Your Surviving Spirit

Experiencing any kind of trauma - from a car accident, to an act of terrorism, to a rape - can be devastating. It becomes the challenge of the trauma survivor to understand that they are more than their trauma, and that they can go on to find new meaning and a deeper spiritual life because of their trauma legacy. Your Surviving Spirit contains a series of exercises and vignettes designed to help trauma survivors transform their pain and despair into the practice of healthy wellbeing. Six unifying characteristics are explored in the development of spiritual resilience: Willingness, Letting Go, Commitment, Empathy and Compassion, "Lightening up," and Creating Connections. A variety of traumatic experiences are included, from childhood abuse, neglect and loss to more current traumatic situations. And common responses to the impact of trauma are illustrated in numerous case studies to exemplify the process of transformation. Readers are guided through skills-building exercises, journal-writing activities, and the creation of their own stories and affirmations. They learn to identify the ways in which trauma has impacted their lives - mind, body, and spirit - and specific ways they can heal on each level of experience.