How to Heal: A Practical Guide to Nine Natural Therapies You Can Use to Release Your Trauma

Beyer, a trauma survivor and speaker, debuts with this vindicating yet messy trauma recovery primer. Beyer provides “options for healing from the pain, the anger, the guilt, and the sorrow that do not involve talk therapy” but utilize “being around animals, being outside and moving.” After briefly explaining her own history of self-harm and a destructive relationship with a depressive friend during high school, Beyer provides a critical look at trauma itself, paying particular attention to the 1998 landmark Adverse Childhood Experiences study, which has led to the deeper understanding of many trauma disorders and support options. She writes that trauma is a singular experience, because “every single individual responds to an incident in a different way, and trauma lies more in how the individual reacts to a situation than in what the situation was.” Beyer then lays out alternative resources that can supplement medical support: equine therapy, EMDR, dance-movement therapy, and craniosacral therapy, among others. While Beyer’s sensitive prose will ease concerns of other trauma survivors, her lack of clinical or research credentials (along with the absence of proper citations for psychology research) will alienate the clinically educated. Nonetheless, those seeking additional help with their own trauma recovery will want to take a look. (Self-published)