Books / Trauma, body & expressive
Trauma and Recovery
First published in 1992, Judith Lewis Herman’s Trauma and Recovery examines connections between interpersonal violence, political violence and psychological trauma. It proposes a framework for understanding prolonged trauma and describes three phases of recovery.
Book details
Author of listed edition: Judith Lewis Herman
Edition: First published in 1992; later revised editions
Publisher: Basic Books
Edition year: 1992
Language and origin: English (United States)
Form and genre: Clinical & Theoretical Monograph
Level: Introductory
Historical era: 1980–2009 · Evidence-Based, Trauma & Integrative Era
Covers: The history and social context of the study of psychological trauma; Connections Herman draws between interpersonal violence and political violence; The proposed concept of complex post-traumatic stress disorder; Herman’s three phases of recovery: safety, remembrance and mourning, and reconnection
APA 7th reference: Herman, J. L. (1992). Trauma and recovery. BasicBooks.
What it is
First published in 1992, this book brings clinical and social perspectives to the study of trauma. Herman considers experiences of interpersonal violence alongside political violence and argues that social conditions affect whether traumatic experiences are recognised.
What it covers
Herman discusses the history of trauma research, prolonged interpersonal trauma and the concept of complex PTSD. The book also sets out three phases of recovery: establishing safety, remembrance and mourning, and reconnection.
Reading the framework
The phase-based framework is an influential account of recovery, not a universal sequence or a treatment recommendation. The UK Psychological Trauma Society describes the phases as potentially overlapping and cyclical. Current clinical decisions depend on the person, setting and applicable guidance.
Reader level and educational scope
The book discusses sexual, domestic and political violence and may be distressing. This entry provides historical and educational context; it does not diagnose or recommend treatment.
Paired academic and clinical scholarship
Paired work: Complex PTSD: A Syndrome in Survivors of Prolonged and Repeated Trauma (Judith Lewis Herman, 1992)
Reference: Herman, J. L. (1992). Complex PTSD: A syndrome in survivors of prolonged and repeated trauma. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 5(3), 377–391.
Herman’s 1992 paper proposes a syndrome associated with prolonged and repeated trauma. ICD-11 later included complex PTSD, although its diagnostic formulation is not identical to every detail of Herman’s proposal.
Source-mapped claims and evidence notes
Claim 1: Herman proposed complex PTSD as a way to describe effects associated with prolonged and repeated trauma. (Herman’s 1992 article; ICD-11 subsequently included complex PTSD.) [Source 2: Herman, J. L. (1992). Complex PTSD: A syndrome in survivors of prolonged and repeated trauma. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 5(3), 377–391.]
Claim 2: Herman described three phases of recovery: safety, remembrance and mourning, and reconnection. (The UK Psychological Trauma Society describes the phases as potentially overlapping and cyclical.) [Source 4: UK Psychological Trauma Society. (2017). Guideline for the treatment and planning of services for complex post-traumatic stress disorder in adults.]
Sources and inspection notes
Supports: Pending verification: Publisher information for a later revised edition; first publication was in 1992.
Supports: Pending verification: Herman’s proposal of complex PTSD in relation to prolonged and repeated trauma.
Supports: Pending verification: ICD-11 classification of complex post-traumatic stress disorder.
Supports: Description of Herman’s phase-based model and its potentially overlapping and cyclical phases.
Landman Library. Trauma and recovery, catalogue record. Arcadia University.
Supports: Author, title, publisher and 1992 publication of the original edition.