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Incredible Lives and the Courage to Live Them: Thoughts of a Third Culture Kid therapist
If you are an adult TCK, you probably sense that the multicultural, high mobility experiences of your childhood continue to impact your life in some way now.
Making sense of the impact of these experiences, however, can feel overwhelming, especially if we have long experience of our stories being met with bafflement and incredulity.
My hope is that this collection of my thoughts over the last seven years of working with Third Culture Kids will create space for you to explore and make sense of the incredible life you’ve lived.
As you read, I hope that you feel the invitation of community and belonging where you see your personal experience shared by so many others.
So get comfortable, know you are oh-so welcome, and enjoy the journey! These pages are for you, offered with love and care to you from this TCK therapist.
Praise for Incredible Lives and the Courage to Live
“This book will be familiar and comforting to repatriated ATCKs and a base of understanding for friends who have not shared such a childhood.” Dr. Ann Baker Cottrell
“I highly recommend to all adults who grew up between countries and cultures." Tanya Crossman
“I cannot begin to describe how necessary and important this book is to the TCK world.” Marilyn R. Gardner
“It is a book of hope and will bring healing to many who struggle as I did with wondering how with such an incredible life, there can be places of quiet sadness and grief for no apparent reason.” Ruth E. Van RekenRachel Cason was born in Niger, growing up between the mission field and city life “at home” in England, with a year or so in France as a teenager. Consciously not-belonging to any of the cultural landscapes she moved between, sociology became a lifeline when she realised it could make sense of her experiences in liminal spaces. An early observer of group dynamics, she continued to apply these skills at Keele University where she achieved dual honours in sociology and French. A masters followed, and then a doctorate which allowed her to focus exclusively on the experiences of Third Culture Kids of all ages and backgrounds around identity, belonging and relationship to place. This research was the catalyst for Life Story Therapies, where Rachel works with TCKs using methodology born directly from her research experiences.
Rachel’s current focus is on working with adult TCKs to honour their stories so far, and compassionately support any changes they want to make for their future chapters. When she’s not working, she’s writing her own story - whose particular adventure right now is focused on settledness. To date this looks like getting to grips with home improvements, building local connection, exploring local landscapes, delighting in family life, and figuring out her relationship with her cat! Settling in a small Lincolnshire town has been her biggest adventure so far, with many trips, stumbles and clumsy successes that continue to challenge and enrich her story.
Making sense of the impact of these experiences, however, can feel overwhelming, especially if we have long experience of our stories being met with bafflement and incredulity.
My hope is that this collection of my thoughts over the last seven years of working with Third Culture Kids will create space for you to explore and make sense of the incredible life you’ve lived.
As you read, I hope that you feel the invitation of community and belonging where you see your personal experience shared by so many others.
So get comfortable, know you are oh-so welcome, and enjoy the journey! These pages are for you, offered with love and care to you from this TCK therapist.
Praise for Incredible Lives and the Courage to Live
“This book will be familiar and comforting to repatriated ATCKs and a base of understanding for friends who have not shared such a childhood.” Dr. Ann Baker Cottrell
“I highly recommend to all adults who grew up between countries and cultures." Tanya Crossman
“I cannot begin to describe how necessary and important this book is to the TCK world.” Marilyn R. Gardner
“It is a book of hope and will bring healing to many who struggle as I did with wondering how with such an incredible life, there can be places of quiet sadness and grief for no apparent reason.” Ruth E. Van RekenRachel Cason was born in Niger, growing up between the mission field and city life “at home” in England, with a year or so in France as a teenager. Consciously not-belonging to any of the cultural landscapes she moved between, sociology became a lifeline when she realised it could make sense of her experiences in liminal spaces. An early observer of group dynamics, she continued to apply these skills at Keele University where she achieved dual honours in sociology and French. A masters followed, and then a doctorate which allowed her to focus exclusively on the experiences of Third Culture Kids of all ages and backgrounds around identity, belonging and relationship to place. This research was the catalyst for Life Story Therapies, where Rachel works with TCKs using methodology born directly from her research experiences.
Rachel’s current focus is on working with adult TCKs to honour their stories so far, and compassionately support any changes they want to make for their future chapters. When she’s not working, she’s writing her own story - whose particular adventure right now is focused on settledness. To date this looks like getting to grips with home improvements, building local connection, exploring local landscapes, delighting in family life, and figuring out her relationship with her cat! Settling in a small Lincolnshire town has been her biggest adventure so far, with many trips, stumbles and clumsy successes that continue to challenge and enrich her story.
182 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 18, 2023
8 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 19, 2024
As a TCK myself this was a very nice book to read. It essentially puts a lifetime of various frustrations of not knowing where to land (or how to fit in when you do) onto a page. Still I was expecting less of a physcoanalysis and more anecdotal stories from the many TCKs Rachel interviews at her practice (of course without breaking the client/patient privacy policies). I would have loved to hear myself in stories from other TCKs rather than just summaries about how I may or may not feel about my current situation in life. Still thank you, Rachel, for the book. I would recommend it to anyone who was or is raising TCKs.
July 14, 2023
Dr Cason writes with a rare blend of research-backed understanding and personable warmth. The blend of interesting facts and personal story draws you in, until it feels you are in conversation with the author. The arrangement of topics, meandering back and forth, does not feel scattered but rather adds to the feel of genuine conversation. There are many places of emotional resonance, of invitation to question and reflect. There are moments of gentle challenge, to reassess one's point of view. There is exhortation to listen to others, while validating the need for our own stories to heard. In short, it is a beautiful and balanced read I highly recommend to all adults who grew up between countries and cultures.
January 28, 2024
Wonderful!
As a parent of TCKs, this provided valuable insights to our feelings and experiences. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has ever spent time living in another culture.
As a parent of TCKs, this provided valuable insights to our feelings and experiences. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has ever spent time living in another culture.
July 31, 2024
Dr Cason is a British therapist who is also a Third Culture Kid (TCK) and caters to TCKs. In this book she touches on all the things TCKs celebrate and struggle with. Trauma, change, moving the furniture, resilience, loss, boarding school, language, relationship, balance. It is a very real and helpful book that is easy to read without a lot of professional mumbo jumbo. I highly recommend it to anybody with a nomadic childhood.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews