Traumatic experience is alarmingly prevalent; few people escape its direct or indirect effects. The author has drawn on his wide experience to help laypersons understand the complex and often bewildering impact of traumatic experience. This work provides a comprehensive and readable summary of current professional knowledge for people of diverse backgrounds and education. Those who are struggling to cope with the direct effects of trauma should find the book an informative and also a sensitive guide to better understanding themselves and their experience. Partners and family members of traumatised individuals can gain increased understanding of and empathy with their loved ones, in addition to learning how to be more supportive. Mental health professionals who work with people with a history of trauma should find the book to be a useful digest of current knowledge that they can share with their patients.