How We Grow Through What We Go Through

September 26, 2022
Clinical psychologist Willard (The In-Between Book) lays out strategies for recovering after trauma in this compassionate manual. “We can allow traumas to push us toward more sickness, sadness, fear, and division—or we can use them to water the seeds of our growth and development,” he contends. He notes that the memory of trauma can prime the body to respond to threats in four ways—fight, flee, freeze, or give up—and suggests that readers calm their nervous system by adopting the mindfulness pose of sitting upright and holding their hands over their heart. Explaining how to develop healthy habits, he extols the benefits of taking walks on regulating emotion and recommends refraining from multitasking when eating to foster a more deliberate relationship with food. Trauma survivors’ inner critics tend to be their worst enemies, the author posits, and he urges readers to exercise self-compassion by setting boundaries in difficult relationships, cultivating resilient friendships, and acknowledging how hard it was to live through trauma. Willard has a knack for describing psychological jargon in lay terms, and the uncomplicated guidance is easy to implement (one mindfulness exercise calls for listening to one’s breaths as if they were ocean waves). This approachable manual has some insightful tips.

October 28, 2022

Clinical psychologist Willard (Harvard Medical Sch; Growing Up Mindful) shows that while trauma often continues through lived experiences, one can still grow from and get through it, in what is called "post-traumatic growth," or PTG. The author details how the body and mind are connected and that using breathing and body exercises, mindfulness, and reshaped thoughts can change one's responses to situations. Although many of the topics in this book have been covered before in other self-help books, there are some good sections on mindless versus mindful eating, and an interesting grounding exercise that uses sounds. The book's message and exercises for self-compassion are provocative and valuable strategies for those who either have or are currently experiencing trauma and want to learn how to handle the aftermath. Featuring a table of contents and a citation by chapter section, the book's format is easy-to-read. It feels like a personal therapy session, with its conversational tone and examples about relatable experiences from Willard's previous clients. VERDICT This book is recommended for those interested in self-help, trauma responses, personal growth, and psychology.--Bridgette Whitt

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