• Home
  • Comic Reviews
    ▼
    • All
    • Editor’s Picks
    • Graphic Novels
    • Comic Books
    • Educational
    • Manga
    • bandes dessinées
    • Web Comics
    • Picture Books
    • Unreviewed
  • Podcast
  • Blog
  • Conferences
    ▼
    • 2020 Toronto Conference
    • 2019 Brighton Conference
    • 2018 Vermont Conference
    • 2017 Seattle Conference
      ▼
      • Home
      • Program
      • Registration (NOW CLOSED)
      • Lodging in Seattle
      • 2017 Seattle Conference Sponsors
      • Call for Art
      • Press/Media Inquiries
    • 2016 Dundee Conference
    • 2015 Riverside Conference
    • 2014 Baltimore Conference
      ▼
      • Home
      • Program 2014
        ▼
        • Program 2014
        • Keynote Speakers 2014
        • Marketplace 2014
        • Juried Exhibit 2014
        • Call for Papers 2014 (closed)
      • Accommodation & Travel 2014
        ▼
        • Accommodation & Travel 2014
        • Additional hotel suggestions
      • Sponsors 2014
      • Baltimore Restaurants & Attractions
      • FAQs 2014
      • Registration 2014 (closed)
    • 2013 Brighton Conference
    • 2012 Toronto Conference
    • 2011 Chicago Conference
    • 2010 London Conference
  • Links
    ▼
    • Medicina Grafica (our sister site)
    • National Library of Medicine Graphic Medicine Exhibit
    • Online Articles
    • Comic Sites and Blogs
    • Author and Artist Sites
    • Medical Humanities
  • Publishers
  • About
    ▼
    • Who’s Behind Graphic Medicine?
    • Why “Graphic Medicine”?
    • A Short History of “Art” Comics
  • Contact
  • Shop/Support
Graphic Medicine
  • Home
  • Comic Reviews
    • All
    • Editor’s Picks
    • Graphic Novels
    • Comic Books
    • Educational
    • Manga
    • bandes dessinées
    • Web Comics
    • Picture Books
    • Unreviewed
  • Podcast
  • Blog
  • Conferences
    • 2020 Toronto Conference
    • 2019 Brighton Conference
    • 2018 Vermont Conference
    • 2017 Seattle Conference
      • Home
      • Program
      • Registration (NOW CLOSED)
      • Lodging in Seattle
      • 2017 Seattle Conference Sponsors
      • Call for Art
      • Press/Media Inquiries
    • 2016 Dundee Conference
    • 2015 Riverside Conference
    • 2014 Baltimore Conference
      • Home
      • Program 2014
        • Program 2014
        • Keynote Speakers 2014
        • Marketplace 2014
        • Juried Exhibit 2014
        • Call for Papers 2014 (closed)
      • Accommodation & Travel 2014
        • Accommodation & Travel 2014
        • Additional hotel suggestions
      • Sponsors 2014
      • Baltimore Restaurants & Attractions
      • FAQs 2014
      • Registration 2014 (closed)
    • 2013 Brighton Conference
    • 2012 Toronto Conference
    • 2011 Chicago Conference
    • 2010 London Conference
  • Links
    • Medicina Grafica (our sister site)
    • National Library of Medicine Graphic Medicine Exhibit
    • Online Articles
    • Comic Sites and Blogs
    • Author and Artist Sites
    • Medical Humanities
  • Publishers
  • About
    • Who’s Behind Graphic Medicine?
    • Why “Graphic Medicine”?
    • A Short History of “Art” Comics
  • Contact
  • Shop/Support
Home / Comic Reviews / Comic Books / Trauma is Really Strange

Trauma is Really Strange

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest

Author: Steve Haines (author) and Sophie Standing (illustrator)

Format: Paperback

Pages: 32pp

Publish Date: 21 Dec. 2015

Publisher: Singing Dragon

Catalog ID: ISBN-10: 1848192932 ISBN-13: 978-1848192935

Where to buy: Waterstones

Author website: http://www.stevehaines.net/

Review

Guest review by John Pollard.

