The Unspeakable Mind: Stories of Trauma and Healing from the Frontlines of PTSD Science

Summary (from the publisher): At any given moment, more than six million Americans are suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD - a severe medical condition that has been described since ancient times but was not recognized by the psychiatric establishment until 1980. In her beautifully written and deeply informative new book, professor of medicine and practicing psychiatrist Shaili Jain finally gives the illness its due, exploring the ways in which traumatic stress cuts to the heart of existence, interfering with one's capacity to love, create, and work - and the complex interplay between biology, genes, and environment that causes it. 

PTSD is a disorder of memory that provokes nightmares, flashbacks, and an exaggerated startle reaction, and renders emotional life barren. The Unspeakable Mind offers a textured portrait of this devastating disease, drawing on Jain's personal history and the two decades she has spent conducting cutting-edge research in the field and caring for patients who have survived child abuse, rape, intimate partner violence, life-threatening accidents, and war. 

Full of profoundly moving case studies and fascinating scientific research, The Unspeakable Mind tells the complete story of PTSD for the first time, deconstructing its impact on the cellular, emotional, psychological, behavioral, societal, cultural, and global level. For the millions of Americans who have experienced traumatic events and are still trying to fathom the impact on their lives, The Unspeakable Mind provides answers and reassurance; it is also an essential guide for their loved ones. Yet PTSD not only affects us as individuals, argues Jain - it also infiltrates our society and culture. A singular work, her book is not only required reading for those who has personal experience with PTSD, but for everyone who seeks to understand how traumatic stress is an inescapable part of our lives and the world we live in. 

Review: I received an uncorrected proof copy of this book from HarperCollins. 

This informative work of non-fiction explores the history, nuances, and treatments of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from a medical professor and practicing psychiatrist who is an expert in the field of PTSD. Through moving case studies and examples from those she has treated as well as her own family history, Jain explores the myriad ways in which PTSD interferes with individual's abilities to love, work, and participate in daily life. Slowly, over the course of the book, Jain unravels the immense impact of PTSD on every level, including the cellular, emotional, psychological, behavioral, cultural, and global scales. More than six million people suffer from PTSD. Risk factors include "being socially disadvantaged, being younger, being a woman, having a prior history of trauma exposure or a history of childhood trauma, having a family history of psychiatric illness, dissociating at the time of the trauma, and having limited post trauma social support" (282). 

Composed of brief but gripping and informative chapters, this book provides fascinating insight into the cutting edge research on the understanding and treatment of PTSD. Rather than simply dry medical content, Jain interweaves clinical examples from her patients who include victims of childhood abuse, rape, life-threatening accidents, and war. By recounting their stories and the conversations she had with them, their plight is brought to life and the difficulties they face on a daily basis due to the trauma they endured can fully be appreciated by the reader. 

In a world that is unfortunately all too frequently shadowed by harrowing and traumatic events, this is an informative read for anyone wanting to learn more about a condition that is tragically common. Although Jain does an excellent job of laying out the available treatments for PTSD that are currently in practice, it was disheartening to read about the many who either still cannot cope in daily life or who fail to follow through to receive the treatment they need. Yet as she wisely points out, there's no way to reverse or erase what has been done: "The goal of treatment, then, should be to help survivors thrive in their new normal" (221). 

Stars: 4