Post traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) is widely pervasive catastrophe that impacts perhaps 25% of families in America. It's "a whole body tragedy . . . with massive repercussions. We cannot patch it up in 12 weeks of counseling or with a pill or with surgery. Left untreated it grows and morphs into a destructive beast that erodes the very fabric of wellness in the human being. It has the unique power to unravel body, mind and spirit. From there the erosion spreads into relationships, families and the very fabric of society itself, affecting whole cultures for generations to come." In her recent book The Trauma Tool Kit: Healing PTSD from the Inside Out, Susan Pease Banitt, LCSW, explains how PTSD is not just a mental disorder, but is also a physical injury, and in providing a multidimensional approach she presents immediate antidotes to extreme stress and traumatic reactions in mind and body.
Susan Pease Banitt, herself a healed survivor of abuse, trained as a psychotherapist in the Harvard Medical System, and has also studied yoga therapeutics, shamanism and alternative healing. She has had over 30 years in treating trauma in patients ranging from autistic children and women with breast cancer; to underage sex slaves and adults incapacitated by early childhood abuse. She lives and works here in Portland. Join her on the Recovery Zone with host Stephanie Potter.