Trauma Research Project

Since June 1996, I have conducted an internet research project designed to study the recovery patterns of adults who experienced abuse and trauma in childhood. Hundreds of online seekers responded and about 200 completed an extensive questionnaire.

The project gathered data about the following factors:

• types of trauma experienced
• immediate and short-term impact of abuse and trauma on psychological, emotional, physical, family relations, & social functioning, types of immediate and subsequent treatment, including individual, couples, group, family, hospital, & outpatient programs
• uses and helpfulness of medication
• helpfulness of 12 step programs
• extent of recovery from trauma-related symptoms and difficulties
• effectiveness of non-therapy recovery experiences

I believe the information shared by participants in the project will help in expanding professional and societal knowledge about what is helpful to those who have abuse and trauma experiences in their histories so that we can offer collective support that is more effective. I hope to publish the results, perhaps in journals designed for professionals or in more accessible formats. This site will be updated to let you know where you can find the results as they become available. Preliminary results are available now (click here).

Thank you for your interest in this project. To those of you who participated during the project goes my heartfelt appreciation for your selfless gifts of time and energy to share what you have discovered in your own healing process. I hope our efforts will make an important difference to those who are still actively struggling to come to terms with the enormous repercussions of early abuse and trauma experiences in their child, adolescent, or adult lives.

You may also be interested to learn more about the kinds of treatment that can help in your recovery process. One source is my book, Healing the Divided Self, which was published in 1995 by W.W. Norton. Although it was written to train therapists to work with individuals who have dissociative, PTSD, and post-traumatic difficulties, it has also been very helpful to people who are recovering from the effects of childhood abuse and trauma.

Another resource is my new book, Finding the Energy to Heal, published by Norton in December, 2000. This book applies the principles of energy psychology to mindbody healing. Energy therapies, including EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), hypnosis, TFT (Thought Field Therapy), and Body-Focused Therapy, are used successfully with health problems related to situational stress; post-traumatic stress; organic disorders such as cancer, heart disease, and arthritis; and developmental conflicts.

Best wishes on your journey of learning and growth.

Maggie Phillips, Ph.D.
Psychologist, Author, and Researcher
Private Practice, Oakland, California

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