Lisa M. Najavits - 15 Apr

This is a terrific book. Lucid and eminently practical, it summarizes what Dr. Najavits has learned helps patients in over three decades of practice and research. Page upon page, she helps you confront what is going on inside of yourself. Its a step-by-step road to recovery from the enslavement of trauma and addiction. This is the sort of book you put by your bedside to visit over and over again as a guide to dealing with numbing, addiction, the secrets you try to keep from yourself, and underlying issues. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Bessel A. van der Kolk, MD, author of The Body Keeps the Score

In 13 years of recovery in AA, I often heard the refrain I never got the instruction manual on life. Well, this book by Lisa Najavits might just be the only instruction book on recovery youll ever need! It shines with a fresh perspective, jargon-free writing, and vivid personal inspiration in an overpopulated field.

Frank F., New York City

In this remarkable book, Dr. Najavits speaks to diverse audiences in a way that is clear, practical, and deeply engaging. She offers an unflinching look at the challenges of working on trauma and addiction, while always conveying a message of hope. People struggling with either or both issues will find a path to improve their life. Professionals too can use this as a companion to therapy, allowing patients to extend their efforts through a flexible but carefully structured process.

Joan E. Zweben, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco; staff psychologist, San Francisco VA Medical Center

A welcome contribution. Dr. Najavits provides a comprehensive framework for recovery. She has woven her extensive clinical experience with the voices of people in recovery to create a rich and accessible resource.

Stephanie S. Covington, PhD, LCSW, author of A Womans Way through the Twelve Steps

Many times in AA (or the rooms), I have heard someone say, Its the language of the heart; what comes from the heart reaches the heart. This work exemplifies that thought while also staying true to itself with structure and advice for addicts and trauma survivors. But more than going through the steps of recovery, Dr. Najavits shows how to do so with dignity and pride in what you may accomplish. I never felt alone while reading this book.

David T., Washington, DC

A Womans Addiction Workbook

(New Harbinger Publications)

For professionals

Seeking Safety: A Treatment Manual for PTSD and Substance Abuse

(The Guilford Press)

Epub Edition ISBN: 9781462539970; Kindle Edition ISBN: 9781462539963

Copyright 2019 Lisa M. Najavits

Published by The Guilford Press

A Division of Guilford Publications, Inc.

370 Seventh Avenue, Suite 1200, New York, NY 10001

www.guilford.com

All rights reserved

The information in this volume is not intended as a substitute for consultation with health care professionals. Each individuals health concerns should be evaluated by a qualified professional.

Purchasers of this book have permission to copy the for personal use or use with clients. This handout may be copied from the book or accessed directly from the publishers website, but may not be stored on or distributed from intranet sites, Internet sites, or file-sharing sites, or made available for resale. No other part of this book may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.

Last digit is print number: 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the publisher.

ISBN: 978-1-4625-3989-5 (paper) ISBN: 978-1-4625-3990-1 (cloth)

The quotations in this book from people in recovery are used with permission and/or were created from composites, with identifying details disguised to protect privacy.

Purchasers of this book can download and print the page for details).

The purpose of this book is to help you find your best self, which may be buried, sometimes quite deeply, amid layers of addiction, trauma, or both.

For over 25 years Ive listened to, encouraged, and witnessed the recovery work of people who have struggled with these issues. Each chapter is a small expression of what Ive learned from them as well as whats known in the professional field.

Because I cant sit with you and hear your story, Ive included two features to help bring this book closer to such a direct connection.

First, Ive tried to make it as interactive as possible with reflection points and exercises to ask you the kinds of questions we would explore if we were working together in counseling. Just as in actual counseling, you can choose to answer these or not. The goal is to help you understand yourself better and feel more compassion for yourself so that you can take action. When I picture you reading this book, I envision that here or there youll be sparked by something that moves you, which may help you grow or at least get through the next tough moment. For that to occur, what you read needs to engage both your head and your heart (and your spirit, if you believe in that) so that this book is not a dry, abstract experience.

Second, and what may be the most important aspect of this book for some, are the quotes from people in recovery from trauma and addiction. This book took me several years to write in part because after I finished it, something was clearly missing. (I owe thanks here to David, whom youll meet in , and Kitty Moore at The Guilford Press, both of whom pointed this out.) I decided to bring it to life by asking people in recovery to read a chapter and write or talk to me about how it relates to their recovery. Each of these people who are wide-ranging in their life history as well as age, gender, ethnicity, and geography did it to be of service to others.

So think of this book as a community of support. Each of us is rooting for you and hoping youll do all you can to get better. And if theres one thing youll hear across their words and mine its that you can get better, even if that goal seems unreachable, as remote as a far-off planet.

To make your process as easy as possible, each chapter is brief and offers one way forward relevant to addiction, trauma, or both. You can read the chapters in any order and as few or as many as you choose; each is independent of the others. You can decide what to work on, at your own pace, combined with any other available supports and treatments. Recovery is creative; its about trying options and figuring out what fits for you. Its about taking whats good about you, your talents and capacities, and directing them toward improving parts of your life that arent working. Its about experiments, each moving you a bit closer to your goals. Theres no one way; hold on to what works and let go of the rest. Strive to launch whats deepest and best within you.