Fear in the Therapy Room : A survival guide for working with complex trauma

A guide to the human fearsystem for mental health professionals, also of interest to professionalcaregivers and those curious about their emotions, showing how an understandingof our fear responses can resolve the legacy of complex trauma, and with it itsmost common symptoms – anxiety and depression

The human fear system – a set of automaticbiological responses to threat – is essential for our survival but whenactivated too often or for too long, it can lose its capacity to switch off. This can have a significant impact on our energy, our physical and mentalhealth, our behaviour and our capacity to think clearly and to relate toothers. We can get stuck in ‘fear-mode’, and this lies at the heart of complextrauma, a condition that is perhaps the chief cause of human misery. Complextrauma, with its most common symptoms being anxiety and depression, is the mainreason that people seek the help of counselling and psychotherapy. Fear in the Therapy Room is written fortherapists to help them to better notice and understand their own fearresponses and how these are constantly triggered as they work to help others. Rather than being a worry and a distraction, this awareness can inform andguide the work of therapy. Written in a simple and jargon-free style, the bookexplains the nature of our fear responses and of complex trauma with a claritythat will also be of great interest to a much wider audience. It isparticularly relevant to those whose professional work or familyresponsibilities involve offering care to others, but also has much to offer toanyone wishing to lead a fuller life, less dominated by fear.