Today I am pleased to introduce Different Dream readers to Margaret Vasquez, a gifted mental health care therapist and author of More Than Words: The Freedom to Thrive After Trauma. In her post, she explains why she wrote the book and provides a glimpse into the precepts foundational to the healing work she does children and adults living with trauma.

With the release of my book in the summer of 2018, I’ve been asked why I decided to write it. The answer is quite simple. It was in response to the continual request for my book over the last 12 years. Back at the end of 2010, I was the guest trauma expert on a week-long series of television shows and over the years since have been a radio guest numerous times. I’ve presented to clinicians, foster and adoptive parents, survivor support groups, school in-services, and churches. The case studies I use to explain trauma, its effects and treatment have been useful to viewers, listeners, attendees and clients have found useful. More Than Words: The Freedom to Thrive After Trauma is a way to pass the information on to others. 

ironically, I had writer’s block that was connected to a difficult experience of my own. As I pressed into the task, starting, stopping and restarting many times, I finally realized that I was stuck in the message of my past experience. Once day, I asked for help from a therapist trained according to the method of treatment we practice at Thrive. The very next day, writing was a completely different experience. The rest of the manuscript flowed.

I’m dyslexic and have a difficult time reading. The difficulty is compounded if the book is dry and academic. Books that are written in a more conversational style keep me more engaged and make reading easier. That’s the voice from which I wrote More Than Words. Trauma is certainly not a light topic, but I wanted to keep the presentation of it as light as possible. I also have a much easier time retaining principles when I learn them via stories. This is why I used so many real life stories to explain what could otherwise be cumbersome material. 

If you’re just looking for an interesting read, I hope you enjoy More Than Words. If you want to become more equipped as a helper, loved one, or parent of someone who has been traumatized, I hope you find the book informative and helpful. If you have been through trauma, I hope it helps you to see that there is more for you than surviving. You were born to THRIVE!

Do you like what you see at DifferentDream.com? You can receive more great content by subscribing to the quarterly Different Dream newsletter and signing up for the daily RSS feed delivered to your email inbox. You can sign up for the first in the pop up box and the second at the bottom of this page.