EMPATHY UNCHAINED

Darling offers strategies for trauma resolution in this nonfiction guide.

The author intends her book to help readers “heal past hurt, transcend limiting beliefs about themselves and others, and change behaviors that limit their potential to be present and empathetic in every moment.” Darling cites a 2016 survey indicating that an overwhelming percentage of the world’s nearly 8 billion people would report experiencing some kind of trauma at some point in their lives—the author posits that these traumatic experiences can lead to a broad range of “reactive” behaviors including hating, blaming, criticizing, fixating, and withdrawing. In these pages, Darling advocates “responsive” behaviors, which are more holistic and include actions such as contemplation, reflection, and forgiveness; these practices, the author asserts, will help readers to “rewrite [their] past into a more hopeful present.” Darling uses her own experiences with trauma and healing as a springboard to broader discussions informed by her experience as “a critical consumer of trauma research, a savvy vetter of trauma-healing therapists, and a seasoned explorer of tools to heal my own trauma.” She examines many aspects of trauma and PTSD and their links to habits such as smoking, drinking, or other substance abuse, and she considers the potential benefits of treatments like the trademarked Somatic Experiencing [SE] therapy, which focuses on healing bodily trauma. Darling organically weaves these threads into her discussion about the ways SE can be combined with meditation and reflection to heal both body and mind. The author’s use of stories of people involved in various crises (both her own and those of others) is likewise smoothly and effectively handled. Readers dealing with all manner of stress and trauma might not adopt every approach Darling outlines in her wide-ranging guide, but they’ll find thought-provoking new ways to deal with lingering pain and damage.

A knowledgeable and empathetic manual for dealing with trauma.