With a girlfriend’s companionship and a professional counselor’s expertise, Dr. Laurel Shaler walks readers through personal stories and biblical insights that shed light on daily and traumatic stress. In Reclaiming Sanity, she shows How to find freedom from the past Five myths about anger and how to overcome them The antidote for nagging worry and sleepless nights Ways to rebuild trust in others nights
Offering effective action steps toward reclaiming sanity, Dr. Shaler guides readers through the healing process, whether they are dealing with a one-time traumatic event or years of hidden pain.
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This book is one that I will keep going back to. The content is difficult – in a good way. It challenges you to take ownership, to self-examine. It may be a needed kick in the teeth, and it doesn’t shy away from tough topics. It may challenge you to walk back through some hurtful things, too – I know it did for me.
It may feel like a long book – especially because there is so much to process. Don’t rush it. Go slow. Read, journal, go do something else, come back to it. Again, don’t inhale your steak dinner.
Reclaiming Sanity gets into a lot of great Scripture and some theory, but it is easy to read and very practical as well. My favorite part was the “mini-retreat” chapter at the end, which walks you through some of the exercises mentioned for managing stress and emotions.
Also, Dr. Shaler does a really good job with the biblical studies throughout the book. This is an area where many books in the self-help space fall short. This book is loaded with Scripture, but it isn’t proof-texting. It’s appropriately contextualized and interpreted. She also cites great sources (including one of my favorite professors!). You can tell the strength of a nonfiction book by the source material. This one is a strong one.
I received a review copy of this book; all opinions are my own.
Reclaiming sanity
The book discusses emotional healing. Starts out discussing PTSD and how you know you have it. The book has different sections, part 1 and part 2 is called reclaiming me. Part 3 is reclaiming peace. Then the last section is reclaiming sanity. The book does have some real life stories in it.
A couple of quotes from the book, “ the reality is that our past, our whole past, affects our present.” “ Only you can control yourself “.
There is a couple of chapters on being angry. A lot of good points on controlling your angry. I like the one about getting angry while driving at other people when running late. Not the other person fault that your running late.
I received an complimentary book from Celebrate Lit. I was not required to write an positive review. This is my own opinion.
I was really surprised to read the author say, ” Trauma is one of the world’s leading epidemics.” I know things happen to people everyday and sometimes it is very traumatic. Trauma can be having been in a car accident, losing a loved one, an illness or being in a natural disaster. The list is endless and for some people those events can cause trauma that is hard to get over. I did like the first chapter because it goes into a bit more detail about trauma and has a quiz at the end of the chapter for you to take. After reading the first chapter, I was happy to see the author stressing that there are answers to the way we feel going through trauma.
I’m sure many of us have felt like we are losing our mind. The good news is, we aren’t. We just need tools to help us cope with the trauma going on in our lives.I very much agree with the author that trust comes in to play after a traumatic event. The choice we make is important in dealing with trauma. I like that the author uses scriptures to emphasize her statements throughout the book.
I was anxious knowing that chapter four was coming next in my reading. I have PTSD and that is exactly what this chapter deals with. The author discusses that support groups may be helpful for some, speaking to a therapist and sometimes taking medication. I know what works best for me, but everyone must choose what they feel comfortable with. I never liked groups sessions because I was uncomfortable around people. It was always a trust issue for me and the thought of sharing my trauma with others scared me. I loved the scripture the author used to remind us about peace. ” Peace I leave you; my peace I give to you.” ( John 14:27) I have to remind myself of this scripture daily as anxiety tries to take over.
The book has subjects that really get to the heart of trauma and how to overcome it. I like the chapters where the author has included questions for readers to answer about your family life growing up. That is a hard one for me to fill out. I still have a long way to go, but I am a work in progress. The author writes a book that has great advice and examples of how to overcome what has kept us trapped. It may not be an easy road, but God is right there to help you. I did enjoy the book and know this one will be one I will reread many times.
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion
Dr. Laurel Shaler has written an amazing resource on a truly sensitive subject. Mental illness is a topic not many want to talk about, especially those who are suffering from trauma. With honesty, sensitivity, and sincerity the author attempts speak to the heart of the reader and provide help and support for those who greatly need it. She was able to masterfully achieve calling out trauma while not getting into specific triggering content. As she says in her writing, the book is hopefully a support but is not intended to take the place of individual professional help. This is a great resource for anyone who has dealt with trauma in the past or who is trying to walk alongside someone who has. I give this book a resounding 5 stars, and it’s worth every one of them and more!
*I received a copy of this book from the author through CelebrateLit. Thoughts and opinions expressed are mine alone.