Trauma & Abuse Resources
The Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network (RAINN) provides support, advocacy, and education for survivors of sexual violence, as well as a 24/7 Hot Line and a Chat Line.
The Spring of Tampa Bay offers a Hot Line, emergency shelter, and additional resources for victims of domestic violence in the Rampa Bay area.
https://www.crisiscenter.com/what-we-do/sexual-assault-services/
The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay offers no-cost advocacy, forensic medical exams, and possible financial and relocation assistance to victims of sexual assault. They are the certified rape crisis center for Hillsborough County and can be reached by dialing 2-1-1
The National Domestic Violence Hotline offers resources for those currently involved in an abusive relationship.
https://www.ptsd.va.gov/index.asp
The National Center for PTSD is a program of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
https://www.giftfromwithin.org/
Offers a wealth of resources on trauma & PTSD, including poetry, art, & music written by survivors.
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk is a seminal work on complex trauma that integrates advances in brain science, attachment research, and body awareness. It’s not an easy read, but it does offer a way-out from PTSD that is not dependent upon medication.
The Courage to Heal by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis, in print since 1988, deals with female victims of childhood sexual abuse, but has relevance for other genders. Note that the book has been criticized by some for promoting the unquestioning acceptance of “recovered memories” of childhood abuse (see here for further discussion: https://www.apa.org/topics/trauma/memories).
Why Does He Do That? by Lundy Bancroft is written by a counselor who specializes in working with abusive men and who uses his understanding of how they think to help women recognize when they are being abused.
General Mental Health Resources
https://www.nami.org/Support-Education/Support-Groups
National Alliance on Mental Health – NAMI offers peer-run support groups for individuals with mental health issues, as well as a help line and on-line discussion groups.
An Invitation to Self-Care by Tracey Cleantis is a nuanced guide to self-care.
Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life by Steven Hayes is a layperson’s introduction to Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), which proposes that we learn to accept difficult feelings rather than struggle against them so we can free our energy to pursue our values.
Meditation & Mindfulness
https://drdansiegel.com/wheel-of-awareness/
The framework of this meditation, represented by a diagram of the “Wheel of Awareness,” is a bit confusing, but the meditation itself is well structured and effective.
https://www.uclahealth.org/marc/audio
The website of UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center, offering a wealth of free meditations and podcasts.
https://www.mindfulnesscds.com/pages/bill-moyers-special
A fascinating 45-minute documentary about Manfulness Based Stress Reduction, pioneered by Jon Kabat Zinn at the UMass Medical Center to offer help for those in chronic pain who failed to respond to traditional treatments.
Secular Meditation by Rick Heller is a practical and easily-digestible guide to meditation for those skeptical of its religious sources.