In this book Charles Figley, founding president of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS), has assembled the pioneers in the burgeoning field of traumatology. This unique volume presents autobiographical essays of sixteen leaders in the field, each of whom has been recognized by the ISTSS for their contributions to the advancement of the field. Dynamos such as Bessel van der Kolk, Judith Herman, and Yael Danieli will each approach their chapter by answering a series of four fundamental questions that force the author to revisit their initial forays into the field of traumatology before it had been established as such. These four starting questions are as follows: 1) What have been your greatest achievements and contributions to the field? 2) Who were the people who most influenced you to make these contributions? 3) What were the events in your life that lead to your interest in trauma? 4) How would you hope current and future trauma scholars will build upon yourwork? This impressive collection of contributors - a veritable who's-who in the field - writing under the guidance of one of the world's leading tramaulogists will position the book for success among the growing population of trauma specialists, researchers, practitioners, counselors, and trainees. This book has the potential to become a classic text within the traumatology literature, offering generations to come a single compilation of the pioneers of the field.