What to Do When You Feel Broken: How to Let Go of Negative Patterns, Heal Your Relationships and Find Freedom

by Dr Laura Williams

‘Trauma doesn't have to be the end of your story—it can be the beginning of a new, stronger chapter. What to Do When You Feel Broken dives deep into the transformative process known as post-traumatic growth, revealing how even life's most challenging moments can fuel your resilience, strength, and growth.’ Mel Robbins, bestselling author and host of The Mel Robbins Podcast

You’re not broken. Learn how your past impacts your present and develop the mindset you need to break damaging patterns.

Clinical psychologist Dr Laura Williams’ life turned upside down when her husband suddenly died at the age of 37, when they had three young children. This trauma forced her to reconsider the psychological teachings she’d used professionally to help hundreds of others and apply them to her own life.

Dr Laura uses her own personal story to illustrate key psychological concepts we can all benefit from applying to our own lives. You'll learn how

Get to know yourself fully and understand what drives your behaviour and how it impacts your relationships Examine your early conditioning to gain new insight into destructive feelings that you may have repressed for years Use Dr Laura’s four-step HEAL framework to move forward consciously on a new path The toolbox of knowledge and techniques in this book will empower you to pick up your ‘broken parts’ and put them back together to live life with resilience, wisdom and fortitude.

240 pages, Paperback

Published February 18, 2025

Reviews

[Stefano · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredibly helpful book, which manages to achieve a very difficult balance. It illustrates psychological concepts and provides examples and tools that connect and apply to everyday life. Whenever the book utilises academic and professional terminology, it provides clear explanations so that the reader never feels lost or overwhelmed. It is extremely well written and it has a very curated pace.
The author, Dr Laura Williams, often uses her personal story to talk about trauma, feelings and relationships, and this helps create a very strong emotional connection with the reader.
I absolutely recommend reading this book as it has helped me gain a better understanding of my own feelings and behaviours and the tools that are available to work on healthy emotional resilience.

[Lily Hope Everhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeśli interesujesz się psychologią lub masz gorszy czas w życiu, a nie stać Cię na psychologa, ta książka będzie strzałem w dziesiątkę. Autorka w przystępny sposób tłumaczy, jak traumy - przede wszystkim te z dzieciństwa, ale też z dorosłości - oraz wychowanie i genetyka wpływają na nasze wzorce myślowe i dobrostan emocjonalny. Laura Williams podkreśla, że większość z nas przeżyła większe lub mniejsze traumy i często nie jesteśmy świadomi, jak z pozoru „mała drobnostka” mogła na nas wpłynąć.

Bardzo fajne jest to, że książka została napisana naprawdę prostym językiem, a każde pojęcie jest od razu tłumaczone, dzięki czemu każdy będzie w stanie ją zrozumieć. Co więcej, znajdziesz tu historie z życia autorki - o śmierci męża czy pracy w więzieniu w roli psychologa - a także kilka historii jej pacjentów. Dzięki temu nie ma tu samych definicji i suchych faktów.

W większości odświeżyłam sobie dzięki niej wiedzę, ale dowiedziałam się też wielu ciekawostek, takich jak fakt, że gdy przechodzimy traumę, nasze geny się zmieniają i te zmienione (wadliwe) przekazujemy dzieciom. Słyszałam o tym wcześniej, ale nie wiedziałam, że dokładnie tak to działa. Autorka cały czas podkreśla, że dzieciństwo ma duży wpływ na naszą dorosłość, ale nie musi być wyznacznikiem tego, jacy jesteśmy. Poprzez różne nurty, takie jak terapia poznawczo-behawioralna, możemy zmienić swój sposób myślenia, a nawet zachowania.

Zaznaczyłam sobie bardzo dużo fragmentów. Myślę, że nawet jeśli nie ma się większych problemów, jest to wartościowa lektura, po którą warto sięgnąć - tym bardziej że nie jest to „tylko” książka. Na końcu rozdziałów znajdują się ćwiczenia w formie pytań, które pozwalają lepiej poznać samego siebie. Według autorki są one podobne do tych, które usłyszelibyśmy na prawdziwej terapii, więc tym bardziej warto spróbować. Ja jeszcze do nich nie przysiadłam, ale jak tylko znajdę chwilę, na pewno wrócę do tej książki, żeby z nimi popracować.

[Stuart The Paperback Psychologist · Rating 5 out of 5]

In What To Do When You Feel Broken, Dr Laura Williams writes with a unique authority. Dr Laura weaves her experience as a skilled and compassionate Clinical Psychologist, alongside her own experience of trauma, to create a deeply important and compelling read. This authenticity of experience, coupled with information and techniques that are grounded in evidence based psychological therapies, gives the reader a powerful and trustworthy means to understand and work through psychological distress.

This book will appeal to a range of readers, particularly those looking to understand their own psychology and to find practical tools. Moreover, as a Clinical Psychologist myself, I consider that professionals at all stages in their careers will benefit from reading Dr Laura’s book.

