Secrets, Lies, Betrayals: The Body/Mind Connection

by Maggie Scarf

Book Overview

Reading Maggie Scarf's groundbreaking new book could change your life. In Secrets, Lies, Betrayals, the bestselling author of Unfinished Business, Intimate Partners, and Intimate Worlds brilliantly... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679457038
• ISBN13: 9780679457039
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: Random House (NY)
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Vintage Scarf plus!

Vintage Maggie Scarf taken to the next level in that she becomes one of the cases in the book! As always, the author presents the cutting edge of family therapy in a lucid way that few authors can--through her detailed case studies.

Every woman should read this book

Maggie Scarf's insights have been invaluable to me. I was touched by the tremendous empathy she had for her interviewees and particularly impressed with her clear explanation of her research.

The cutting-edge treatment described first-hand

Having used EMDR in my clinical practice for 10 years, I am delighted to have Maggie Scarf's book available to clients and practitioners alike. It is extremely user-friendly in its explanation and description of EMDR treatment. Scarf's personal journey candidly gives a riveting birds-eye view of her own therapy. Clinicians worldwide know first-hand about the efficacy of this treatment. Now the public will have the chance to understand the importance of the mind-body connection in the treatment of psychological problems. It seems to be a "secret" that EMDR has been approved as one of the few methods effective in the treatment of trauma by the Department of Defense, the U.S. Veterans Administration, the American Psychological Association, and The International Society of Traumatic Stress. The Northern Ireland Department of Health, the Israeli National Council for Mental Health, the Red Cross Disaster Mental Health, the United Kingdom Department of Health, and many other countries recommend EMDR as a first-line treatment. Volunteer clinicians in EMDR's Humanitarian Assistance Program have trained thousands of clinicians as well as treated thousands of survivors of disasters around the world: Oklahoma City, NYC 9/11, Columbine, Dunblane Scotland, the Balkans, and following earthquakes and natural disasters in Turkey, Bombay, Bangladesh, Central and South America. Scarf's book touches on some of this research and gives a genuinely understandable introduction to the physiology of the brain/body connection so necessary in accessing and treating long-buried issues. It is a must-read book for anyone interested in the cutting edge of psychotherapy treatment. Moreover, it is a pleasure to read.

Excellent book for professionals and general readers

As in her previous books, Maggie Scarf has tackled an original, fascinating, and complex subject relating to the psyche, integrated both science and psychology, and presented it in a form that appeals to professionals and non-professionals alike.This time, it's the mind-body connection, with particular reference to early traumas such as emotional abuse. Presenting examples from interviews and her own life, Scarf shows how memories of traumatic experiences may be stored in a tiny brain structure known as the "amygdala" for days or even years, long after the original event. Thus, she shows, the body remembers and holds memories of traumas even at a cellular level. Through numerous interviews, Scarf illustrates how such long-retained memories can affect present-day experiences, even those with no apparent connection to the original event.There's so much more to this book than this brief a review can convey. If you have an interest in trauma, or the mind-body connection, I urge you to read this book.

Science Journalist Takes on New Age Therapies

and discovers there's more to them than she might have imagined, in this well-written and personal exploration of the grey area where talk therapies fail and alternative treatments make headway. Award-winning author Scarf may have some traditional therapists shaking in their boots as she describes how traumas impact the body's "wiring," and how simple techniques can "re-wire the system" in ways that talk therapies can't. Her discussion of the trauma of "witnessing" is a must-read for anyone concerned about the personal side of the international tragedies that beset us today.