Common Shock: Witnessing Violence Every Day--How We Are Harmed, How We Can Heal - Hardcover

Weingarten, Kaethe

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0525947426 ISBN 13: 9780525947424

Publisher: Dutton Adult, 2003

Synopsis

Identifies the effects and long-term consequences of trauma on the human psyche, explaining how responses to violence can be passed on to subsequent generations while revealing how a greater awareness of the effects of violence can promote healing.

About this title

About the Author:

: Kaethe Weingarten, Ph.D., associate clinical professor in Harvard University's Department of Psychiatry, has been on the faculty of the Harvard Medical School since 1979. Dr. Weingarten also teaches at the Family Institute of Cambridge and has taught across the United States and in Africa, Australia, Canada, Europe, and New Zealand.

From Publishers Weekly:

Weingarten defines "common shock" as the biological and physiological feeling that "is triggered by our being witness to an event or an interaction that we appraise as disturbing," which can range from watching a parent hit a child to watching a television news report about a terrorist bombing. She argues that this kind of common shock is an experience that can have "chronic debilitating effects," but that "few people know how to deal with it themselves or, crucially, help children do so." Drawing upon recent research as well as her work as part of the Witnessing Project (which helps individuals, families and communities deal with violence), Weingarten details typical interpersonal consequences of common shock, such as being driven into silence and losing trust in people. Her primary solution to common shock is encouraging people to act "as compassionate witnesses to others," as a way of helping others regain a "sense of safety" and community, and she states that research suggests that "small compassionate actions performed routinely could have a major impact." Weingarten may overexplain what seems to be a fairly straightforward idea, but she provides a beneficial service by responding to what is clearly a current social problem; the two appendices provide direct and useful recommendations for how to help others deal with the shock triggered by disturbing everyday events.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Dutton Adult
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0525947426
• ISBN 13: 9780525947424
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 400