Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence - from Domestic Abuse to Political Terror

Herman offers a multidimensional analysis of trauma’s psychological aftermath, grounding her work in clinical case studies, survivor testimony, and decades of mental health research. She begins with the assertion that trauma is not only an individual affliction but a social and political one, highlighting how overwhelming experiences compromise an individual’s capacity to integrate memory, emotion, and identity. The psychological effects of trauma, Herman contends, are often cumulative and rooted in a disconnection from self and others, resulting in conditions such as dissociation, intrusive memories, hyperarousal, and emotional numbing.

Throughout the book, Herman emphasizes that the disruption of a survivor’s sense of safety and trust leads to what she calls “a shattered inner schema” (63). Survivors may experience a persistent sense of danger, a distorted sense of self, and intense feelings of shame or helplessness. These internalized effects are often compounded by external obstacles, as others disbelieve or minimize the survivor’s experience. Such attitudes reinforce the survivor’s isolation. Herman’s interdisciplinary references—ranging from George Orwell’s concept of “doublethink” to Freud’s theories on hysteria—illustrate how trauma alters consciousness, disrupts narrative coherence, and fragments identity. One of her most potent metaphors is that of trauma as a hidden wound that continues to fester.