A hopeful and approachable book written by the creator of @HealingFromPTSD, the largest trauma healing community on Instagram, in which each chapter is inspired by the top-performing posts from the page.
In each chapter of You're Going to Be Okay, author Madeline Popelka shares an insight that she gained along her healing journey that shifted her perspective, brought her comfort, reduced her shame, or helped her feel less alone. She weaves in her own personal stories throughout the book, providing readers with the encouragement to keep going so survivors can feel whole again after trauma has turned their world upside down.
Readers will find help to release their shame and self-blame as Madeline shows that their experiences are valid, that they aren't crazy, and that their trauma wasn't their fault--that it's never the victim's fault. They will learn why an experience that doesn't seem that bad can still have a profound effect, and that no matter how small their trauma may seem they deserve to heal.
Many survivors feel like they've lost themselves to trauma, and it can seem impossible to find the upside of an experience that's so devastating. You're Going to Be Okay offers ways to heal that can help them find themselves, and even become improved versions of themselves. This empowering book encourages survivors to share their stories to help others feel less alone, once they're ready and able to, and reminds them that healing is a lifelong journey, and while it can be messy and uncomfortable, there are gifts to be found along the way.
Thanks to Netgalley and Hay House Inc. for this advanced ready copy. Some people shy away from self-help books, but this is one is easy to read, appeals to the reader, and explains a lot of how trauma can affect a person. trauma is a small word, but hold a major presence in a persons life. The author tells us how trauma can have residual effects on just about everything that happens to an individual.. This book offers various coping mechanisms, ways to seek help and easy things a person can do any time to cope with trauma. Grab your copy and see how beneficial this book could be.
Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to review this book. It is my first official NetGalley review.
Madeline gave really great advice on ways to overcome trauma. I especially liked her advice on journaling and giving yourself the grace like you would a friend. Sometimes with trauma of all kinds we tend to overwork our emotions. She goes through ways that instead of having anxiety, we can overcome it. She is also vulnerable with her own story and the trauma she faces.
An honest account! Great work normalizing lowercase “t” traumas as well as generational / childhood trauma. Practical and encouraging, will be using in my counseling practice!
While this book was a bit basic for me and I didn't necessarily find anything that really helped or stood out to me, I would buy it for someone who is just starting their healing journey
All of this information are things I already know, but had to piece together from various sources and I think having it all in one place, not having to hunt it down and sort through it all, would be so helpful to someone just starting out overwhelmed by the ideas of beginning a healing journey
So if you're wondering "where do I even start?" this book might be a great read for you. But if you're already further in and are looking for something deeper, this might not be the best book for you
The author has a really engaging voice and I'll confess I did skim, but it was an easy read and not overwhelming while also clearly and compassionately conveying their message
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free digital copy. No review was required and all thoughts are my own
I bought this book after being diagnosed with PTSD. I highly recommend to anyone who has gone through trauma; it’s like a warm hug— you feel heard and seen which is an essential part in anyone’s healing journey. I especially appreciated how the author incorporated racial identity into the book. As someone who is also half Asian and half European, it was such a good perspective to include. I haven’t had the opportunity to chat with other mixed race folks, and this author made me feel like I wasn’t alone in the perspective I hold.
I think this book is helpful for not only somebody experiencing trauma but also for caregivers. Popelka offers insights, encouragement, and resources. She isn’t preachy. I enjoyed the consistent message that healing is hard work and victims of trauma aren’t at fault.
Thank you Netgalley and Hay House Inc. for this ebook in exchange for an honest review.
Though the author clearly suffered from (and was referencing) complex trauma or CPTSD as well as suffered from traumatic events later in life (single-event trauma or PTSD), she only uses the latter term and offers solutions for PTSD. It's very sad, because CPTSD and PTSD are two different issues with different causes, symptoms, and treatments. Although the author suffered from both, she grouped everything into "PTSD" for this book. While CPTSD is not recognized in the crock of shit DSM (though there are petitions trying to change that) and PTSD is usually the given diagnosis on paper for insurance purposes, complex trauma is real and is very different from PTSD.
Now, I've read a lot of books about trauma, and while this one wasn't very helpful for me, it may be helpful to others. I certainly wouldn't discourage anyone from giving it a read, especially if you are newly diagnosed with PTSD (not with CPTSD) or you haven't read many books on the subject. It would probably be helpful as an introductory book, it was very rudimentary. It wasn't a fan favorite for me, but the author put a lot of work into it and it had a lot of potential. This was more memoir than self help, and I would definitely recommend further reading to anyone who does read this book for education on trauma.
Briony berbagi pandangan bahwa penyembuhan sejati dimulai dengan menerima kenyataan bahwa masa lalu kita tidak bisa diubah. Kita tidak bisa menghapus pengalaman atau kenangan buruk, tetapi kita bisa memilih bagaimana mereka membentuk kita ke depan. Dalam bab ini, Popelka menekankan bahwa trauma dan kesulitan yang kita alami adalah bagian dari proses pertumbuhan dan pembelajaran, dan menerima masa lalu kita adalah langkah pertama untuk mengatasi dampaknya.
