A groundbreaking book that will broaden and expand your thinking, whether you are a trauma survivor, a clinician, someone who loves a survivor, or someone seeking to understand abuse.
The relationship between trauma and mental health is becoming better recognized, but survivors and professionals alike remain confused about how best to understand and treat it. In Reclaim, through a series of case studies and expert analysis, Dr Ahona Guha explores complex traumas, how survivors can recover and heal, and the nature of those who abuse. She shines a light on the ‘difficult’ trauma victims that society often ignores, and tackles vital questions such as, ‘Why are we failing the victims of intimate partner violence?, ‘What kinds of behaviors should we see as red flags?’, and ‘Why do some people harm others, and how do we protect ourselves from them?’
As a clinical and forensic psychologist, Dr Guha has had extensive experience in working with those who perpetrate harm—including stalkers, sex offenders, violent offenders, and those who threaten, bully and harass—and she has a deep understanding of the psychological and social factors that cause people to abuse others. In turn, her clinical work in the trauma treatment field has led her to recognize the enormous impacts of complex trauma, and the failures of systems when working with those who have been victimized.
By emphasizing compassion above all, Dr Guha calls for us to become better informed about perpetrators and the needs of victims, so we might reclaim a safer, healthier society for everyone.
“Powerfully, accessibly, and with a clinician’s depth of detail, Dr Guha writes directly about the violence we prefer to drape in darkness. She shows that it is only by seeking to understand its causes and consequences that we can work towards creating safer, fairer communities. I’m grateful to her for this illuminating, and urgently necessary, book.”
Sarah Krasnostein, author of The Trauma Cleaner and The Believer
“Reclaim gave me a better understanding of my own trauma. Huge gratitude to Dr Guha for this well-crafted book … A must-read for everyone.”
Veronica Gorrie, author of Black and Blue
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“In a world that so often turns away from the complexities of trauma and abuse, this book turns towards them … Reclaim is a game-changer.”
Chris Cheers, psychologist and author of The New Rulebook
“Reclaim is for victims of abuse, for their families and loved ones, but above all for anyone who wants to understand human behavior.”
Mark Rubbo, Managing Director of Readings
“Reclaim is one of those books I will revisit again, whenever I need to process certain events or experiences.”
Dr Yumiko Kadota, author of Emotional Female
“Dr Guha provides a highly accessible work that covers a lot of ground, and is illustrated by composite case studies of her own patients, and some detail about her own experience of trauma … Reclaim is a fascinating insight into different types of trauma, survivors, abusers, institutional abuse and invites the reader to enter a full and open discussion about these issues … This book is a nuanced exploration of the nature of trauma, the people it affects, and how we might, both as individuals and as a society, reduce its harm.”
Cass Moriarty, author of The Promise Seed and Parting Words
“Guha’s willingness to confront this murky terrain is courageous, a clinical psychologist and forensic expert, has penned a book about trauma that is not literary, academic, or self-help: it is a clear-eyed analysis by a professionally qualified, socially engaged and intimately informed author. Guha purportedly wrote the book to redress fallacies in “a world that is beset by trauma.” … The most admirable thing [Reclaim] is its advocacy for those caught in the darkest realms of trauma’s slipstream: the least likeable among us, who act out in the most socially unacceptable ways. Guha demands we seek to understand not only traumatized sweethearts (those who invite sympathy) but also people who exhibit alienating, infuriating or frightening trauma-fuelled traits … Reclaim [pushes] back against common value judgements that less traumatized – and more privileged – people make about those living with complex trauma … by looking around soberly – and inviting us to build a “trauma-informed community” and move toward a more just future.”
Dr Meera Atkinson, The Conversation
“[Reclaim] is an excellent starting point for anyone wanting clarification about the impact of trauma, with further information on where to find therapy and support.”
Cheryl Akle, The Australian
“While there are brilliant authors in the fields of domestic violence and trauma recovery, Dr Guha synthesizes the fields so that they’re easy to navigate, offering a compassionate way forward—in gender-neutral language—for both victim and perpetrator.”
Jenny Hedley, Westerly Mag
