The House That Resilience Built:
A Psychologist's Approach to Healing Childhood Trauma
Trauma may shame and silence us, but Resilience rebuilds the voice, the self, and the life we deserve.
A #1 New Release in Popular Psychology Psychotherapy and Medical Psychology Pathologies, and an instant Amazon best-seller in Post-Traumatic Stress
With four decades of experience as a psychologist, Tom Glaser offers a compelling blend of sage clinical insight and personal childhood trauma memoir, revealing key moments that spark profound psychological healing.
The House That Resilience Built is both a deeply personal story and a compassionate guide for anyone seeking to understand the long-term effects of trauma—and how, with the help of an empathic, attuned therapist, resilience can unfold in its aftermath.
From growing up in a seemingly picture-perfect neighborhood filled with secrets, to discovering the liberating force of psychotherapy, this book explores both what resilience is and how to obtain it. Along the way, readers encounter Tom’s real-life trauma therapy stories, practical strategies for recovering from trauma, and an empowering framework called the Seven Building Blocks of Trauma Resilience—essential tools for anyone navigating their own healing. Each Building Block is illustrated with an insightful case study that demonstrates how survivors reclaim and restore their resilience.
Whether you’re a survivor, a therapist, or someone seeking to better understand a loved one, The House That Resilience Built is a rare book about trauma and resilience that speaks both to the mind and the heart—validating, inspiring, and illuminating the path forward
An excerpt from the book:
When I decided to address my own issues in psychotherapy, it was my great fortune to find a phenomenal therapist who helped me put into words—for the first time—the overwhelming experiences I endured growing up. In therapy, and in training to become a therapist myself, caring professionals’ attuned presence created a supportive space in which I felt safe enough not only to disclose what happened to me but also to experience and express the related feelings that had been buried for years. Speaking aloud what had once seemed unspeakable changed my life. I found I was not the inadequate, incompetent, inferior person others had labeled me. Along with finding my voice, I uncovered my capacity to connect with myself, others, and my passions. I discovered I was loveable. My resilience bloomed.
We are all born with resilience. It’s what allows us to recover from setbacks. Think of the countless times toddlers fall down when learning to walk. Resilience gets them get back up to try again. Therapy was instrumental in helping me recover and restore my own resilience. Inspired to find everyday habits that support my physical, emotional, and spiritual growth, I can now say that I live a full, rewarding life, doing work I love, helping other trauma survivors recover their own innate resilience.
Whatever brings my clients to therapy—anxiety, depression, relationship struggles, career dissatisfaction, or something else—the vast majority of them are also trauma survivors. I find they can’t make deep, long-lasting personal change without addressing the underlying trauma. Doing so cannot be done in isolation. Survivors heal only in relationship with another skilled human being who helps hold and absorb the deep, complicated feelings and transform the limiting beliefs trauma instills.