ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a case study of Monica. Monica had all of the characteristics that predict a favorable prognosis. She was a prototypical “YAVIS” – Young, Attractive, Verbal, Intelligent, and Successful. Monica was a thirty-six-year-old mother and teacher, married to a successful businessman. Monica spent a great deal of time at home with her daughter. With her husband traveling so much, Monica and Vickie enjoyed an even closer than usual mother–daughter relationship. Monica could distinctly hear the footsteps of people rummaging downstairs. Utterly terrified, Monica’s first thought was for Vickie. When Meichenbaum heard Monica’s story, he found that he could barely listen without being moved to tears. Meichenbaum’s strategy was to encourage Monica to talk more fully about her pain and loss, but to do so in a way that would permit and encourage her to get “unstuck” from the moment that the gun went off and the immediate next twenty-four hours of despair.
