanting to satisfy my curiosity about how someone outside a clinical setting might respond. Are you living completely in the present, looking forward?

Wow, I thought when you said you had a couple of questions, you were going to ask if you could replace the fries with soup without paying extra, said the server. But to answer your questions, no, Im not over my past, is anyone? And for what its worth, its an extra dollar to replace the fries with todays soup of the day, chicken noodle.

Now ask yourself the same question (about your life, not the soup). Have you put the painful events and traumas of your life into a healthy place? Are you free of regret, resentment, and painful, intrusive memories? If you answered yes, you can stop reading right now. You dont need this book, since youre living a fully realized, highly successful life in the here and now.

Most people, though, arent in this enviable position. Your life is compromised in some way by a trauma from your past. You may not be conscious of it, but that trauma weighs on your like an anchor, dragging down your career, your relationships, and your life. Thats the bad news. The good news is that regardless of what you have experienced, you can take your pain in the past, process and digest it, find meaning in your suffering, and champion the trauma, once and for all.

A case in point is Jim, one of my clients. Jim is an extreme caseI hope that whatever bad things have happened in your life are nowhere near as bad as what happened to Jim. He was suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and I must warn you that his story is disturbing.

Your particular pain in the past may not be as extreme, but all emotional trauma has similar symptoms. Using Jims story, I will highlight the common trauma symptoms and how they can ravage a life if not treated properly. Also, I aim to provide you with hope: if Jim can be treated effectively, anyone can be.