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Very Narrow Bridge: Reflections of a Psychologist,
is a unique memoir in which Dr. Rickey Miller interweaves her life stories with those of her patients.
Our journey through life is often shaped by answers that we give ourselves without pausing to consider the questions.
Dr. Miller shines a light on these choice points and our common challenges to manage stress and trauma.
When is it time to give up on a relationship? Why are we able to control of our anger in some situations but not in others? Is religious faith a strength or a weakness? When does helping another become destructive? How can we move from guilt to regret? Why are we sometimes resilient and at other times unable to pull ourselves together?
Dr. Miller shares her struggles raising a gay daughter and a son with a developmental disability. She tells the story of her divorce and her efforts. to care for her mother as she ages
. These stories are interspersed with those of her clinical experiences helping patients with anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, abuse, marital conflict, and chronic pain. Dr. Miller shares her clinical experiences of working with adolescent boys who were required to participate in group therapy, an abused woman who was injured at work, a man who suffered from chronic pain and obsessive-compulsive thoughts and behaviours, and a man who struggled with post-traumatic anxiety, among others.
Dr. Miller's stories and those of her patients highlight strategies for psychological self-care and self-awareness, and encourage readers to feel more compassion for themselves and others.