'Where the Light Shines' Heals Psychological Trauma

'Where the Light Shines' is not an easy book to read, as the pages describing the author Stephanie's past of abuse and violence make readers pause many times because of the heaviness and pain...

The author of Where the Light Shines is Stephanie Foo - a Malaysian-American journalist and writer. When she was only two and a half years old, her family had to leave Malaysia to settle in California. Everything seemed perfect on the outside. But when you open the door to that beautiful apartment, you will see a completely different reality.

Throughout her childhood, Stephanie endured physical and mental abuse from her parents. She always tried to obey, trying to be a good and understanding child, but what she received in return was not love but the responsibility of a caregiver and to soothe the mental trauma of her parents.

Stephanie has "painted" a colorful picture of her own "survival" journey in the book with emotional and convincing pages.

PHOTO: Publisher

The physical and emotional abuse from her parents left Stephanie with complex post-traumatic stress disorder. It not only affected Stephanie’s daily life, from anxiety, difficulty regulating emotions, self-loathing, but also caused difficulty maintaining relationships, a tendency to be aggressive towards others, or having an unhealthy relationship with the abuser… But the fatal blow of trauma is making a person feel unworthy of love.

Accepting that you have a mental illness is never easy, but the journey to recovery can seem even more difficult. Stephanie Foo has tried many different methods to recover, including psychotherapy, yoga, meditation, and neuroscience- based therapies. One moment she felt fine, then the next she would sink into another pit of feeling like a failure, like a “faulty version” of her destiny.

After all the hard work, the ending of the book is like a fairy tale. Stephanie Foo not only rises from the ashes but also finds a loving husband, a warm family, and a community for her. The miracle does not come from a god, everything she achieves comes from her brave fight and perseverance to overcome the cracks of her past.

With Where the Light Shines (recently published by First News and Dan Tri Publishing House), author Stephanie Foo has become a "survivor" of complex traumatic stress disorder.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/noi-vet-thuong-anh-sang-roi-vao-chua-lanh-nhung-sang-chan-tam-ly-185250707105726582.htm