Namun, Popelka menegaskan bahwa proses penyembuhan dari trauma tidak memiliki batas waktu yang tetap, dan setiap orang memiliki kecepatan penyembuhan yang berbeda-beda.
Bab ini mengingatkan kita untuk memahami bahwa penyembuhan dari trauma tidak memiliki batas waktu, dan kita tidak perlu merasa tertekan untuk sembuh lebih cepat dari yang kita rasa siap.
Bab ini juga menyoroti pentingnya kerentanannya—bahwa kita harus berani membuka diri dan berbagi perasaan kita kepada orang lain, bukan hanya menunjukkan sisi kuat kita. Menerima kenyataan bahwa kita membutuhkan dukungan dan tidak bisa menyembuhkan sendiri adalah bagian dari proses menerima diri dan membangun komunitas yang membantu kita bertumbuh.
Bab ini mengajarkan kita untuk menerima bahwa tidak ada jalan pintas dalam penyembuhan dan bahwa prosesnya memerlukan waktu, kesabaran, dan kesadaran penuh untuk benar-benar sembuh dan berkembang.
Popelka mengingatkan bahwa kita perlu mencintai diri kita sendiri terlebih dahulu sebelum bisa merasakan cinta dan dukungan yang datang dari luar. Hanya dengan menerima diri kita sebagai "cukup" kita dapat mulai menemukan kedamaian dan kebahagiaan sejati.
Briony menjelaskan bahwa meskipun terkadang kita merasa kehilangan energi atau merasa tidak dipahami, berbagi perasaan dan pengalaman dengan orang lain adalah cara yang efektif untuk mengatasi rasa kesepian dan menemukan dukungan. Popelka menegaskan bahwa hubungan yang mendalam dan penuh kasih dapat membantu kita melihat dunia dengan perspektif yang berbeda, memberikan kekuatan, dan mempercepat proses penyembuhan.
Bab ini juga menyarankan untuk menerima kebaikan yang datang dalam hidup kita tanpa merasa bersalah atau tidak layak. Kadang kita merasa tidak pantas menerima kebaikan karena merasa kita belum cukup baik, namun memberi ruang untuk kebaikan adalah bagian dari menerima diri sendiri sepenuhnya.
Popelka menekankan bahwa setiap langkah maju, sekecil apapun, adalah kemajuan yang patut dirayakan.
Hal ini penting karena setiap pencapaian adalah bukti dari perjuangan, ketekunan, dan kemajuan kita dalam perjalanan penyembuhan dan pertumbuhan pribadi.
Bab ini menekankan bahwa kemunduran tidak menghapus pencapaian atau kemajuan yang telah kita buat. Penyembuhan dan pertumbuhan adalah proses yang tidak linier, dan kemunduran hanyalah bagian dari perjalanan yang membuat kita semakin kuat dan lebih bijaksana.
Bab ini juga menyentuh pentingnya berbicara dengan jujur tentang diri kita, baik kepada diri sendiri maupun kepada orang lain. Popelka menekankan bahwa ketika kita menyimpan perasaan kita dalam diam, kita sering kali memperburuk keadaan dengan menekan perasaan yang sebenarnya bisa membantu kita dalam proses penyembuhan. Menyuarakan apa yang kita rasakan memberi kita kekuatan dan kontrol atas perjalanan kita sendiri, serta membuka peluang untuk mendapatkan dukungan yang sangat dibutuhkan.
Penyembuhan adalah perjalanan yang tidak pernah benar-benar selesai, tetapi itu adalah perjalanan yang penuh dengan pertumbuhan dan potensi.
You're Going to Be Okay couldn't have arrived at a better time. In fact, at the exact time I received this ARC via Netgalley I was participating in several trauma training courses for my new employer as a mental health worker. What I found in reading this was the need is great in the mental health arena and as a mental health worker we see this need daily rising. We cannot ignore the pleas for help and the greatest gift in helping our brothers and sisters to stabilize their lives and become self sufficient in their own lives for the betterment of society. In this reading, we uncovered 16 lessons on healing after trauma which were explictly discussed in detail to the advancement of the reader. Trauma Doesn’t Have an Expiration Date, Your Emotions Are Your Allies, You Weren’t Meant to Heal Alone, Hold Space for the Goodness, Embrace the Ongoing Process are great topics for discussion that warranted your attention. For me with advanced knowledge on this topic, having helped others heal on my own self help page -The Lost Self Life After Narcissism, and now having expert training on the topic, as well as being a trauma survivor myself from a DV relationship with a malignant narcissist for many years I can say that this book was just average for the beginner. It was a good starting off point but for those seeking additional more complex answers or to add to the wealth of knowledge obtained this may not be advanced enough for your liking in your field of study or as the average individual. I did enjoy the weekend read and hope you do as well. I'd like to thank the author Madeline Popelka, the publisher Hay House Inc, and Netgalley as well as Kindle for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.
