[blparent] Book Resources for Rhonda

[Jo Elizabeth Pinto]

Hi, Rhonda.  I ran your situation with Corban by a couple of therepists acquaintances of mine, without using your names of course, and got some recommendations from them about books.  I don’t know these books, but I’ll paste what they said, and maybe you can ask your counselor about them.  I don’t know the availability of these books in braille or on tape.

2 good books are The Invisible String by Patrice Karst. A story of overcoming fear or loneliness and the other is called, A Terrible Thing Happened by Margaret Holmes. 
Both of these books can be found on Amazon as well as the bookstore.  The book “A Terrible Thing Happened” is designed for the child to be the author with his own traumatic experience.

And the mom could look into something by Peter Levine who has written extensively on processing trauma, including acute trauma from a single overwhelming incident. He describes his own automobile accident experience (he was a pedestrian in a crosswalk who was struck) in one of his books; I think it is "Waking The Tiger" (I read that chapter online in either the Amazon preview option "look inside this book," or else on Google books.) He is a therapist who has identified the bodily process of "shaking off" overwhelming events when the human organism was physically or psychologically threatened & unable to defend itself. He describes a process of "activating" & releasing the energy mobilized by the fight/flight mechanism. In traumatic events, we go into "freeze" because we CAN'T fight or flee. With post-traumatic stress, adrenaline & the cortisol-stimulating hormone ACTH from the fight/flight response are repeatedly triggered.  
Anyway, like I said this would be for the mom, which I know is not what you asked. Levine does have a couple of books on helping children process trauma, and he/his somatic experiencing organization has a website that I imagine would have articles and quite likely a list of resources (such as children's books) that might give her something to reference, as well as advice for how TO respond (and not to respond) to his distress in the moment, when he is waking.

One very good children's book I know that is written in a way that helps children "listen" inside themselves and get in touch with what is distressing them is the book about loss, "Sadie Listens." I am pretty sure that is the correct title; I don't know the author offhand.

But truly in a trauma a parent can help by doing a few things. Getting back to routine, doing things to ensure the child's safety. That may include sleeping with the child for a brief time. Or on the floor next to the kid, sometimes it looks like patting the back until he falls asleep. I typically use trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy techniques, tell the parent to return to routine, and do some extras like staying until they sleep. The books are a good idea ........ Maybe. Sometimes they can cause more trauma and acute stress can turn into PTSD. If the appointment is soon, I would hold off until I met with the counselor. And the counselor should be familiar with tFCBT. Not all are.

Praying for you,
Jo Elizabeth

Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening.--Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.