The Joy Reset

A groundbreaking, accessible guide to the identifying the key ways trauma prevents joy and hope, with strategies for healing. Joy does not exist only in the moments that are free of pain. In fact, the brightest, tiniest, most important pieces can only be found in the dark. I want to teach you how to harness and amplify the power of that glinting magic--because this sustainable, endless light source will do more than help you get through your darkest, scariest, loneliest times. In The Joy Reset , Dr. MaryCatherine McDonald identifies the six common barriers that prevent us from accessing joy--hypervigilance, emotional numbing, fear of loss, conditioning, guilt, and shame--and then redefines positive emotions as those tenacious, gritty, often tiny experiences that appear within the darkest moments and form the very foundation of psychological resilience. Rooted in the neurobiology that explains how trauma and suffering affect us, Dr. McDonald shares exercises that make joy and gratitude bite-sized and accessible. By emphasizing the very real ways that joy and hope show up even in our toughest moments, The Joy Reset empowers you to find the light in the dark--no matter what.

From the "Bren? Brown of trauma" comes a groundbreaking, actionable guide to healing trauma through a reframing and adaptation of Positive Psychology. Joy can feel complicated, especially to someone who is struggling. Against the very real darkness that life offers up, a chorus of "but do you have a gratitude journal?" or "have you tried yoga?" can feel isolating and dismissive. And yet, the research on resilience, joy, gratitude, hope, and post-traumatic growth proves unequivocally that these emotions are healing. When it comes to deploying that research and adapting it into actionable tools for people with a history of trauma, psychology falls desperately short. To bridge this gap, Dr. MaryCatherine McDonald has reframed these concepts and created new interventions for anyone who struggles to feel at home with joy. In The Joy Reset , Dr. McDonald helps readers identify barriers that prevent them from accessing joy--hypervigilance, emotional numbing, fear of loss, conditioning, guilt, and shame--and then redefines positive emotions as those tenacious, gritty, often tiny experiences that appear within the darkest moments and form the very foundation of psychological resilience. Rooted in the neurobiology that explains how and why trauma and suffering can impede our path to hope and joy, Dr. McDonald shares exercises that make joy and gratitude both bite-sized and accessible, inviting readers to welcome these emotions back in. By emphasizing the very real ways that joy and hope show up even in our toughest moments, The Joy Reset empowers readers to find the light in the dark--no matter what.