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Whole Again cover art

Whole Again

Written by: Jackson MacKenzie, Shannon Thomas - foreword
Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith, Erin Spencer
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Publisher's Summary

From a leading voice on recovering from toxic relationships, a deeply insightful guide to getting back to your "old self" again - in order to truly heal and move on.

Jackson MacKenzie has helped millions of people in their struggle to understand the experience of toxic relationships. His first book, Psychopath Free, explained how to identify and survive the immediate situation. In this highly anticipated new audiobook, he guides listeners on what to do next - how to fully heal from abuse in order to find love and acceptance for the self and others.

Through his work with thousands of survivors of abusive relationships, Jackson discovered that survivors frequently have symptoms of trauma lasting long after the relationship is over. These may include feelings of numbness and emptiness, depression, mood swings, isolation, perfectionism, rumination, caretaking and people-pleasing, a need for control, physical maladies, substance abuse, and more.

But he also found that it is possible to work through these symptoms and find fulfillment and love on the other side. In Whole Again, he shares insights and tools for working through the protective self we've developed so that we can finally move on to live a full and authentic life - to once again feel light, free, whole, and ready to give and receive love.

Like Brené Brown's The Gifts of Imperfection and John Bradshaw's Healing the Shame that Binds You, Whole Again offers hope and multiple strategies to anyone who has survived a toxic relationship, as well as anyone suffering the effects of a breakup involving lying, cheating, and other forms of abuse - to release old wounds and safely let the love back inside where it belongs.

©2019 Jackson MacKenzie and Shannon Thomas (P)2019 Penguin Audio

What the critics say

“In Whole Again, Jackson MacKenzie lays open some of his own personal wounds to advise on how scars from past traumas can heal. He describes how development of a ‘protective self’ can provide acute, numbing relief from emotional pain, but at the expense of more enduring self-acceptance. MacKenzie addresses co-dependency, addiction, post-traumatic stress, and borderline, narcissistic, and other personality disorders, outlining pathways to achieve forgiveness and discharging shame. This book may help fill in the holes that can make you whole again.” (Jerold Kreisman, MD, co-author of I Hate You, Don’t Leave Me: Understanding the Borderline Personality)

"Jackson’s book is an empathetic gem of true knowing. Dismantling the effects of trauma can be a daunting undertaking. Whole Again is a compassionate guide. It takes your hand and encourages you to keep going, prompting you to build a power base of self-discovery that takes you home to yourself. All true healing happens within, which in turn offers you the miracle of hope." (Sarah Brassard, author of Inside: A Guide to the Resources Within to Stay Connected to Your Truth, Even in Trying Times)

"In Whole Again, Jackson MacKenzie has synthesized the important basic principles and tools of healing and writes in a style that is both warm and articulate. Whole Again offers a good starting point for those not yet ready for therapy or in conjunction with therapy. It is almost impossible to deal effectively on your own with the effects of trauma and abuse, but having a supportive community and using the simple tools in this book can help you begin the journey toward healing." (Stan Tatkin, PsyD, MFT, founder of A Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy® [PACT], and author of Wired for Love and We Do: Saying Yes to a Relationship of Depth, True Connection, and Enduring Love)

What listeners say about Whole Again

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Hope

This book is full of hope. It provides clear and concise definition and direction for a positive life after being subjected to this type of relationship

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Renewed sense of hope and direction for healing

Very well written and easy to listen to. It evoked such emotion within me and has renewed my sense of direction and hope for healing. This book resonated so deeply within me, that it was healing to listen to. This book captured my interest when I read that the author himself had already been through years of therapy and still struggled with sensations and all kinds of adverse symptoms. So it gave me a sense of hope and it did not disappoint me at all. Highly recommend!

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Life saving work

I've not vine across a better work on the topic than this.

it is compassionate, comprehensive, accurate, helpful and life changing. I can't recommend it more.

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Find the voice that most speaks to you

There are many books on this topic - if you are here seeking, that means you have something you want to sort out. Take some time and see which books and voices speak to you and feel GOOD. This one might be one of them - ultimately, this kind of healing will be different for everyone.

What I loved about this book was how humanizing it was. Just the right amount of personal reflection (without going deep into memoir territory) and case studies (without being overly clinical). It was honest, grounding and encouraging.

Yes, there was quite a bit of repetition in this book as another reviewer pointed out - which can be of service. If you are the audience for this book, you will likely be doubting yourself and questioning things so much that the repetition will help combat the hamster wheel of confusion that may already be going on in your mind. We need to hear things over and over again to change a pattern. You may even want to re-listen to this book (or, specific parts of it) that feel most relevant for your experience.

Perhaps most importantly, this book is brimming with compassion. I found the narrator's voice to be soothing and friendly. It created the space for the power of the content to make it's way through.

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Deeply Transformative

Very grateful for the succinct, helpful, pertinent, deeply transformative wisdom in this piece of writing. Helpful to those seeking healing & a greater understanding of themselves & their experience.

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Life Changing

This is for people wanting to do the hard work and look honestly at themselves. It's for those that are ready to let go of their pain after realizing why it's there. It's for those that want to stop hosting pity parties for themselves and others and get to the real point of existing, unconditional love.

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Incredible!!

this book hit all of the things that swirl around my head. it hit how I feel exactly. it hits the thoughts that intrude my mind and it gave me a reason why and how to fix it. this has been such an amazing and enlightening book. If you are struggling from any kind of trauma -not feeling good enough, narcissistic bullshit and more this is a fantastic book to read or listen to!

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This book is life changing!

I listen to a lot of books, but by far this is the best book I’ve ever purchased. It has absolutely changed my life. I have struggled for years, and in the matter of a few hours I was able to release a lot of the pain I’ve been carrying. If you suspect you have toxic people In your life please give this a listen. It will help clarify so much.

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Well worth the read

This book felt like a missing piece to a puzzle I didn’t have quite right. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt so incredibly called out and at the same time seen and given hope that I’m not beyond repair. Thank you to the author for putting this into the universe. I look forward to putting this into practice.

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So good but read Psychopath Free first!

This is the sequel to Psychopath Free. A book that give clear guidance on the red flags to look for in toxic people. It’s important to understand that healing isn’t just about learning what to loom out for but also to look within and heal ourselves of the qualities that attract these types. I recommend this as a follow up and also codependent no more by Melanie Beattie. Oh and The Little Shaman on YouTube. All psychologist approved. Remember to be honest with yourself and do the work towards recovery. Good luck :)

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12 people found this helpful