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Carry Your Heart: Indigenous Helping Wisdom and the Science of Psychological Flexibility
A Simon & Schuster eBook. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every reader.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 15, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 12, 2026
Overall I found this book really enjoyable, I absolutely whipped through it compared to my usual pacing. The pacing of the book itself and the structure made it easy to read, with lots of natural stopping points without interrupting flow. This more non-traditional structure I feel highlighted the teachings of the book as well; the fact that Western structures, norms, etc., are not always the best fit for the situation at hand. I noticed some mild spelling and grammar errors here and there but as I read a pre-publication copy I don’t anticipate this being an issue post-publication.
I speak about this quite publicly, but I lost my own father to suicide in 2024. A lot of this book really spoke to me on account of that. The teachings about grief, carrying it, being in conversation with it, it all helped me gain a little more perspective on it. Grief is incredibly complex, it really is its own being that we’re in relationship with rather something we simply have, do, or experience.
Dr. Busch also makes expert use of metaphor, something he mentions throughout the book is inherent to Indigenous teachings as it allows us to better connect to what we’re learning, and I wholeheartedly agree. The metaphor about walking on newly frozen ice really spoke to me. Being fully present requires not anxiety, but full embodied noticing. It asks us to listen and watch with all of our senses, to then take a sure step forward informed by what our senses tell us is safe. Noticing creates certainty. Even the metaphor in the title of the book is heavy with meaning. Carry your heart with you, you have to hold it gently so as not to hurt it, but firmly so as not to lose it or drop it. Be kind to yourself, but true.
Turning back to Indigeneity, I come to this book as a non-Indigenous Canadian settler and researcher. Time and time again research has shown that cultural pride IS harm reduction in action, and Dr. Busch’s blending of western psychological sciences with Indigenous teachings proves that yet again. For Indigenous readers, the psychological help that will speak to their hearts the most will often come from within their own Nations, and can be supplemented with western ideas as they are useful to provide a fuller understanding of the self. For my fellow non-Indigenous readers, this book is another example of how there is so much for us to gain from publicly shared teachings from the Nations whose land we’re on. What stands out here to me is relationality. Coming to understand our inner worlds through the lens of relationship rather than individualism can be incredibly healing, regardless of your heritage, and can help us along the journey of reconciliation as well.
I speak about this quite publicly, but I lost my own father to suicide in 2024. A lot of this book really spoke to me on account of that. The teachings about grief, carrying it, being in conversation with it, it all helped me gain a little more perspective on it. Grief is incredibly complex, it really is its own being that we’re in relationship with rather something we simply have, do, or experience.
Dr. Busch also makes expert use of metaphor, something he mentions throughout the book is inherent to Indigenous teachings as it allows us to better connect to what we’re learning, and I wholeheartedly agree. The metaphor about walking on newly frozen ice really spoke to me. Being fully present requires not anxiety, but full embodied noticing. It asks us to listen and watch with all of our senses, to then take a sure step forward informed by what our senses tell us is safe. Noticing creates certainty. Even the metaphor in the title of the book is heavy with meaning. Carry your heart with you, you have to hold it gently so as not to hurt it, but firmly so as not to lose it or drop it. Be kind to yourself, but true.
Turning back to Indigeneity, I come to this book as a non-Indigenous Canadian settler and researcher. Time and time again research has shown that cultural pride IS harm reduction in action, and Dr. Busch’s blending of western psychological sciences with Indigenous teachings proves that yet again. For Indigenous readers, the psychological help that will speak to their hearts the most will often come from within their own Nations, and can be supplemented with western ideas as they are useful to provide a fuller understanding of the self. For my fellow non-Indigenous readers, this book is another example of how there is so much for us to gain from publicly shared teachings from the Nations whose land we’re on. What stands out here to me is relationality. Coming to understand our inner worlds through the lens of relationship rather than individualism can be incredibly healing, regardless of your heritage, and can help us along the journey of reconciliation as well.
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September 15, 2026Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me with an ARC. I choose not to assign star ratings to books centred on lived experiences and cultural teachings, as reducing them to a numerical score does not feel like the most thoughtful or respectful way to reflect on what has been shared.
I deeply appreciated the personal experiences woven throughout Carry Your Heart and the way Louis Busch connects these stories with cultural teachings and Western psychological knowledge.
One of the book’s most meaningful themes is the invitation to listen to our bodies and emotions with curiosity and compassion rather than treating difficult feelings as something we need to suppress or immediately eliminate. I was especially struck by the metaphor of the mind as the child, the body as the mother, and the heart as the grandmother each offering a different kind of wisdom and reminding us of the importance of creating space for all three.
I also valued the opportunity to learn from teachings grounded in Cree worldview and shared by Indigenous Knowledge Holders from across Turtle Island. Busch approaches experiences such as pain, grief, and trauma with care, emphasizing that healing is not about forcing discomfort to disappear but about developing a more compassionate and connected relationship with ourselves.
I would recommend this book to readers interested in Indigenous approaches to wellness, psychological flexibility, self-compassion, and trauma-informed care. It would be especially valuable for healthcare and mental-health professionals who want to consider how Indigenous cultural knowledge and Western psychological practices can exist alongside one another while respecting the integrity of each.
I deeply appreciated the personal experiences woven throughout Carry Your Heart and the way Louis Busch connects these stories with cultural teachings and Western psychological knowledge.
One of the book’s most meaningful themes is the invitation to listen to our bodies and emotions with curiosity and compassion rather than treating difficult feelings as something we need to suppress or immediately eliminate. I was especially struck by the metaphor of the mind as the child, the body as the mother, and the heart as the grandmother each offering a different kind of wisdom and reminding us of the importance of creating space for all three.
I also valued the opportunity to learn from teachings grounded in Cree worldview and shared by Indigenous Knowledge Holders from across Turtle Island. Busch approaches experiences such as pain, grief, and trauma with care, emphasizing that healing is not about forcing discomfort to disappear but about developing a more compassionate and connected relationship with ourselves.
I would recommend this book to readers interested in Indigenous approaches to wellness, psychological flexibility, self-compassion, and trauma-informed care. It would be especially valuable for healthcare and mental-health professionals who want to consider how Indigenous cultural knowledge and Western psychological practices can exist alongside one another while respecting the integrity of each.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Really enjoyed learning from this book!
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for my ARC!
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for my ARC!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
September 10, 2026Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for the ARC!
This was a very solid book. I’d recommend getting a physical copy, because if you’re like me, you’ll probably want to highlight some of the passages.
The pacing was great; the author did a splendid job blending personal narrative with the educational components, and I think the mix of Indigenous teachings and general psychology will be helpful to a large and diverse audience. A limitation of most self-help books (does this qualify as a self-help book?) is that authors often aren’t qualified to give the advice they’re giving, and that the advice only applies to a certain kind of person. I think anyone can take something away from Carry Your Heart, and that non-Indigenous readers specifically have a lot to gain from the knowledge Louis Busch shares in this novel.
This was a very solid book. I’d recommend getting a physical copy, because if you’re like me, you’ll probably want to highlight some of the passages.
The pacing was great; the author did a splendid job blending personal narrative with the educational components, and I think the mix of Indigenous teachings and general psychology will be helpful to a large and diverse audience. A limitation of most self-help books (does this qualify as a self-help book?) is that authors often aren’t qualified to give the advice they’re giving, and that the advice only applies to a certain kind of person. I think anyone can take something away from Carry Your Heart, and that non-Indigenous readers specifically have a lot to gain from the knowledge Louis Busch shares in this novel.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews