Böcker av Tom Ahern

People tend to think of "trauma" as something exclusively topical to war veterans and abuse victims, for example. It isn't. Trauma is subjective, and it can distress individuals for days, months and years if they do not possess the proper tools to work through, reconcile and integrate it. When something unexpected happens-something unforeseen and deeply disturbing-the mind can remain in a chronic state of shock. So it is not what happens that necessarily induces a traumatic response, but the degree to which the experience was unknown and unexpected. What is traumatising for someone may be laughable for someone else.Tom Ahern works as a counsellor, and is often met with shame on the part of clients who feel as though they should simply "grow up" and "move on" from their troublesome past. They make excuses, stating that what they went through was nowhere near what friends of theirs have experienced, or what they've read about or seen on the news. Yet the irony of this is that by not accepting their pain, their pain remains. Trauma is subjective.Echoes From The Past seeks to break down the stigma surrounding traumatic response with an inclusive approach, not only validating seemingly "trivial" experiences but also giving people the tools to move on with their lives, integrating their painful experiences into a more fulfilling life narrative. One of the worst things people do in this day and age is disregard the way they feel. They tell themselves they shouldn't be feeling certain ways or that it's wrong to do so. This is like telling rabbits they shouldn't have fluffy tales or telling politicians not to lie! As a consequence, they learn not to trust themselves because they have disregarded perhaps the greatest and most intelligent source of truth: their emotions.Echoes From The Past is a journey back to the Self. This book will show people how to listen to themselves; teach them how the brain and body respond to the unknown as well as what they can do to heal their past and move on with their lives-owning their experiences-thereby no longer rendered a victim to them.

But, You Never Left explores the concept of "identity": why it's malleable, why we lose it, what happens when we do and how to build a new one. Tom leans on anecdotes, narrative therapy, mythology, psychological research and spiritual texts as well as evolutionary frameworks to explain what it means to be human, in so far as we can conceptualise ourselves.But, You Never Left aims to solve perhaps the most fundamental question itching beneath the surface of every existentialist's skin: "What is the meaning of life?" Across multiple levels of analysis, Tom believes the answer to that question is that there is no answer! Meaning is constructed-not found-by what an individual decides to give the most meaning to-what he or she chooses to value above all else. Ultimately, conscious action will help individuals find their purpose because, put simply, they'll have created it for themselves.Tom shares his personal experiences: his pains, anxieties and journey to explore the personal and collective psyche. He hopes to convey the importance of clarity and goal-directed behaviour-life jackets that help keep individuals afloat whilst swimming within the sea of life's infinite potential for action. After all, the best way to find a path is to create one for yourself.

Life and death in a baby-boom family: a GI father betrayed by his wife; adored, despised, then ill and at the mercies of a conflicted son.

'Yes I'm fine, just tired', is a first person account of how Tom went from being a teenager, disabled by Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, panic attacks and anxiety, to an adult content with who he is. Everyone experiences anxiety at some point in their lives. However, more people are coming to view anxiety not as a disorder (necessarily) but as an emotion. It rises and falls based on the level of perceived danger. It acts as a protective mechanism in this way.Tom explores these concepts from an evolutionary, psychological, biological and social standpoint using his experiences as a way to draw upon similarities with others. Tom hopes his experiences will shed some light as to why anxiety has become increasingly more prevalent within the western world. Tom's narrative coincides with the methods and teachings of Charles Linden in 'The Linden Method' as well as Barry McDonagh's 'Dare Response'. With the ever-increasing amount of distraction in our world, it is imperative we spend more time with ourselves to get to know ourselves.Tom hopes his experiences will help define what anxiety is, what it can do, why we have it as well as how it manifests itself so that it does not prevent others from living their lives as it once did for him.

Written by fundraising experts Tom Ahern and Simone Joyaux, Keep Your Donors is a new, winning guide to making disappointing donor retention rates a thing of the past. This practical and provocative book will show you how to master the strategies and tactics that make fundraising communications profitable.