You Are Not Your Trauma: An ACT Guide for Healing from Within

by Robyn D Walser PhD, Darrah Westrup PhD

Overview

It is a simple fact, and a powerful promise: You are not your trauma. Noted psychologists Robyn D. Walser and Darrah Westrup have devoted their careers to helping people move beyond the pain of trauma and reclaim their lives. In this compassionate book, Drs. Walser and Westrup show how you can harness the proven tools of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on your own. Step by step, ACT helps you build safety and resilience. Learn new ways to confront feared feelings and sensations, detach from thoughts and self-beliefs that keep you stuck, and reconnect with a sense of meaning and purpose. The book is filled with exercises and guided practices (including audio tracks at the companion website) as well as stories of others on the recovery journey. The path to healing starts here.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781462557899
Publisher:	Guilford Publications, Inc.
Publication date:	08/22/2025
Pages:	260
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

Robyn D. Walser, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, educator, and author of several influential books on ACT for professionals and general readers. She is Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and Director of Research at Bay Area Trauma Recovery Clinical Services. She is also on the staff of the National Center for PTSD at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. Internationally known for her compassionate, client-centered approach, Dr. Walser has been working in the field of trauma and conducting the ACT training internationally since the 1990s.

Darrah Westrup, PhD, is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Durango, Colorado, where she specializes in helping clients find freedom from complex trauma and other challenging conditions. She has conducted ACT trainings and workshops worldwide since 2001 and is the author of acclaimed books on ACT for professionals and general readers. Dr. Westrup has served as Director of both the Women’s Mental Health Center and the Women’s Trauma Recovery Program at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Stage 1. Safety and Skills Building: Living More Fully in the Here and Now
1. What Is Trauma Fallout?
2. What Is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?
3. Identifying Your Values
4. Identifying Your Barriers
5. Opening to Emotional Experience
6. Cultivating Mindfulness and Present-Moment Awareness
7. Creating Distance from Traumatic Thoughts
8. Getting to Know Your Self
Stage 2. Planned Exposure to the Trauma: Facing Your Trauma to Regain Control of Your Life
9. Preparing for Exposure Work
10. Completing a Written Exposure
Stage 3. Reconnection to the Here and Now through Values: Building Resilience, Overcoming Obstacles, and Engaged Living
11. Taking Committed Action
12. Building Resilience
13. Overcoming Life’s Obstacles
14. Maintaining Long-Term Healing

Editorial Reviews

"Although I've done well in life, I still experience lingering effects of childhood trauma. The approach in this book has truly helped me to heal. I have learned how to doubt myself less and let in uncomfortable feelings that I once avoided. I now see myself for who I truly am—and my trauma doesn’t define me."—Rachel W., California

"This book has been instrumental in helping me process trauma. It gave me practical guidance and insights I could immediately use. Drs. Walser and Westrup beautifully describe present-minded, value-centered steps to create a meaningful life despite trauma."—Jennie A., Colorado

“I am moved by this book's bold and compassionate message: 'You are more than your trauma.' This book is an essential companion for anyone ready to turn toward their pain with courage and reclaim a life of meaning and wholeness. It is a gift to the world."—Steven C. Hayes, PhD, author of Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life

"An exceptionally thoughtful, compassionate, and empowering guide to working through traumatic experiences and discovering your inner resiliency. At each step along the way, Drs. Walser and Westrup offer moving stories and practical skills for forging a life full of meaning and belonging."—Victoria Lemle Beckner, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco

"Amid the many books on trauma available today, this evidence-based guide stands out for its solid scientific foundation and proven approach. The authors' compassionate expertise shines through every page, making healing feel accessible and achievable."—Louise Hayes, PhD, coauthor of What Makes You Stronger

From the Publisher