September 11

"The overwhelming trauma of 9/11 left us all in a state of speechlessness, horror, and disbelief. The editors of this volume have collected a group of essays on this experience that allow us to begin to comprehend the meaning and impact of that dark day in American history. Moreover, these contributions greatly advance our knowledge of human reactions to trauma and thus make this book an outstanding contribution to the subspeciality of traumatology as well as to the entire mental health field. I highly recommend the book both to clinicians and to students in the mental health professions."

- Glen O. Gabbard, Ph.D., Brown Foundation Chair of Psychoanalysis

"The September 11 terrorist attacks led to an unprecedented community response to alleviate the suffering they created. In this extraordinary book, the authors vividly describe both the horror and the selfless actions that it spurred from a multiplicity of perspectives, ranging from in-the-moment gestures of kindness, to exquisitely thoughtful therapeutic encounters, to monumental institutional undertakings to learn how to best help the survivors. The authors make a compelling case for the importance of human bonds in the recovery from trauma, both at the personal and the national levels. This wise and timely book is indispensible reading for anybody affected by a traumatic event, which is now all of us."

- Alicia F. Lieberman, Ph.D., Professor of Medical Psychology, University of California

"The 9/11 terrorist attack traumatized the nation, and the nation's trauma experts ably responded. This important new book assembles experts froma variety of disciplines -- psychoanalytic clinicians, developmental psychologists, epidemiologists, sociologists, and neurobiologists -- to provide a comprehensive survey of what we knew, what we have recently learned, and what new questions we can now ask about trauma victims and their treatment. Their contributions range from poignant clinical accounts to epidemiological surveys to suggestions about how aspects of psychological and biological development influence the vulnerability of those who are exposed to trauma. The volume as a whole reminds us that one of the possible sequelae of trauma is growth -- growth in knowledge, growth in understanding, and growth in our capacity to cope with future trauma."

- Robert Michels, M.D., Walsh McDermott University Professor of Medicine and Psychiatry