Publisher's Synopsis
The story begins with the video, "A Wormhole Named Desire: A Three Part Love Story." Using original illustrations, prose and poetry, the journey of attaining freedom from Post Traumatic Stress is told. It is posted on YouTube. "A Wormhole Named Desire - Blog 2014: Journey from Survival of Trauma to Freedom of Love" expands upon the video. The presentation of a cogent vision of healing is unique, blending the therapist's personal experience with cultural icons. Psychotherapy concepts are demystified. The reader is guided through a series of reflective questions to apply the understanding to their own life. --------------------------------------------------------- From the book: Cultural traditions and values help a survivor build trust. Core beliefs filter experience, screen (reject) the unmanageable, and allow for the reinforcement of strength. As strength increases, the person manages a wider range of experiences (in terms of variety, intensity, duration and frequency). Positive experiences provide affirmation. A survivor who is on a path of healing increasingly sees characteristics that are common among trustworthy people. Perseverance is essential, because: -A con artist fools their victim, -An extreme narcissist manipulates through giving, and -A muddled person confuses self and others. Emotionally, self is confused with other. In an effort to guard against replication of past, Humpty becomes fiercely resolved to reject false notions of 'The Shroud'. A survivor is sensitive to injustice as a burn victim cannot tolerate exposure to heat. -What are your passions? -Are any of your passions in opposition to something? The essence of survival is that a person derives pleasure and hope from good things and at the same time is especially sensitive to pain. The survivor has an early warning system that picks up pain signals before others (who are less vulnerable). It is like a person whose hand was seriously burned. While healing, when the hand is near warmth it hurts. Someone else will just feel warmth. As a metaphor for a traumatized child, Humpty Dumpty could be a boy or a girl. A resilient Humpty experiences the light and warmth of sunny times and recognizes pain of horror in the shadows. -When two well-aligned persons are temporarily out-of-sync, what adjustments have you seen work to take care of self and other? --------------------------------------------------------- The blog on his Google+ page began as a means to 'unpack' the video. It followed the structure of the video, while the book has reorganized it into a story. The blog continues as a way to connect themes of therapy with current events and popular culture. A graphic novel for young adults who 'age out' of foster care is in the works. Any net proceeds from the sale of this book will go towards the production of the graphic novel. The plan is to have it available free to download and at cost in hard copy.
