Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others
- 4h 58m
- Connie Burk, Laura van Dernoot Lipsky
- Berrett-Koehler Publishers
- 2009
This beloved bestseller—over 180,000 copies sold—has helped caregivers worldwide keep themselves emotionally, psychologically, spiritually, and physically healthy in the face of the sometimes overwhelming traumas they confront every day.
A longtime trauma worker, Laura van Dernoot Lipsky offers a deep and empathetic survey of the often-unrecognized toll taken on those working to make the world a better place. We may feel tired, cynical, or numb or like we can never do enough. These, and other symptoms, affect us individually and collectively, sapping the energy and effectiveness we so desperately need if we are to benefit humankind, other living things, and the planet itself.
In Trauma Stewardship, we are called to meet these challenges in an intentional way. Lipsky offers a variety of simple and profound practices, drawn from modern psychology and a range of spiritual traditions, that enable us to look carefully at our reactions and motivations and discover new sources of energy and renewal. She includes interviews with successful trauma stewards from different walks of life and even uses New Yorker cartoons to illustrate her points.
“We can do meaningful work in a way that works for us and for those we serve,” Lipsky writes. “Taking care of ourselves while taking care of others allows us to contribute to our societies with such impact that we will leave a legacy informed by our deepest wisdom and greatest gifts instead of burdened by our struggles and despair.
In this Book
-
Foreword
-
Introduction—On the Cliff of Awakening
-
A New Vision for Our Collective Work
-
The Three Levels of Trauma Stewardship
-
What is Trauma Exposure Response?
-
The 16 Warning Signs of Trauma Exposure Response
-
New Ways to Navigate
-
Coming into the Present Moment
-
Following the Five Directions
-
North • Creating Space for Inquiry
-
East • Choosing Our Focus
-
South • Building Compassion and Community
-
West • Finding Balance
-
The Fifth Direction • A Daily Practice of Centering Ourselves
-
Conclusion—Closing Intention
-
Notes
-
Selected Bibliography
-
Be Connected
-
The Five Direction
