“This is more than a book. American PTSD is a healing journey.  Reading it can free us from the Disorder and reawaken the Dream.”

– Lynne Twist, author, The Soul of Money, and co-founder, The Pachamama Alliance

“America's problems are not only about policy. They are about the trauma underneath our policy. Mark Gerzon names what so many of us feel but cannot say and then, more importantly, shows us the way through it — together.”

– Van Jones, CNN Host

"Are you one of the many millions of Americans who feel that our country has lost its way? Then Mark Gerzon's new book - American PTSD - is for you. It shares an insightful new framework for understanding what went wrong and will help you figure out how to respond constructively and creatively.

– Peter C. Goldmark, former president, Rockefeller Foundation

“American PTSD is a brilliant heart-rending book in this perilous time. It reads like a gripping family saga written by a relative whose love for his family never clouds his honest assessment. Gerzon has cut through the hazy Gaslit Era to reveal our mental instability and remind us that it comes from trauma — and trauma can be healed. This desperately needed diagnosis can heal the historically accumulated trauma that is tearing our nation apart. His prescription has the potency to enable the U.S. to become a respected and beloved world leader.”

– Jennifer Fraser Ph.D., author, The Gaslit Brain

“Mark Gerzon takes us on a courageous journey into the depths of the collective psyche of the United States, illuminating the hidden dimension of the trauma landscape we all share. Collective trauma is one of the most influential yet unseen root causes of suffering in our world. If we want to live in a world that is a home for everyone—and one that moves past the phrase 'history repeats'—we need to read this book.”

– Thomas Hubl, host of the Collective Trauma Summit, and coauthor of Releasing Our Burdens: A Guide to Healing Individual, Ancestral and Collective Trauma

“Mark Gerzon knows that we cannot answer the question, ‘How do we get out of this mess?' until we have answered the question, ‘How did we get into this mess?’ We historians have good reason to welcome a colleague who is equally adept at answering both questions. In American PTSD, Gerzon proves to be skilled at both diagnosing the origins of today’s dilemmas and prescribing down-to-earth routes to recovery.”

– Patricia Limerick, Professor of History, and Faculty Director of the Applied History Initiative at the University of Colorado, and author, The Legacy of Conquest

“As an American Indian, I suffer from PTSD and recognize the importance of this book. American PTSD is a comprehensive assessment of the challenges that many People face in our world today. Respect is the first law of American Indian People, and Gerzon correctly highlights that as a way of healing. This book is a must-read for those who are suffering from the chaos that we live in today.”

– Richard Williams, President, People of the Sacred Land

“If you feel American culture is in a downward spiral and you don't want to pulled down with it, read American PTSD. It provides a powerful path toward healing ourselves, restoring our communities, and renewing America.”

– Maria Brinck, author, The Leadership We Need

“Mark Gerzon offers a thoughtful and provocative exploration of the psychological and cultural forces shaping American life. American PTSD is a timely book that challenges us to think differently about trauma, polarization, and healing.”

– Jonathan Alpert, psychotherapist and author, Therapy Nation

“In a powerful and practical way, Mark Gerzon explores how the inner and outer traumas of our lives are intertwined. May this book serve as another guiding voice to bring us out of the fog of separation and domination so that we can create the lives, and world, we long for. Ones that hold life as sacred.”

– Staci K. Haines, author of The Politics of Trauma: Somatics, Healing and Social Justice

“America's future depends not only on what we build, but on what we are willing to heal. In American PTSD, Mark Gerzon shows how the intersecting legacies of poverty and racism have become sources of collective trauma that diminish us all. These are not simply historical injustices; they are wounds carried in our institutions, our communities, and our relationships. This book is a timely call to pursue healing alongside justice. Our shared flourishing depends upon our willingness to tell the whole story of America and to build a future where every person belongs, and every community has the opportunity to thrive.”

– Michael McAfee, CEO, PolicyLink

“Given the reality of our lives—constant bombardment with images and sounds of horrendous events; wars in the Middle East and Ukraine; innocent people killed/murdered by agents of our own government; an almost daily abuse by the most powerful of the rule of law, a fundamental pillars of American democracy—it is clear that we are all suffering from collective trauma. Add to that the traumas that each of us experience in our personal lives and Mark Gerzon's book is an essential read for our time. He provides readers with a wise and deeply moving gateway to understanding the path to healing our traumas individually and collectively.”                 

– Carolyn Lukensmeyer, Founder and President, AmericaSpeaks; founding executive Director, the National Institute for Civil Discourse

“In American PTSD, Mark Gerzon invites us to look honestly at the wounds that have shaped our national story and helps us understand them. Our scars are signposts toward our possible future. Of we face them with courage and compassion, we can move closer to fulfilling our highest ideals and realizing the promise of America.”

– Bill Shireman, civic innovator, Founder of Circle America and author, What the GOP Can Learn from Nike

“Drawing on his decades of work mediating conflicts that divide our country, Mark has written a book that is both critical and patriotic. American PTSD is a bold and loving call to heal our collective traumas and find a way to realize the American Dream of liberty and justice for all.”

– Jason Jay, co-author, Breaking Through Gridlock, and Director, MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative

“American PTSD is an exceptionally comprehensive analysis of the sources of trauma in the United States today. The best way to start healing our country is to pursue the six practices outlined in this timely book.”

– Jim Halderman, Rotary Club Ombudsman, and author, Wizard Brain and Monkey Mind

“Mark Gerzon is the kind of patriot our nation needs. His brilliant new book, American PTSD, goes directly to the collective problem and how to solve it by finally addressing the grief and trauma in ourselves. This book is a must read for those of us who want to heal our nation.”

– Dr. Ken Druck, international expert on traumatic loss

"In American PTSD, Mark has once again written a book that helps us heal the soul of America. The book tells our collective story that has often been shaped by individual and collective traumas. This book is filled with hope and charts a way forward together.”

– Gary Ivory, President and CEO, Youth Action Projects

“American PTSD is about what becomes possible IF we dare to face our nearly universal societal trauma. The resulting fear causes much of the unkindness, inhumanity, and ‘othering’ in our world. Understanding our trauma can enable us to replace fear with the ability to hold divergent views in our heads and hearts and help our society heal its divisiveness.”

– Jerilyn DeCoteau, Turtle Mountain Chippewa and Native American Rights lawyer, cofounder of Right Relationship Boulder