"Emotions and Trauma Which EMT's Go Through"
357746
This story is about multiple emergency medical technicians (EMT) who work mainly the night shift in New York City.  Brian Sheahan and his partner, Mel, have worked together for about five years.  Mel, a woman, is one who can stay awake all night, but Brian often takes catnaps in the ambulance and snores and makes other bodily noises enough to rattle the windows.  He's like a brother to Mel, who is the ambulance driver.  Brian has been married to Amber, who finally recently filed divorce papers.  Their marriage has fallen apart after the death of their young son.  The "Chipmunk," also called Ben, and other names, is the supervisor of the private EMT company which fulfills the needs of many areas of NYC and also public events. Brian and Mel are rushing a man to the hospital having a very poor heart arrhythmia.  He has crashed two times, and now again being just four minutes from the hospital. The man's daughter, Jessica, riding along with her dad had put something in his drink to put him out so she could attend a Halloween party rather than be on restriction. He dies just after arriving at the hospital.  Detectives Jackie Miller and her partner, Billy, place Jessica under arrest.  This story goes on to other scenes of violence, mayhem, and many more traumatic events.  It is fast paced, sometimes with too much dialog which a reader may have to backtrack to determine who is speaking.  It is also spiced with NYC street-wise slang which is better understood if this was a TV series, but it's a little too much for the average reader.  It's still an interesting story of the hard job and pressures of EMTs. After reading the author's bio, it's pretty clear this story was written as a script for stage play or TV show.  The impact of September 11th terrorist attack in NYC inspired the author to become an EMT himself.  I applaud him for taking this step.
2366197
Appreciate all the help from this book. Its based on people who have served in the military...but its excellent for anyone suffering from trauma or chronic illnesses.
Lisa L.
393170
One of the most important topics of our world, that can explain most of the violence, narcissism, addiction and bullying, in my mind... it is a clinical work that translates for a nonclinical reader interested in how almost all of us are injured from childhood and how we can integrate and resolve these injuries so we don't continue to injure others in our adult life.  It acknowledges that our bodies, not just our minds are part of the process of healing and processing. It focuses on attachment issues with children and their parents, and the different stages of childhood that trauma affects, and how a clinician can work with a client, and how a client has been affected by the trauma in that childhood stage.
3087250
As a retired EMT she does a great job of describing the emotions of a small volunteer squad.  So many of us whether were volunteer or work in a paid service end up divorced because of a jealous spouse it's the most rewarding thing other than being a mother I've ever done.  she describes this well.
3788785
As a TBI agonizing over all my losses, this is a pretty good depiction of the struggles we encounter.  Loved the identification of a TBI as an invisible injury.  People look at us like we are back to normal but we now live a NEW normal that is nowhere near who we were before.  As an RN who worked SICU and ER/Trauma and treated TBI's routinely, I never imagined I would be in this position.  I wish Kevin the best.
2589579
The suggestion to find a way to handle the smorgasbord of emotions that come from this situation and to find an outlet for the understandable pressure of emotional rage at having your life wrecked are valuable parts of this book.

How to consider your own emotional state, which can become temporarily unreliable when you are in this vulnerable period, so you can take care of yourself is one of the most important things to do during this process.

Understanding that a widow may mourn the loss of a lifelong companion and partner but a woman newly separated does not attract the same depth of sympathy from friends and family will help you not to take how others are behaving personally.

You will get through it is the authors constant encouragement and that you are not alone helps you feel you can go forward.
1236890
I try to read many books about Ems, and healthcare.  This was not targeted to me, as I have been in the field for many years, but I am open to new ideas, and I often work we new medics.  The book can be divided into three parts.  Didn't need covered, opinion, and covered well.  The scary part is someone new could mistake the first two parts, for the last part.
248363
This is a very telling and informative book that will open doors or certain readers who were effected by emotional neglect..
2119441
Excellent, in-depth book on various types of trauma and the effects & treatments.
There is some political slant, but it is not the focus of the book. If you are serious about understanding trauma and people, this is an incredible book. I'm amazed how thorough it is. I'm amazed this much information can be in one book that is only 276 pages long and not a text book. It's well-written. There is some sophisticated vocabulary in it...Several times I had to look up words in my online dictionary to fully understand what the author is communicating. She is wonderfully gifted in her approach to this subject.

