“A handbook for the human race.”

—GLENN CLOSE, award-winning actress

“An indispensable book on trauma and healing.”

—GABOR MATÉ, MD, author of The Myth of Normal

What if healing from trauma begins with breaking the silence surrounding it?

If you have experienced trauma, emotional abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault, medical trauma, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), you may have been taught that healing happens quietly by calming your body, managing your reactions, or moving forward without looking back. But what if part of healing is something else entirely: finding a safe way to tell your story?

In When Silence Holds a Story, Harvard-trained psychiatrist and Safe Space Radio host Anne Hallward explores the hidden cost of traumatic silence, and the vortex of shame, fear, and isolation that follows. Drawing on her work as both a therapist and a survivor, as well as conversations with leading experts across the field of trauma, she offers transformative and creative ways to find and claim your voice, while making a powerful case that being deeply heard is central to healing.

In this empowering guide, you will discover:

• Why silence often surrounds trauma, and how it shapes the way you cope
• Why silence makes healing from trauma more difficult
• How to share your story safely, at your own pace and in your own way
• How to include the difficult parts of your story, and meet them with compassion
• What you need to feel truly heard, supported, and understood
• A range of effective trauma therapies and approaches, from somatic to narrative
• How to reclaim your voice to foster connection, meaning, and personal healing
• How telling your story leads to understanding, healing, and positive change that lasts

Warm, insightful, and deeply human, this book honors the courage it takes to speak up, as well as the courage it takes to listen.

Whether you choose to share your story privately with one trusted person or more publicly, When Silence Holds a Story will help you discover how finding your voice can lead to greater healing and lasting change, so you can move forward with confidence, connection, and strength.