Fear in the Therapy Room

The human fear system – a set of automatic biological responses to threat – is essential for our survival but when activated too often or for too long, it can lose its capacity to switch off. This can have a significant impact on our energy, our physical and mental health, our behaviour and our capacity to think clearly and to relate to others. We can get stuck in ‘fear-mode’, and this lies at the heart of complex trauma, a condition that is perhaps the chief cause of human misery. Complex trauma, with its most common symptoms being anxiety and depression, is the main reason that people seek the help of counselling and psychotherapy. Fear in the Therapy Room is written for therapists to help them to better notice and understand their own fear responses and how these are constantly triggered as they work to help others. Rather than being a worry and a distraction, this awareness can inform and guide the work of therapy. Written in a simple and jargon-free style, the book explains the nature of our fear responses and of complex trauma with a clarity that will also be of great interest to a much wider audience. It is particularly relevant to those whose professional work or family responsibilities involve offering care to others, but also has much to offer to anyone wishing to lead a fuller life, less dominated by fear.