Crucial Moments:

Stories of Support in Times of Crisis

by Jeffrey T Mitchell Ph.D. and William “Josey” Visnovske

Crucial Moments is a book of powerful true stories of both positive and negative human reactions to distressing events. Each story is accompanied by lessons learned about traumatic events, loss, grief and, most especially, recovery. It is also a book of personal hope that the next day will be better than the day a tragedy struck. Crucial Moments inspires us with the conviction that each of us has within ourselves the potential to made a difference in the lives of others by offering care and kindness toward family, friends, and strangers — perhaps at just the right time.

Crucial Moments is about being courageous in the face of adversity and not giving up when life is unusually tough. This unusual book offers guidelines for reaching out to others in times of crisis. It is a short, but excellent, peer support crisis intervention manual. It offers insights into the collision of worlds that often occurs when situations in the work place collide with circumstances at home. Crucial Moments is a book that can help you understand your personal reactions to horrible events. It can help you to develop a road map toward recovery. It can guide you in recognizing the triggers that bring disturbing memories back from the past.

Crucial Moments provides explanations of how the human brain processes and attempts to categorize every personal traumatic event. It explains how we can get stuck on our own internal “hamster wheel” when we are unable to make sense out of the chaotic world around us. Crucial Moments may make you smile; it may bring a tear to your eye; it may offer some peace to a traumatized mind. Most of all, it may touch your heart.