BrainStorm: From Broken to Blessed on the Bipolar Spectrum

by Sara Schley

Sara Schley is the founder of a consulting business and has worked with hundreds of renowned companies worldwide. She's a proud mother, grandmother, community leader and has been married for twenty-six years. She also has a bipolar II brain. Fearing the stigma, she kept this secret for decades. Until now. In her acclaimed memoir From Broken to Blessed on the Bipolar Spectrum , Sara tells her life-changing story to help end the bipolar stigma, optimize brain health, and save lives. At twenty-one, as a senior in college, Sara was a scholar-athlete who seemed to have it all. Then, like the flip of a switch, she had her first brain A tailspin into a living hell. It was terrifying. It took her twenty-five years and five psychiatrists to get the diagnosis that saved her Sara is on the bipolar spectrum with a bipolar II brain. If you've never heard of the bipolar spectrum, you're not Most healthcare professionals still don't know it exists. Misdiagnosis results and the wrong medications make broken brains worse. However, bipolar exists on a broad spectrum. Understanding this changes With the correct diagnosis, medication, support, and self-care, people who have experienced severe, persistent depression-which is actually a form of bipolar-can live rich, full lives. Sara's life is proof. The self-care disciplines Sara has honed over forty years of living with her bipolar II brain can help anyone who experiences anxiety, stress, or depression heal. Read this book to transform your life or that of someone you love.

Genres: Mental Health, Nonfiction, Memoir

268 pages, Hardcover

Published January 3, 2022

About the author

JOE LAUR and SARA SCHLEY co-founded the SoL Sustainability Consortium in 1998; Sara is a mentor for the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.

Reviews

[Gail Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars for many reasons. I have already sent this book to a therapist friend of mine and will continue to share with others who suffer from some form of brain disorder and those who treat them. Thank you to Sara for bringing it out in the open. It’s important to recognize that there are medications that can help and how necessary it is for the correct diagnosis and treatment. Her story is beautifully told and relatable for people who suffer. I do not have bipolar II but have been on an antidepressant for over 30 years and it’s good that the stigma is not what it used to be. BrainStorm will continue to help with the message. I’d like to see a follow up book talking more about how her family (children and husband) handled living with a mother/wife diagnosed with bipolar II.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have found a lot of comfort in Sara's story, getting diagnosed at the age of 40 (well 39 to be exact, but might as well dive into the prime age of 40). My hypomania - hypomagic as I like to call it - was never as sever as the ones I heard about, mine was mostly amazing. Full of energy, focus, motivation, creativity. All though no sleep, eating habits that hardly existed, and a small understanding for people's problems and tired ness; because I had no problems and I was never tired although I didn't sleep.

This book has helped me in accepting and realizing that I am bipolar, I have had my doubts. Didn't want to accept that because that meant that the best time in my life as I have experienced was hypomagic. That is sad that gas been the sorrow.

But I am better for it, a better person because of my bipolar 2 brain.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve read many memoirs recently, and after this book was recommended by members of a therapist Facebook group, I wanted more from this one. The author’s description of her encounters with Bipolar II lack details & depth. She appears bitter at times toward psychiatrists that she’s worked with and judgemental of various treatment modalities. I worry that someone struggling with Bipolar Disorder might be dissuaded from trying out evidence-based practices based on the judgements in this book.

[Mary Kronenwetter · Rating 5 out of 5]

“What had happened to my good brain?” is the question author, Sara Schley asks herself in her memoir and self-empowerment book, "BrainStorm: From Broken to Blessed on the Bipolar Spectrum." It is a question that Sarah answers in this brutally honest sharing of her experiences with Bipolar II. The book is a lifeline to those who suffer from the mostly misdiagnosed disorder. Sara does not use the term “disorder,” but rather claims her Bipolar II brain. For someone who has lived with the destructive forces that are Bipolar II, reading this book could very well save their lives. The book opens in Part I with deeply personal anecdotes from Sara’s early life, allowing the reader into her life with vividly painted scenes and calling some reader to perhaps recognize inexplicable behavior from a brilliant teenager all the way up to a woman experiencing menopause. Part II opens with Sarah sharing her practices to maintain a healthy and peaceful brain. She includes resources for individuals and families. I was impressed that Sara has two renowned psychiatrists in her corner. Renowned Bipolar Spectrum specialists Dr. James Phelps and Doctor Holly Swartz weigh in on the condition. The combination of the sharing of a life’s journey and a roadmap for hope and health makes "BrainStorm: From Broken to Blessed on the Bipolar Spectrum" a gift to those who might have a bipolar brain, those who love them, and any human who cares for their fellow sojourners on this planet.

[Susan Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! However 30 years too late for me. Similarities I have with the author are a lifetime of struggle, being misdiagnosed and given wrong medications, and living in Massachusetts. I Didn’t have same level of family and friend and medical support that she had. Fortunately? Two years ago I found the Carnivore diet and saturated animal fat and ketosis is the key to reversing it 💯 for me ♥️ I highly recommend the book.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

insightful book

I couldn’t put the book down until I finished it. As a person who has suffered from depression her whole life and have taken every antidepressant more than once it has left me with many questions to ask my doctor.
Thank you for writing this.

[Dahlia Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful memoir, I truly enjoyed getting to know Sara and hearing her stories as she shed light on her experiences and all the knowledge she has collected throughout her life both pre and post her diagnosis.

I learned so much!

[Begench · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lacks depth

[Cassity Haverkamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

A psychiatric nurse practitioner recommended this book to me. It’s a good read if you are in the mental health field or are interested in learning more about bipolar II.

[Pamela Willcox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sara Schley’s memoir is an honest and inspiring look at living with Bipolar II—full of real struggles, hope, and hard-earned wisdom. It’s a must-read for anyone wanting to understand mental health beyond the surface.