A safe place to talk openly about mental health & illness
When Life Hits Hard by Russ Harris draws on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to explore dealing with grief. I'm a big fan of the author based on his other writings about ACT, and this book didn't disappoint. The book is divided into three sections: regroup, rebuild, and revitalize. Grief is framed as a process… Continue reading Book Review: When Life Hits Hard
The Healing Sexual Trauma Workbook by Erika Shershun draws on somatic psychotherapy to help survivors of sexual assault/abuse work through their trauma and find healing. The author herself is a sexual assault survivor. The book isn't specifically oriented towards either isolated traumatic incidents or complex trauma, but seems like it could speak to both. It's… Continue reading Book Review: Healing Sexual Trauma Workbook
I Will Not Be My Mental Illness: Let's Recover Together by Karina Pommainville-Odell, a fellow blogger, is an invitation for the reader to join the author in working on a better life with mental illness. The book's tone is friendly and encouraging, and positive in a realistic rather than over the top way. Chapters are… Continue reading Book Review: I Will Not Be My Mental Illness
In Braving Bipolar: A Family Journey and Guide, Stephanie Schlosser shares her experiences with bipolar disorder in order to support others who have the disorder, provide education and insights for those who don't, and challenge stigma. The book is broken into two parts. Part I gives a chronological view of how the author's illness developed… Continue reading Book Review: Braving Bipolar
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo, whose background is education and who is white herself, looks at racism and why she believes white people don't want to talk about it. I went into the book knowing that it was popular, but having my doubts about the effectiveness of the title at accomplishing the intended effect. White… Continue reading Book Review: White Fragility
The Suicidal Thoughts Workbook by Kathryn Hope Gordon aims to support people experiencing thoughts of suicide to help manage their emotional pain, drawing on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) strategies. The book begins by guiding the reader through worksheets to reflect on reactions to the suicidal thoughts and identify risk factors and elements in the environment… Continue reading Book Review: The Suicidal Thoughts Workbook
Blackness Interrupted: Black Psychology Matters by Nicól Osborne and Tamera Gittens is a passionate call for greater recognition of Black psychology, which pertains specifically to the experiences and culture of African American people. The authors explain the multiple barriers that face African Americans contemplating higher education in fields like psychology. They explain the impact of… Continue reading Book Review: Blackness Interrupted: Black Psychology Matters
Radical Compassion by Tara Brach is her latest book; I've previously reviewed Radical Acceptance. This book focuses on RAIN, which can give you the gift of "living from your full potential." I did a post not long ago about RAIN, which involves Recognizing, Allowing, Investigating, and Nurturing. Brach explains that basic mindfulness meditation involves the… Continue reading Book Review: Radical Compassion
Rewire Your OCD Brain by Catherine M. Pittman and William H. Youngs explains how your brain works and how you can take advantage of that to manage OCD. The book focuses on the two main areas in the brain that are relevant to OCD, the cortex and amygdala. It explains the role of each, how… Continue reading Book Review: Rewire Your OCD Brain
Brain Storm by Shelley Kolton shares her experience discovering as an adult that she'd experienced childhood abuse and developed dissociative identity disorder, as well as the work she did on integration and healing. The book's introduction was written by feminist activist Robin Morgan. She wrote that this book affirms that DID is a feminist issue.… Continue reading Book Review: Brain Storm