Madeline Popelka's You're Going to Be Okay is a guide for living with and overcoming trauma in one's life. Broken down into "16 lessons," this book takes readers on a healing journey, giving them permission to sit in their pain and find hope and promise for perseverance.
Whether or not You're Going to Be Okay will resonate with you depends largely on if you find wisdom and comfort in Popelka's voice and writing style. I was not expecting this book to be rooted so strongly in anecdotes, which ended up impacting my feelings about the guide. No two people suffer the same trauma, nor are any two personalities equally equipped to deal with the blows that might come our way; and while it is not useful to compare, you often can't help doing it, which is the problem I ran into with this book. I could not relate to Popelka's own interpretation of trauma and style of processing, and because she relied so heavily on her personal experiences to guide her writing, I found myself checking out more times than I would like to admit while reading this book.
While I did not find the information in this book to be relevant, eye-opening, or affirming in regard to my own experiences, the material presented here may be of use to those who are just starting off on a healing journey or who have found themselves stuck and unable to move past a traumatic situation.
Madeline Popelka shares her story. How she went through traumatic experiences, how she found hope and the strength to fight, and how she is now inspiring hope to thousands and thousands of people worldwide.
I don't want to give too much away here, but it is truly an amazing read. I love that Madeline shares the ways that trauma can have an impact on survivors. The different experiences that can lead to having PTSD, but, most of all, the hope she shares. She gives an explanation of what she went through while also creating a safe space for readers to relate and empathise.
The practical tools and resources she lists are also great. There are somethings to try and she shares tips on how to seek help and what the first steps to recovery might be.
I highly recommend 'You're Going to Be Okay'. Whether you've experienced trauma, know someone who has or you're someone who has experienced mental health issues, or even a mental health professional, this book will give you a new insight that I haven't really read about before. As someone who has experienced trauma, this book helped me understand myself a lot more, too.
I found this book to be a bit basic and repetitive overall, but I do agree with another review that if I had read this 4-5 years ago I would have found it very helpful and validating and great to have all of this information in one place with a new PTSD diagnosis. I did find different one liners to be good reminders, and the book in general was pretty validating that my healing journey is on the right path and that my trauma informed therapist has made sound recommendations to me over the years. I would probably recommend this to someone with a new ptsd diagnosis who is being followed by a therapist, as some of the personal story content from the author could be triggering.
I took my time reading this book as it was a journey in itself, I needed time to step away after reading certain chapters but it did help me. It was like having a hug from a friend who really understood how I felt but who also made helpful suggestions along the way that I could incorporate into my life. I would recommend it to anyone who has experienced PTSD especially as it was a lot more ‘gentle’ than other books I have read.
I picked up this book after my mother’s passing and it really helped me a lot. I’m not saying that now I am perfect, but it helped me in the sense that I felt seen, recognized and not alone. It has amazing tips and tricks to cope with trauma and difficult situations. I really hope nobody need this book, but if you are having a hard time, this is the book for you.
I picked up this book after my mother’s passing and it really helped me a lot. I’m not saying that now I am perfect, but it helped me in the sense that I felt seen, recognized and not alone. It has amazing tips and tricks to cope with trauma and difficult situations. I really hope nobody need this book, but if you are having a hard time, this is the book for you.
This book is a gem for anyone who is healing from trauma. There are so many “nuggets” that make you feel empowered. This book gave me more than any self help book ever has. I appreciate the authors vulnerability because it makes you realize you’re not alone and you are not the first person who has healed from trauma and it truly makes you feel like you’re going to be okay.
Thank you thank you thank you Madeline! I have followed @healingfromptsd since 2020 when I really needed it and it has really supported me. Now reading this book helped me once more, I wish I could have read the book in 2020. I can recommend this book to everyone with trauma who needs the compassion and love from someone who understands.
After having a hard time dealing with PTSD, this book was a great tool to feel like I have a helping hand in understanding and dealing with the situation. Easy to read, even though it's a hard subject, Madeline Popelka is a great voice for those who need it.
Felt like a warm hug in the coldness of trauma healing. Would especially recommend it for the beginning of a healing journey when everything can seem so frightening.
4 ⭐ I appreciate receiving an ARC of this to read, it feels odd to review self help / a memoir like this. But I found it interesting and thought provoking.
To say that this book is a wonderful tool for healing would be an understatement. It is beautifully written, and the delivery feels like a friend that’s sitting with you and gently guiding you through the tough stuff. The messages are practical and encouraging, yet mindful that everyone’s journey is different. Definitely a book I will cherish!