She starts with history, goes into trauma and various treatments. She delineates differences of acute trauma of a single event vs chronic traumas. She delineates further on how even just one good support can help someone with trauma, vs the results of someone experiencing trauma yet having no validating support. One of her key points is Chaper 6..."A New Diagnosis"... discussing that complaints of chronically traumatized people are not well-understood. For example:... "Survivors of child abuse who become patients appear with a bewildering array of symptoms....They may collect a virtual pharmacopeia of remedies: one for headaches, another for insomnia, another for anxiety, another for depression. None of these tends to work very well, since the underlying issues of trauma are not addressed".

She talks about getting the correct diagnosis. Investigating under the symptoms, thoroughly knowing the history. After that, the treatments are not just medication or psychotherapy. It's often both, but in a certain way... Safety first, then trauma work, then reconnection. It even goes into the strengths & support the therapist needs to treat people who have experienced trauma as well as details of individual vs group therapies. This book also discusses medications, but doesn't have a multitude of pages devoted to medications.

Please understand my description here is just a slight outline. Trauma and Recovery is an incredibly thorough and well-written work. It also includes many pages of its referenced sources.

The epilogue discusses many things including recent studies, advances and programs since the book was written 2 decades ago.

I highly recommend this book.
2171499
This book takes a look at the emotions that linger after a traumatic event. The main focus of the book is Allie, she is struggling with the guilt she felt after her younger cousin drowned. An accident where Allie was present and feels like she could have/should have done more to prevent it. She is the survivor, but feels like the villain.

Allie is drawn to a young man who rides a dirt bike. He seems to be following her, there is something about him that makes her want to discover more of his past. He has issues of his own that he tries to deal with, but refuses to talk about.

The two of them become the perfect therapy for each other. They bond over mistakes from their past and find hope in a better future. The book takes a few plot twists and turns that lead to a greater understanding of the characters.

One idea that I loved in the book is that people make assumptions from a small portion of the truth. Assumptions can lead to untruths. The book has situations of many assumptions, some are devastating to the characters. It also deals with change and the ability that someone has to heal.

The book has kissing and violence.

I received an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
1254758
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"On the surface, this book demonstrates the nature of my work as a psychiatrist in a wide variety of settings , but mostly in the psychiatric emergency room at SFGH [San Francisco General Hospital].  It shows the kind of tasks given to me, what I do, how I talk to patients, how I think, and how I make decisions that can best be described as knotty, enigmatic, and almost never routine.  When all is said and done, society is paying me to exercise my best professional judgement in trying to solve seemingly insoluble problems.  My decisions are made in a financially deprived and pressurized environment, often with incomplete data, and the tasks are rife with ethical dilemmas.  Though I am...obliged to be an able and compassionate colleague, supervisor, teacher, and practitioner, I mostly get paid to make good decisions as a proxy for society as a whole...

As you read this book, you will no doubt see the setting of psych emergency for what it can be: loud, chaotic, smelly, messy, and dangerous, among other things.  And you will sense the tension [or stress!!] inherent in the work.  But you will sense the redeeming essence of the work: the moment-to-moment relationship between doctor and patient...

While [this] book is part memoir, part primer, and part commentary, what I am most interested in is documenting my experiences and those of my patients...This book is intended to humanize psychiatrists, other metal health [workers], patients, and their loved ones."

The above comes from the preface of this intriguing book by Paul Linde.  Linde Is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry in the School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco.  He is also an author.

The fact is what most people know about the psychiatric emergency room (ER) is that they don't what to be there.  This book details that there is quite a bit more to "psych emergency."

