Trauma, Culture, and Metaphor ─ Pathways of Transformation and Integration

In Trauma, Culture, and Metaphor, John Wilson and Jacob Lindy explore the language of both individual and collective trauma in an era dominated by globalization and interconnectedness. Through lucid, careful discussion, this important book builds a bridge between the etymology of trauma-related terms commonly used in Western cultures and those of other cultures, such as the Burundi-Rwandan ihahamuka. It also provides the clinician with a framework for working with trauma survivors using a cross-cultural vocabulary—one often based in metaphor—to fully address the experienced trauma and to begin work on reconnection and self-reinvention.

John P. Wilson, PhD, is professor of psychology at Cleveland State University, a Fulbright scholar, and a widely recognized expert on PTSD. He is co-founder and past president of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS), a diplomate and fellow of the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, and a fellow of the American Institute of Stress.

Jacob D. Lindy, MD, is a clinical professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and a training and supervising analyst at the Cincinnati Psychoanalytic Institute.