Unshakeable: Trauma-Informed Mindfulness for Collective Awakening

by Jo-ann Rosen

A holistic system for gaining and maintaining the stability of mind needed for personal and social transformation, even in the midst of trauma—with simple, body-based exercises grounded in neuroscience and mindfulness, inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh

With three decades working in marginalized communities in the US, Israel, and the West Bank, mindfulness teacher and psychotherapist Jo-ann Rosen offers a wealth of wisdom and gentle humor in supporting people to access their inner strength and stability—even amidst outer chaos and catastrophe. Rosen draws on the example and practices of her teacher, the peace activist and Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, who founded Plum Village mindfulness practice centers worldwide as places of healing and restoration, to show how meditation can aid collective awakening.
Time and time again, even in places where trauma is commonplace, Rosen has seen that a regulated nervous system allows an individual to move from overwhelm and despair to stability and engagement. The Plum Village approach to well-being cultivates resilience while recognizing the unique social and ecological challenges of our times.
In Unshakeable , Rosen shares the methods by which we can broaden our resiliency, calm our nerves, and positively impact the collective consciousness. By following the practices in this book, we can find an unshakeable source of strength within, not only as individuals, but also as members of strong communities for positive change.

Genres: Nonfiction, Mental Health, Buddhism

352 pages, Paperback

Published November 28, 2023

Reviews

[Leslie Rawls · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inviting, informative, uplifting, powerful.

[Richard Brady · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the world uncovers trauma that’s been hidden from and by many of its more privileged residents, understanding trauma and its alleviation have become subjects of increased interest to doctors, therapists, writers, mindfulness practitioners, and the public. Nowhere will they all find a more readable and lucid explanation of individual and collective trauma, its causes, and its mitigation than in Jo-ann Rosen’s book Unshakeable.
Richard Brady, author of Short Journey Home: Awakening to Freedom with Thich Nhat Hanh (forthcoming)

[Margo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been recommending this book to everyone I know. Jo-ann has written an engaging, accessible and informative book that blends neuroscience with ancient Buddhist practices. The book is a blend of personal anecdotes, easy to do exercises to help you bring your nervous system back into a state of regulation, and Buddhist teaching. Although I've had a long time Buddhist mindfulness meditation practice and have been trained in and taught the Community Resiliency Model, I've been delighted to learn new ways of understanding these approaches.

[Eshaneh · Rating 5 out of 5]

In "Unshakeable," Jo-ann Rosen illuminates a Dharma path before us with the light of self-investigation, which helps us to better understand what is happening in our nervous systems at any given moment. Are we on the edge of what we can handle? Or are we within the "window" of what our nervous systems can cope with? With an authentic, no-BS approach, we gain an insightful roadmap for the journey of bringing mindfulness to our bodies, minds and the whole body-mind nexus in a manner that honors needs for both safety and growth. In the latter part of the book, Rosen offers a wonderful layperson's guide to building Sangha -- community -- so that we can bring to life Thich Nhat Hanh's vision of the community being the next Buddha. With Rosen's wisdom and pragmatic counsel in this book, we seem to be moving within the "window of opportunity" for truly collective awakening.

[Venette Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unshakeable offers us humor and tender wisdom so we may deepen and embrace our deepest understanding of suffering and get unstuck from endless suffering. Every page offers a sangha voice to help us let go of old patterns and practices. This same voice guides us with new ways to quiet the ancestral mind, our present-time mind, and then listen to the serene wisdom of the body, the earth, and the community around us. Trauma-informed and trauma-transformed living within a new framework as neuroscience and Buddha's care guide us to to love, joy, and freedom.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most useful books on mindfulness I have ever read. Here are a lot of practical tools that can be used for people with varying degrees of mindfulness training, and that can be used in everyday situations. I really enjoyed how this book uniquely weds the modern science, psychology and traditional Zen practice.

[Lisa November · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a helpful book that I will definitely keep on my short list to read again and again. There are so many good practices listed in each chapter for implementation in a daily practice. If you have a meditation practice at all - buy this book!

[Linds · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much helpful advice on this book, for the individual and for Sangha facilitators and retreat organisers. Having a trauma-informed approach helps everyone to feel safe and included so they can access and benefit from the wonderful teachings of Buddhism and mindfulness.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

For new or inexperienced practitioners, this would be a fantastic foundational point of reference. However, as a long-term practitioner, the material did not provide new guidance or direction.