The Trauma Myth

Calling for an honest look at sex abuse treatment, Susan Clancy tears down the conventional trauma model, arguing that the healing professions don't allow survivors to speak openly about what they really felt at the time of abuse. After years of research and interviews with victims of sex abuse, memory researcher and trauma expert Susan Clancy noticed a pattern: people were describing sex abuse memories and their experiences being molested in ways that did not fit the conventional trauma model. The most common feeling reported was not fear or panic, but confusion. Drawing on the latest research in memory studies, Clancy argues that children do not understand sexually toned encounters in the same ways that adults do, and as therapists treat survivors of sex abuse, they can actually harm their patients by assuming the event was traumatic at the time. What Clancy discovered in her interviews with survivors of sex abuse is extremely intriguing, controversial, and important for the field of psychology and beyond. She argues that although the incident of sex abuse is significant, the reactions of adults involved in the victim's recovery complicate the feelings and actual memories of the abused. Indeed, Clancy's research shows that children are victimized not only by their abusers but by the very industry that is trying to help them. Clancy argues that telling the truth about what sexual abuse is really like for victims will help those affected by alleviating the shame, guilt and isolation they often feel. "The Trauma Myth" speaks directly to victims, empowering them to tell their stories and seek help. It will also assist mental health professionals to better treat and prevent sexual abuse. Startling, bold, and backed by research, "The Trauma Myth" will become required reading in psychology and will provoke intense discussion and debate for years to come.

ISBN 046501688X   Pages 256 ISBN13 9780465016884 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher The Perseus Books Group   Weight (grammes) 354 Imprint Basic Books   Published in New York Format Hardback   Height (mm) 210 Publication date 04 Feb 2010   Width (mm) 140 DEWEY 616.85836   Spine width (mm) 23 DEWEY edition DC22   Academic level Professional / Scholarly

		Introduction		1
1		What Was It Like When It Happened?		25
2		The Truth About Sexual Abuse		47
3		The Politics of Sexual Abuse		77
4		Why the Trauma Myth Damages Victims		111
5		How the Trauma Myth Silences Victims		149
		Conclusion		179
		Acknowledgments		205
		Notes		207
		Index		231

"New York Times" "[T]he moral of Dr. Clancy's story is clear: science should represent truth, not wishful thinking. When good data fly in the face of beloved theory, the theory has to go...Dr. Clancy writes with the precision and patient repetition of a good teacher on complicated terrain. Her prose could not be clearer, and her points are restated many, many times over." Salon.com ""The Trauma Myth" is a nuanced and muscular work that takes a surprisingly straightforward approach to a tough subject matter." "Publishers Weekly" "[A] nuanced psychological study." Carol Tavris, Ph.D., coauthor of "Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me)" "With her usual clarity of prose and reasoning, Susan Clancy has written a calm and persuasive assessment of a volatile subject. I highly recommend this book for anyone with a personal or professional interest in child abuse--which should be all of us." Paul McHugh, University Distinguished Service Professor of Psyc

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