First published in 1998. Paul Valent sees that the dialectic is not between "life and death" but between "life and trauma". This text theorizes that the big issues of life can now be approached through the science of traumatology. Through communication with, and observation of, people whose lives have been stretched under stress or disrupted by trauma, the fulfilling components of their lives can be defined, oriented and categorized. It introduces the theory on the back of clinical and historical material, examining the current state of such concepts as stress, trauma, defences, memories, post post-traumatic stress disorder, and other illnesses. It should be of interest to those in the healing professions or to those who work with traumatized individuals, lawyers, social workers, clergy and those in the humanities in general.