I particularly enjoyed Dr Laura’s accessible explanation of psychological formulation and the opportunity she gives readers to develop and understand their own formulation. Throughout the book, Dr Laura draws from a range of psychological therapies including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT), Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) and Schema Therapy.

What To Do When You Feel Broken is a moving, informative and inspirational read. I took a lot from this book, both personally and professionally. Dr Laura writes with a genuine care and understanding of the experience of trauma, whilst providing the hope and the steps needed to rebuild.

[aneta_w_trasie · Rating 5 out of 5]

To książka, po którą sięga się zwykle w momencie, gdy grunt usuwa się spod nóg i właśnie wtedy okazuje się najbardziej potrzebna. Laura Williams pisze wprost do czytelnika, bez nadęcia i moralizowania, jakby mówiła: „Wiem, że jest trudno. Zobaczmy, co możemy z tym zrobić”. Znajdziemy tu konkretne narzędzia do radzenia sobie z kryzysem, stratą czy nagłą zmianą, ale podane w sposób ciepły i przystępny, a nie jak lista zadań do odhaczenia. Bardzo podobało mi się, że autorka nie obiecuje cudownej przemiany w trzy dni raczej pokazuje małe kroki, które pomagają odzyskać poczucie kontroli. To książka o budowaniu odporności psychicznej, ale też o akceptacji tego, że czasem można się rozsypać. Czyta się ją powoli, z ołówkiem w ręku, zatrzymując się przy fragmentach, które trafiają dokładnie tam, gdzie trzeba. Niektóre ćwiczenia są proste, inne wymagają odwagi, ale wszystkie mają jeden cel pomóc wrócić do siebie. To lektura, która nie rozwiąże problemów za nas, ale może stać się pierwszym krokiem do poukładania chaosu.
A Wy kiedy świat się wali, wolicie działać od razu czy najpierw pozwalacie sobie na chwilę zatrzymania? 💛📚

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

i will never be able to praise or recommend this book enough.

beautifully vulnerable and candid, Dr Laura opens up about her own traumas and struggles in a way that makes you feel less alone. through sharing the heartbreaking story of her husband's sudden death, Laura takes us on an exploration of how we can heal from our own traumas and difficult life events.

Dr Laura teaches us that there can be joy after sadness, that joy and sadness can coexist, and that it is okay to feel how you feel. she teaches us to be kind and compassionate to ourselves, how to live a beautifully imperfect life, how to find our own power. through her kind words and practical exercises and prompts at the end of every chapter, this book truly helps you to do the work on yourself.

this book is so much more than a book. it is a companion for life and i know it is something i will come back to again and again throughout my life. it's filled with hope, reassurance, and practical strategies that will help you to heal yourself and find the strength to keep going.

[Bri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book with the hope that it would be a guide on how to rebuild your life after tragedy or loss. However, most of the chapters are filled with clinical definitions and retelling of patient stories that are the manifestation of a clinical term or phenomenon. A great deal of each chapter dissects the relationship between trauma and the influence of experience, indirect teaching and observation on our psyche. I understand that in order to heal we must know the why and the how. Yet, I’m halfway through the book and it doesn’t explain what to do when you feel broken. A person who is down and at their lowest point cannot think in abstract ways or problem solve. They need the basic instructions of what to do so they can move forward. That being said, I give the author grace since the book isn’t meant to replace psycho-therapy or the guidance of a clinical psychologist or a psychiatrist.

[Rachel]

Wasn’t prepared to read the details of her trauma. Probably a useful book to start processes but not much new or helpful when you’ve already been in therapy for a while. Some good prompts for writing, but was an audio book.
Also the Scottish accent was beautiful but hard as an audiobook - spent all the time between words reworking and deciphering to be able to understand it, instead of taking it in. A lot of effort

[Sheryl The Bookworm! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this! I appreciate Dr Williams’ vulnerability in sharing her life experiences and aligning it with psychotherapy concepts for readers’ understanding. I found it really useful in seeing how I formed my personality in relation to my family’s patterns and upbringing.

[Romance Lover · Rating 3 out of 5]

The opening chapters made me bawl my eyes out, and I don’t really have much else to say other than I’m still broken, and now I feel horrible for the author.

[Holly Petteit · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good I made my mum read it and it got her going to therapy

[Mary Jackson _TheMaryReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was easy to read and easy to understand. But after reading it two times I don't feel any different not sure it helped me. I just may be to broken to help.

[Elle Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and simple

Rarely does a book tackle genuine academia and deliver it in such a palatable manner. Accessible, thoughtful, relatable; I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t benefit from reading this.

[Stefano · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredibly helpful book, which manages to achieve a very difficult balance. It illustrates psychological concepts and provides examples and tools that connect and apply to everyday life. Whenever the book utilises academic and professional terminology, it provides clear explanations so that the reader never feels lost or overwhelmed. It is extremely well written and it has a very curated pace.
The author, Dr Laura Williams, often uses her personal story to talk about trauma, feelings and relationships, and this helps create a very strong emotional connection with the reader.
I absolutely recommend reading this book as it has helped me gain a better understanding of my own feelings and behaviours and the tools that are available to work on healthy emotional resilience.