The Trauma We Don't Talk About

The Trauma We Don’t Talk About by Ana Mael

Somethings are difficult to talk about. Somethings are easier to deal with when in the presence of a psychiatrist or psychologist. I found it very hard to talk about, the trauma I experienced growing up. My grandfather was a pedophile. Someone who did not seem to care who he hurt. When he told me that he did the same thing to my mother, I thought it was normal. I won’t get into my past but I will say that my future looks so much better now. This book is powerful. There are many topics it touches on and the chapters are small but handle the topics with compassion and boldness. Some things need to be said. I am not a psychologist but am in the medical field so I can say that trauma caused deep rooted anger and sadness. It can take years to learn how to cope and deal with whatever your trauma was. This book separates things such as addiction, child abuse, child neglect and other powerful changes. I realized that I was using Witt as a way to cope as well as why I was afraid to let others get close to me. Hopefully, these issues will go away and I can live a much happier life. I am still struggling with hatred towards my grandfather and that sometimes consumes me but this book talks about those issues holding you back. I wish this self help book came out 20 yrs ago. I can say that I have not read another book close to this one. It is set apart from others due to the way the author helps the reader advocate for themselves.


5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley as well as the author and publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my unbiased and honest review.

There are many many experiences where I thought was okay turned out to be a trauma response. What saddened me and made it even more personal is how most of the traumas come from the people close to us. The family who failed to provide love and safety and how those lackings affect someone far into their future.

This book explained many many types of trauma, starting from your mind, your body, how you heal and positive reminders that you're human and should be treated at one. It diverses to any form of trauma and represent lots of groups so you may find yourself in one of those situations. It covers not only personal trauma but also trauma as a group or identity, as well as intergenerational trauma.

I love how this book is informative yet flawlessly page turning. SHORT CHAPTERS with POETRY in it!!!

Read this book as a way to know yourself, to be heard, and to realize that we're in this together.

This book. Wow. When I delve into the nonfiction space, I usually want to read things that will teach me something and this book was that. I would recommend for anyone who has gone through trauma or wants to understand someone who has gone through trauma.

I am doing my PhD in trauma and fiction and this book was a great read for my research.

Definitely recommend but please note the content warnings before diving in!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

I really liked how this resource is applicable and relatable. Great entering point to give clients as to bring up what they relate to with EMDR therapy.

This book was gifted to me by the publisher through NetGallery and all opinions are my own.

#ptsdtraumarecovery #NetGalley

Whoa I definitely highlighted the heck out of this book. Mael presents trauma plainly and not like this abstract one time event. It is complex and shifts the way you see yourself, safety, situations, and while your mind might forget your body doesn't. This is an absolute must read if you're thinking about trauma informed care and somatic healing. My only critique is there were essays that I felt could have been longer.

This book is such a good read for anyone who has dealt with trauma (or who is figuring out how to deal with it). It's sorted out well so you can pick it up and go to a particular chapter that matters to you most at that moment. It feels like a discussion with a friend- without feeling too vulnerable. You can read at your own pace and think on hard things without being rushed. I found myself highlighting a lot of things throughout this and nodding my head at a lot of things. Trauma can be so misunderstood - but this book made me feel understood and seen.

When you've lived through emotional abuse as a child, you normalize it and don't attribute trauma responses to your experiences. Reading this helped validate my experience and made me feel less alone. It reaffirmed the the things I've been through and witnessed was not ok and it's valid for me to feel the effects of trauma from it. It is painful and helpful at the same time, because it does mean reliving certain hard moments, but if you're already reliving those moments, this book will make you feel less alone in the struggle.