Cathy
Embodying Hope is a gentle and supportive book, full of insights, information and guidance. I like to read here and there until I find a section that seems particularly relevant. It is so helpful to realize a closer connection between my thoughts, feelings and body. Sonia Connolly is an excellent writer, and her book really does embody hope!
November 19, 2021
JKH
Embodying Hope: Healing, Affirming, and Informative Book!
Everything Sonia writes is deeply moving and also informative and healing. I stumbled upon her website one day and have been reading her newsletters and books ever since. I was so excited when this new book got published. It’s truly worth your time and will speak to your soul in a deep way.
April 14, 2021
Nancy C.
For some time I’ve wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your website. It's quite a rabbit hole and I mean that in a good way. As I read, I find myself opening link after link to see what they reveal. It is clear you put a great deal of time and effort into crafting each essay.
Your writing is a manageable framework of a plethora of details for observing oneself and others and acting with intention.
March 17, 2021
A client
Thank you for everything! You have helped me find myself under all the many layers of trauma I experienced in my childhood, and I will continue to value and appreciate our work together, probably for the rest of my life.
November 17, 2020
Bethany Ides
It's amazing to me that, just because I was lucky enough to find you over a decade ago, I still get to receive the benefit of knowing you! Your newsletters have helped me so much over the years. Thank you for the tremendous effort & generosity you continue to share with people like me. As a writer & professor who helps students develop their critical-analytical & interpretive skills, I'm especially in awe of the care you take in exploring so many aspects of a given puzzle or difficulty. You write so elegantly & clearly, & it is truly admirable the way you weave in social justice perspectives into this work.
July 5, 2020
Becca
I just wanted to say how useful, calming and reassuring I've found your various articles. Thank you so much for sharing such a lot of wisdom for free; I'm currently working with a therapist but there is only so much you can discuss in an hour a week, and I've found your articles to be insightful, compassionate and practical as I work through things in my own time between sessions.
April 15, 2020
A client
Thank you so much for the work you did with me and your presence during the most painful time of my life. You helped me start to slowly land back into myself. I miss the depth of bodywork you do and your sensitivity.
November 29, 2019
Alex
I just wanted to express my gratitude for your books Wellspring of Compassion and Presence After Trauma. As a survivor of domestic violence who has been trying to heal over the past eight years, they have offered some of the most meaningful, grounding, and affirming support I have encountered.
I only came across them a few years ago but cried when I first opened Wellspring of Compassion. It was so clear to me that you were speaking from experience and I have found that for me, that makes all the difference. In my search for answers and healing, I've come to feel acutely the gap between knowledge and experience with my therapists, professional advocates, ministers and scholarly conversation partners. I was surrounded by those with knowledge and expertise who had never experienced it themselves. It makes sense to me now why I started to feel so stuck and even a bit broken.
Reading Wellspring of Compassion, I was overcome because I no longer felt that gap. The anti-oppression framework and the concrete tools resonated with me as rooted in experience and practice. And I no longer felt so alone in it. I chose “presence” as my intention for this year in preparation for reading Presence After Trauma. It has been challenging to be present when I have worked so hard at hiding myself these past eight years, but it has been a challenge that feels manageable.
Both books helped me to trust more profoundly what I know to be true about my experience, encouraged me to find and build support among other survivors, and emboldened me to start creating the survivor resources that I needed (and continue to need) in hopes they may also be of help to others.
Your work is truly a gift and I am ever so grateful for that "help unknown" that was already on the way.
October 12, 2019
Kelly C.
I wanted to let you know that I continue to get so much from your newsletters. I really appreciate your ability to speak to so many facets of trauma and I always read these feeling 1) extreme compassion coming from you through your words and 2) validation for my experience past and present and 3) food for thought on how I can help myself and others.
May 2, 2019
An Amazon Reader
Helpful resource & deserves greater recognition. "Wellspring of Compassion" deserves more exposure, especially for those that are highly-sensitive & on a healing path. I learned about it a while ago but didn’t purchase right away. Recently it showed again on my radar & chose to get it. I AM SO GLAD I DID.
It’s really amazing for myriad reasons & it was good buying further along the path than when 1st learning of it. Speaking only for myself, its content is relatable, having many “yes that’s it!” moments & feeling validated & grateful at the same time. There were also concrete examples & new idea toolbox suggestions. A powerful reminder that what we need to heal the tender parts within us, really is within us. And that might mean seeking outside resources to gather tools to get there. I won’t sugar coat it- sometimes the work is sometimes slow, lonely & feels impossibly hard, yet (for me) so worth it getting through the messy middle & move on to the next part of my work. I’ve loved the quote from Siddhartha “We are not going in circles, we are going upwards. The path is a spiral; we have already climbed many steps” & a very similar message was conveyed in the book.
Like any advice/self help book, take what works & leave the rest behind. Trauma is deeply individual/personal & how events in our lives impact everyone differently. One size does not fit all. Sending love to those who need it. 🌀❤️
April 20, 2019