This is a gripping and, at times, unsettling account of an ER psychiatrist.  It is VERY reality-based and illustrates the complexities of the job.  In each chapter, Linde plays a slightly different role.  (That is, this job is definitely not routine!!)

While Linde's own experiences practising psychiatry make for an interesting read, for me, it's the descriptions of his patients that make this book truly compelling.

People from all different backgrounds pass through the psych ER.  There are people such as addicts, trauma survivors, psychotics, and many high-functioning people who are simply "having one of the worst days of their lives."

Linde also gives some historical, legal, theoretical, ethical, moral pharmacological, and anatomical information, where appropriate.

Finally, one thing becomes clear as you read this book.  Linde is a rare breed of doctor, that is, a compassionate doctor.

In conclusion, this is a mesmerizing account of the life of an ER psychiatrist.  This book will open your eyes to the important work these people do!!!

(first published 2010;  acknowledgements;  preface;  10 chapters;  epilogue;  main narrative 235 pages;  notes;  references)

<<Stephen Pletko, London, Ontario, Canada>>

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3009493
Mental illness, police and the dynamic circumstances of a honorably discharged veteran who suffers with PTSD that lead to threatening behavior and a 2 hour high risk very close to deadly standoff with police. The great restraint and communications shown by responding officers who also assumed calculated risk brought this event to a peaceful resolution and one of our veterans receiving the help he need. Aftershock brings out numerous lessons on mental illness and helps identify a much needed education and training track police must adapt to.
1953075
Freckles awakens in the hospital. Confused, disoriented, and quite frankly just wanting to stand up, and stretch. When she falls due to lack of muscle to the floor, she knows that something has happened. Having no recollection of her name, where she is, or what happened to her, the doctor does her best to help her ease back into the world of the living. It is no easy feat though, and with time Freckles is placed into physical therapy to gain physical, and mental strength. When she is paired with volunteer Grady to assist her in her day to day activities in the physical therapy center, she begins to relax, and trust him.

When things start to come to light about what has happened to Freckles, in almost a freak accident that has her remembering everything. From the incident, to prior to the incident, there is no denying that this story - based on a true story at that - is a gut wrenching, heart stopping, traumatic event that will leave the reader gasping, crying, sobbing, and potentially even wanting to throw things across the room. The story overall focuses on a lover's undying need to be with the one he was meant to be with, and overcoming the things that can break a person down to nothing.

D. Hart did a wonderful job bringing this story to life. While it is based on a true story, and a gut wrenching one at that, it talks about how a person overcomes those things that pushes them to the very edge. Pushes them, taunts them, and at long last steps away from the picture completely leaving a person feeling as if they are exhausted - mentally, and physically. At times I was even lost reading through this book, and I had to go back to a certain point, and reread for better clarification. Other than that, D. Hart brought "Freckles" full circle from her tragedy to being a person she knew prior to the accident.
3994100
Maybe stories like this will help people really understand how hard it is to overcome trauma. Changing someone's understanding of what it takes to help a victim move to a survivor is a big deal.
393096
Excellent. Those suffering from trauma would be fortunate to have a counselor who uses this as well as Levine's Unspoken Voice. It would be good for family membes to read to help them understand and cope with the ups and downs. Professionals should use this as a tool--those who are in recovery need a counselor of this type for support.
112640
I had a hard time reading this book. It was so good. So much trauma, emotion, love, heartache and loss. To put a reader through all of those emotions is amazing.

To put your own personal hell into a book and then let people know about it takes a big person. My 30th birthday was the worst to wake up to an 8 week miscarriage. It tore my heart out. I felt the pain that struck through both of them in the book.
Thank you for sharing in your acknowledgements your personal trials. It is a comfort to others. <3
2960040
I Liked it because it inter-related the grieving process with attachment to others. The other topic of dealing with someone close who is a daredevil was also addressed well. The author dealt with emotions and feelings of  characters in a east to follow narrative.