The Wounded Healer: The Pain and Joy of Caregiving

by Omar Reda

Overview

Finding meaning in trauma work, as a traumatized healer yourself.

The act of caregiving is physically exhausting and emotionally draining, yet caregivers describe it as rewarding and gratifying. Prolonged exposure to human suffering, however, is not without risks?caregivers report high rates of burnout and poor quality of life.

Many care providers believe that their feelings do not matter; that they should ignore their pain, brush off their trauma, wipe away their tears, and just “suck it up.” Here, Omar Reda a Libyan-born American psychiatrist who, as an emergency physician and trauma counselor provided care for medical staff caring for victims of trauma, calls upon other healers to break free from cycles of secrecy, toxic stress, and silent suffering so they can continue to empower and inspire those in their care.

Filled with poignant first-person stories and clinical case studies, this book is an impassioned plea for psychosocial trauma care that prioritizes the health of both client and healer.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781324019237
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	03/15/2022
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	996,179
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Omar Reda, MD, is a board-certified psychiatrist, a Harvard-trained trauma expert, an author, and a family advocate—but, most importantly, a dreamer and strong believer in the potential of finding beauty in all human encounters. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xv

Foreword Richard F. Mollica, M.D. xvii

Introduction xxiii

1 Bearing Witness: The Pain and Joy of Interacting With Clients 1

2 The Healing Power of Family 64

3 Addressing Systemic Trauma 116

4 The Caregiver Within 159

Afterword Edward M. Smink, Ph.D. 181

References 185

Index 189

Editorial Reviews

"With the recent increase in burnout among healing professionals, Reda provides us with a timely and welcome book. His detailed recommendations for avoiding burnout are clear and practical. I particularly like his insistence on prioritizing self-care, as health care workers often feel that they have to put themselves last. The book will also help readers deal with their own traumas—within themselves, their families, and workplaces that have become toxic."

David M. Allen

"Reading this wise and brilliant book is a crucial act of radical compassion for self and other. The tone and content are a kind of soothing balm that inspires all exhausted, brilliant, worn out, beautiful, and frazzled caregivers to slow down, become intentional, and make space to heal themselves so that they can do so more effectively with those they serve.
"

Doreen Dodgen-Magee