Trauma

Virtually all the aspects of the book’s narrative are defined by the author’s considerations of trauma. On one level, those considerations manifest in Dr. Eger’s recollections of the trauma she suffered before, during, and after her experiences being imprisoned in Auschwitz, i.e. the actual events that traumatized her. This level of consideration also manifests in her descriptions of the traumas of the patients whom she treated in her post-Auschwitz career as a psychologist and therapist, i.e. the actual events that traumatized them.

On another level, considerations of trauma manifest in the author’s recollections of the after-effects of her various traumatic experiences. There are descriptions throughout the narrative of how everyday circumstances triggered sudden, intense flashbacks to memories of her time in Auschwitz. Those flashbacks had physiological effects, such as a racing pulse, shortness of breath, and/or dizziness, as well as psychological...