The Five Gifts: Discovering Hope, Healing and Strength When Disaster Strikes

"Once a seasoned journalist but now a distinguished scholar and practicing psychotherapist, Dr. Laurie has immersed herself in the academic study of suffering, in addition to the depth her own life story provides . . . . When it comes to teaching how to get up after being knocked down, how to not just survive life's hardest blows but eventually thrive, nothing beats a teacher who has learned through personal experience. I'll be surprised if you don't find this book highly readable and the information in it unusually accessible and easy to understand, digest, and put to use. Dr. Laurie Nadel touches off many new sunbursts of thought as she guides us through what we need to know about coping with life's most troubling times." --From the Foreword by Dan Rather

WHO ISN'T SCARED WATCHING THE NEWS? And for good reason. With the upsurge of violence and catastrophic incidents on the rise, there's a greater likelihood that you, or someone close to you, will be directly impacted by a traumatic event. The Five Gifts is an emergency "Go-Kit" for your heart and mind, packed with information and insights that can minimize and prevent long-term psycho-spiritual damage from any type of disaster.

Written with first-hand wisdom and compassion, Dr. Laurie Nadel integrates what she has learned from over two decades of working with people living with the aftermath of trauma. As a former journalist turned therapist specializing in acute stress, she shares true stories from forgotten heroes who survived such major news events as: September 11th, 2001, the tsunami in Bali, the Rwandan genocide, a political assassination, and random shootings. Dr. Nadel's own life was impacted by the World Trade Center attacks of September 11 and she lost everything she owned during Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Although you can never be fully prepared for a disaster, this book provides practical tips and tools to help you build the emotional stamina and clarity needed to cope with acute stress responses and emotional aftershocks. If you're open to receiving the Five Gifts of Humility, Patience, Empathy, Forgiveness, and Growth, Dr. Laurie Nadel will lead you safely through the minefields of trauma to a place of peace, hope, and strength.