Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others

This beloved bestseller—over 350,000 copies sold—has helped caregivers worldwide keep themselves emotionally, psychologically, spiritually, and physically healthy in the face of the sometimes overwhelming traumas they confront every day.

A longtime trauma worker, Laura van Dernoot Lipsky offers a deep and empathetic survey of the often-unrecognized toll taken on those working to make the world a better place. We may feel tired, cynical, or numb or like we can never do enough. These, and other symptoms, affect us individually and collectively, sapping the energy and effectiveness we so desperately need if we are to benefit humankind, other living things, and the planet itself.

In Trauma Stewardship, we are called to meet these challenges in an intentional way. Lipsky offers a variety of simple and profound practices, drawn from modern psychology and a range of spiritual traditions, that enable us to look carefully at our reactions and motivations and discover new sources of energy and renewal. She includes interviews with successful trauma stewards from different walks of life and even uses New Yorker cartoons to illustrate her points.

"We can do meaningful work in a way that works for us and for those we serve," Lipsky writes. "Taking care of ourselves while taking care of others allows us to contribute to our societies with such impact that we will leave a legacy informed by our deepest wisdom and greatest gifts instead of burdened by our struggles and despair."

<b>Laura van Dernoot Lipsky</b> is the founder and director of The Trauma Stewardship Institute and author of <i>Trauma Stewardship</i> and <i>The Age of Overwhelm</i>. She is the host of the podcast <i>Future Tripping</i>, which is dedicated to conversations about overwhelm. Widely recognized as a pioneer in the field of trauma exposure, she has worked nationally and internationally for more than three decades. Much of her work is being invited to assist in the aftermath of community catastrophes, whether they are fatal storms or mass shootings. Simultaneously, she has long been active in community organizing and movements for social and environmental justice and has taught on issues surrounding systematic oppression, structural supremacy, and liberation theory. Laura is on the advisory board of ZGiRLS, an organization that supports young girls in sports. She is a founding member of the International Transformational Resilience Coalition, which supports the development of capacity to address the climate crisis. Laura also served as an associate producer of the award-winning film <i>A Lot Like You</i> and was given a Yo! Mama award in recognition of her work as a community-activist mother.<br><br><b>Connie Burk</b> is the executive director of Kol HaNeshamah. She previously directed the NW Network, where she founded the National LGBTQ Institute on Intimate Partner Violence, the National LGBTQ TTA Institute, and the annual Q&amp;A summit.