Trauma is a complex and dense subject. Developing something approaching a full understanding of it can take years. In Trauma is Really Strange, Steve Haines and Sophie Standing have produced a solid and digestible jumping-off point for those wishing to begin an exploration of the topic. It is clear from reading this comic that it is not just written for those who may have an academic interest in the subject: it is also appropriate for those who are struggling to understand their own firsthand experience of trauma. As in their other comic, Pain is Really Strange, Haines and Standing offer up a clear, humorous and affirmative description of many of the fundamental elements of this issue.

Throughout the course of this comic, in particular during the first half, Haines and Standing touch on elements of the trauma experience and how trauma relates to our basic self-preservation reflexes. Haines’ scripting works very well with Standing’s artistic style: Haines providing crisp and concise introductions to the essentials of subjects like the fight-flight response, while Standing’s artwork communicates, powerfully and economically, the complex emotional and physical experiences such as dissociation . Indeed, there are elements of the trauma experience that seem to defy verbal description, and Standing’s artwork serves as a vital element in what makes this comic work as well as it does.

Haines and Standing primarily describe common expressions and symptoms of trauma from a general point of view, but also use some references to individual experiences here and there. The overall narrative of the comic offers an optimistic outlook on responding to and overcoming the effects of trauma, emphasising how resilient human beings are and highlighting the message that all of us have the ability to endure, overcome and learn from overwhelming events that occur in our lives. Although some experiences relating to trauma are discussed in detail, my only real criticism of this comic would be that the experience of reliving a traumatic event ( a common occurrence in those seeking therapy for trauma recovery) is only given a mention in the comic’s footnotes. Having said this, the scope of this comic is very broad, as it touches on the effect of accumulated stress and the experience of traumatic events in early life (developmental trauma) as well as the currently popular subject of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Haines and Standing acknowledge that they cannot do justice to the full complexity of subject: in the latter part of the comic the authors discuss how the psychological and physiological elements of trauma interact, the preverbal nature of elements of trauma, and the importance of working with the body’s response to trauma as a cornerstone of the recovery process. Haines’ knowledge and experience on this subject comes through clearly, and he provides a well-researched narrative on how our understanding of trauma has developed over the years. He goes into some detail about the neurological elements of  trauma, and brings together a sense of how mysterious and confusing the experience of living with trauma can be.

Finally,  the authors introduce tips for developing good self-regulation when feeling overwhelmed, but only touch on these points lightly, without entering the arena of self-help material. Haines and Standing do not attempt to provide a substitute for professional help, but encourage readers to reach out to others, both professional and otherwise.  Trauma is Really Strange provides a hopeful, encouraging and empathic message about how we can understand and recover from trauma, which people living their own experience of trauma may find useful. As a psychological therapist I would be happy to recommend this comic to some of my clients, and, depending on the client I might be working with, can see myself discussing it during therapy sessions . I was very happy to see a comprehensive reference section on the inside of the back cover: a lot of very well respected texts on working with trauma are listed here, making this comic a great starting point for further learning. In fact, a colleague of mine has referenced this comic in a recent academic case study she was writing, which is a recommendation in itself, I think.

Trauma is Really Strange represents an important contribution to a growing number of comics that help to clarify complex mental health issues, and would happily recommend it.

John Pollard is a psychological therapist working in primary mental health care for the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust. He is completing his clinical doctorate in counselling psychology and psychotherapy at the Metanoia Institute. He is currently conducting research into the use of comics in psychological therapy.

Comments

  1. Louise Dimiceli-Mitran says

    Jul. 17, 2019 at 11:47 am

    As a therapist (LCPC, MT-BC, FAMI), I really love this book! It clearly spells out the effects of trauma and normalizes it for the reader. At the bottom of most pages are the actual references from experts in the neuropsych world. My clients really love this book and I do, too! Highly recommend.

    Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Subscribe to our iTunes Podcast
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Join our Facebook Group
  • Follow us on Instagram
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Subscribe to Graphic Medicine

Join our email list to keep up with the latest Graphic Medicine news!
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Shop / Support Us!

Visit Our Sister Site for Spanish Readers

Visit Our Sister Site for Japanese Readers

Visit the Pathographics Project

Graphic Medicine Database

About Graphic Medicine

Graphic Medicine is a site that explores the interaction between the medium of comics and the discourse of healthcare. We are a community of academics, health carers, authors, artists, and fans of comics and medicine. The site is maintained by an editorial team under the direction of the Graphic Medicine International Collective.

© 2007 - 2021 Graphic Medicine International Collective

WordPress Developer