Arielle Schwartz - The Complex PTSD Treatment Manual: An Integrative, Mind-Body Approach to Trauma Recovery

Praise for
The Complex PTSD Treatment Manual

Arielle Schwartz has written THE guidebook for clinicians seeking to understand complex PTSD and how to treat it! On every page, she interweaves up-to-date theoretical ideas with practical clinical wisdom. Every word of this book can easily be implemented by therapists regardless of their training or approach.

Janina Fisher, PhD,
Author of Transforming the Living Legacy of Trauma

Dr. Schwartzs book is likely to be a big help to clients and also to therapists who treat individuals with severely traumatic life histories. It is very readable and accessible. Reading it gives a feeling of being in a conversation with Dr. Schwartz. The chapters give many examples of how cognitive behavioral therapy, somatic experiencing, and EMDR can be successfully integrated in therapy preparation, diagnostic assessment, and treatment planning. It also includes many transcripts of therapy sessions, which illustrate with clarity how particular interventions can be effectively used. This book is a significant contribution to our developing knowledge of the best ways to treat complex PTSD and dissociative conditions.

Jim Knipe, PhD
Author of EMDR Toolbox: Theory and Treatment of Complex PTSD and Dissociation

Dr. Schwartz guides us into a field of healing practices and possibilities founded in a resilient-informed approach. She offers portals into the untold and hidden stories of pain that live in the nervous system and the biology of people affected by chronic traumatization. She reminds us of the power and strength that lay at the core of human existence and put us in touch with our inner capacities. The Complex PTSD Treatment Manual is a rich, comprehensive, well-integrated, and immensely useful masterpiece that will support child and adult therapists working with C-PTSD in bringing healing to generations!

Ana M. Gomez, MC, LPC
Author of EMDR Therapy and Adjunct Approaches with Children

Arielle Schwartz does it again, delivering clinicians a practical volume full of useful skills with her uncanny ability to translate complex neurological concepts into relatable language. I am especially impressed with the sensitivity and humanity that she employs in addressing parts work and dissociation. This is a marvelous foundational volume on complex trauma that I will be very happy to recommend to my students.

Dr. Jamie Marich
The Institute for Creative Mindfulness
Author of EMDR Made Simple, Trauma Made Simple

Dr. Arielle Schwartz has done it again. A thorough explanation of the reasons complex trauma exists, how it expresses itself in behaviors, and what treatment entails. An important foundation for therapists treating complex trauma. Knowing these foundational insights will make treatment easier and more effective.

Annie Brook, PhD
Founder of The Brook Institute, Author of Births Hidden Legacy

Arielle Schwartz has crafted an up-to-date synthesis of many of the best practices of the evolving science of resolving complex PTSD. This highly practical treatment manual is an essential guide for beginner therapists and a useful summary for seasoned clinicians. Bravo!

Will Van Derveer, MD
Cofounder of the Integrative Psychiatry Institute

The Complex PTSD Treatment Manual is a must-have for any mental health professional who treats complex trauma. In this manual, Dr. Arielle Schwartz seamlessly integrates components of several evidence-based therapeutic modalities for the treatment of complex trauma and provides clinicians with concrete tools and techniques that help clients improve emotion regulation and attunement, process traumatic events, and ultimately regain their lives and sense of connection. Dr. Schwartzs compassionate, scientific, and client-centered approach to C-PTSD makes her a rare and valued voice in the field of trauma psychology!

Jennifer Sweeton, PsyD
Author of The Train Your Brain Card Deck and Trauma Treatment Toolbox

The Complex PTSD Treatment Manual is an essential masterpiece for any clinician working in the fields of trauma, complex PTSD, and mind-body medicine. Integrative health providers will love it. Woven into the academic rigor of this masterpiece are practical healing practices and embodied exercises for the lucky reader. It is the perfect balance between a personal transformation roadmap and a scholarly treasure. Dr. Schwartz takes us on a highly attuned and compassionate journey through multiple trauma-healing modalities and presents them in a user-friendly, practical way. The psychological needs arising at this post-pandemic juncture are different than theyve ever been, and this will surely be your indispensable reference book for years to come. This book is a must-have!

Dr. Ilene Naomi Rusk, Integrative Trauma Therapist and Clinical Neuropsychologist
Director at The Healthy Brain Program, Brain & Behavior Clinic

The

COMPLEX

PTSD

Treatment Manual

An Integrative, Mind-Body
Approach to Trauma Recovery

Arielle Schwartz, PhD

Copyright 2021 Arielle Schwartz

Published by

PESI Publishing

PESI, Inc.

3839 White Ave

Eau Claire, WI 54703

Cover: Amy Rubenzer

Editing: Jenessa Jackson

Layout: Amy Rubenzer & Bookmasters

ISBN: 9781683733799

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

For the purpose of protecting clients privacy and confidentiality, all identifying
details have been removed from the clinical vignettes shared within this book.

pesipublishing.com

About the Author

Arielle Schwartz, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist, Certified Complex Trauma Professional (CCTP-II), and EMDR consultant with a private practice in Boulder, Colorado. She is the co-author of EMDR Therapy and Somatic Psychology: Interventions to Enhance Embodiment in Trauma Treatment and the author of The Post-Traumatic Growth Guidebook and The Complex PTSD Workbook: A Mind-Body Approach to Regaining Emotional Control and Becoming Whole.

Dedication

In dedication to the brave souls who have suffered from the
unbearable burdens of trauma. In gratitude to the therapists
who compassionately offer heartfelt care in a hurting world.
May this book illuminate a path of courageous transformation
that allows us all to move from pain into possibility.

Table of Contents

All books come about as a team effort. I am so grateful for the support I have received from my beloved family. Thank you to my husband, Bruce Feistner, for your trust in my vision and for giving me ample time to carry it forward into the world. Thank you to my children, Eliana and Ian, for all of the ways that you inspire me with your joy and laughter. You fill my world with light. Thank you to Carolyn Schwartz and Victor Goldman for believing in me and for tirelessly standing by my side. You have taught me what is possible when we are fully loved and accepted for who we are.

A book can be thought of as a legacy, a meaningful contribution to the world that lives on after us. Within these pages, I give you the best synthesis of my current knowledge and experiences as a psychologist and trauma treatment specialist. The inspiration for this writing has come as a result of many years of personal growth and study. I gratefully honor the wise teachers, authors, and healers whose work has influenced the theories and practices that have shaped this book. Most directly, I am appreciative of Betty Cannon, whose existential and relational tutelage has shaped my personal and professional world more than any other. Thank you to my colleague and friend, Barb Maiberger, for the spark in your eyes when you recognized that I had more books in me. Through our many years of teaching together, we were able to develop an integrative curriculum that brings the wisdom of parts work therapy into somatically informed EMDR therapy. I am grateful to Jim Knipe for providing my EMDR therapy consultation and for imparting to me your wisdom gained from many years of providing support for individuals with C-PTSD.