Trauma: Healing the Hidden Epidemic - Softcover

Peter M. Bernstein received his master's in Social Psychology, Department of Sociology, from San Jose State University and his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from International University. He completed a professional certification program in Reichian therapy with Gerald Frank, DC, and received post-doctoral recognition from the American Psychotherapy Association as a Diplomate and Fellow. Fomerly the Clinical Director of Center Point Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programs, Dr. Bernstein has been in private practice since 1974 as a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and is the founder and director of the Bernstein Institute for Integrative Psychotherapy and Trauma Treatment. He is the creator of Reichian Myofascial Release Therapy (RMFR), a new modality to treat physical and emotional pain and trauma. Dr. Bernstein is the author of numerous published articles and has led a wide variety of workshops for professionals, including resiliency and secondary trauma training for case workers and clinical staff at the Department of Veterans Affairs. He helped found and continues to be the moving force behind Sonoma Coast Trauma Treatment, a non-profit foundation dedicated to healing combat-related trauma for veterans, service members and their families. An Army infantry veteran of the Vietnam War era, Dr. Bernstein and his wife, Lynn, live in Petaluma, California. He can be contacted at www.bernsteininstitute.com.

"Trauma: Healing the Hidden Epidemic opens the door to an emerging condition which all Americans need to understand and respect. Physical, emotional and mental trauma have touched everyone of us to some degree. Dr. Bernstein has taken a complex and potentially deadly condition, and simplified it as best as humanly possible. Do not mistake simplification for lack of depth, however. Like me, the reader will finish [this book] with the tools and confidence that trauma can be healed." -Rear Admiral Ray Smith, USN Retired, Former US Navy SEAL

"Trauma: Healing the Hidden Epidemic", by Dr. Peter Bernstein, provides a clear and uncomplicated understanding of the nature and treatment of trauma for all readers, lay people and professionals alike. Lay people usually feel left out of in-depth discussions of trauma because of unfamiliar language and theories. Not so with this book. Peter de-mystifies and shares his extensive knowledge of PTSD in language everyone can understand." -Armando Maliano, Former Clinical Director of the Family Therapy Institute of Marin and of Center Point Drug & Alcohol Treatment Programs

"I found Trauma: Healing the Hidden Epidemic to be an exemplary work in understanding the connections between mind, body, and spirit when faced with enormous hardship, suffering, and pain. Bernstein's personal and professional accounts provide an open window into how traumatic injuries (physical, emotional, and psychological) manifest and progress over time if not treated early. This book is a welcome addition to the literature on traumatology . . . during an era of terrorism, war, and economic challenges in the US." -Colonel David Rabb, LICSW, ACSW, US Army Reserve, OIF/OEF War Veteran

"Just like healing any wound, trauma can and should be treated.  In Trauma: Healing the Hidden Epidemic, it is clear that what some believe is permanent damage can be reversed. We, as a community, need to support those who have these wounds, support the recovery to help their bodies heal from the inside out, allowing them and their loved ones to fully participate in life again." -Elece Hempel, Executive Director, Petaluma People Services Center

"This book should meet a real need--to inform "the man/woman on the street" of the signs and effects of trauma. Surely, it will encourage readers to seek help they may not have known they needed. I especially appreciated [the] clear explanation of what determines the traumatic nature of an event. I pray this tool will reach its intended audience and that many who suffer from trauma will find courage to seek help." -Joy Gage, Christian Author, Mentor, Christian Writer's Guild