The Time Cure: Overcoming Ptsd with the New Psychology of Time Perspective Therapy - Hardcover

by Philip Zimbardo (Author), Richard Sword (Author), Rosemary Sword (Author)

In his landmark book, The Time Paradox, internationally known psychologist Philip Zimbardo showed that we can transform the way we think about our past, present, and future to attain greater success in work and in life. Now, in The Time Cure, Zimbardo has teamed with clinicians Richard and Rosemary Sword to reveal a groundbreaking approach that helps those living with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to shift their time perspectives and move beyond the traumatic past toward a more positive future.

Time Perspective Therapy switches the focus from past to present, from negative to positive, clearing the pathway for the best yet to come: the future. It helps PTSD sufferers pull their feet out of the quicksand of past traumas and step firmly on the solid ground of the present, allowing them to take a step forward into a brighter future. Rather than viewing PTSD as a mental illness the authors see it as a mental injury--a normal reaction to traumatic events--and offer those suffering from PTSD the healing balm of hope.

The Time Cure lays out the step-by-step process of Time Perspective Therapy, which has proven effective for a wide range of individuals, from veterans to survivors of abuse, accidents, assault, and neglect. Rooted in psychological research, the book also includes a wealth of vivid and inspiring stories from real-life PTSD sufferers--effective for individuals seeking self-help, their loved ones, therapists and counselors, or anyone who wants to move forward to a brighter future.

Front Jacket

Praise for The Time Cure

"Dr. Zimbardo and Dr. Richard and Rosemary Sword have advanced both a model and a philosophy that empowers those impacted by PTSD to help themselves find the peace and balance that was lost through trauma. Time Perspective Therapy (TPT) is a powerful breakthrough at a time when the need has never been greater. This book will change the lives of so many that have felt lost to a life of fear and anguish, but now can discover the joy of a hope-filled future."
--DR. PHIL MCGRAW, bestselling author and host, Dr. Phil

"Trauma can often disrupt perspective, locking one's eyes onto painful events in the rearview mirror. Read this book if you want to know how to return your focus to the road."
--DAVID EAGLEMAN, neuroscientist, Baylor College of Medicine; author, Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain

"The Time Cure is a magnificent offering to the PTSD literature. No serious researcher or clinical professional in the field of psychological post-trauma should be without a copy on their bookshelves. With the burgeoning number of war veterans with PTSD as well as traumatized individuals from other walks of life, this timely book can be generalized to a wide variety of settings and situations."
--HAROLD HALL, PH.D., ABPP, APN, editor, Terrorism: Strategies for Intervention; director, Pacific Institute for the Study of Conflict and Aggression

"Our current generation of military suffers greatly from the emotional wounds of war (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Time Perspective Therapy can be a helpful technique to unravel the emotional chaos of the past, create a focused present, and move toward a hopeful future for today's soldiers, veterans, and our families."
--TED ENGELMANN, writer, photographer, and Viet Nam veteran

"The most widely prescribed therapies for PTSD, due to their revisiting of painful past experiences, often drive clients away before long-lasting healing can begin. The Time Cure offers a welcome alternative that empowers individuals to refocus thoughts into more productive pathways that lead out of the negative past into a more hopeful, goal-directed future. This promising new approach could revolutionize the manner in which PTSD is treated."
--DON KOPF, PH.D., psychologist, Positive Potential Counseling and Consulting, Honolulu, Hawaii

Author Biography

PHILIP G. ZIMBARDO, PhD, (Palo Alto, CA) is an internationally recognized scholar, educator, researcher, and media personality. A professor emeritus at Stanford University, Zimbardo is best known for his landmark Stanford prison study. He is also the author of numerous successful books including The Lucifer Effect (Random House, 2007) and The Time Paradox (Free Press, 2008), as well as psychology textbooks. He has taught at Stanford, Yale, NYU, and Columbia, and is a past president of the American Psychological Association.

RICHARD M. SWORD, PhD, (Makawao, HI) is a practicing psychologist on Maui. His work in behavioral medicine has helped hundreds of people heal from traumatic events, including accidents, physical injuries, and combat-related PTSD. Sword has worked with FEMA to develop a model for Psychology in Disaster Stress Response, and has worked with Vietnam Veterans for over 20 years. He is recognized by the Veterans Administration as a leading expert in combat-related PTSD. To learn more, visit www.lifehut.com.

ROSEMARY SWORD (Makawao, HI) is a counselor in private practice. She is on the Integrative Medicine staff at the Cardiac Care Unit of Maui Memorial Medical Center.