Customer Reviews

From Depression To Wholeness : The Anatomy of Healing

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Debbie Thurman has given us a much-needed book that, if anything, is well-organized and clearly written. The reader from Cleveland couldn't have read the book carefully. I take this person to be a post-modern revisionist, typifying those individuals who can't allow themselves to accept godly wisdom and the truth that Jesus Christ represents. It's easy to write off any attempt at illumination as being "preachy" or "short-sighted." The author clearly states she is offering a Christian viewpoint and lays out her thesis intelligently, acknowledging all the while that many people won't get it, a reality that Christ, himself, was well aware of. Thurman talks about the differences between relief and true healing. One may come from medications and various therapies while the other is the result of a spiritual quest, she says. Both avenues are pursued through choice, but the concept of grace is what ultimately separates them. The title of the book isn't "From Depression To Coping." The author chose the word "Wholeness" for a reason. Thurman makes beautiful use of scripture and classical literature to enlighten and comfort. She has clearly done her homework. Don't let fear or ignorance of the Christian worldview keep you from reading this valuable book.

As a psychologist, I read Debbie Thurman's FROM DEPRESSION TO WHOLENESS with a great deal of interest -- and ultimately, amazement and gratitude. With the power of personal experience, she shares her own battle with depression, and her long journey toward healing. Through the traditional therapeutic model - counseling and drug therapy, and a deeper search in the realm of the spirit, she shares the transformational power that she has found available through faith in God.

This beautifully written book will be of enormous value to anyone who struggles with depression, as well as to family members and friends who love someone who suffers from the illness. It will also be an insightful resource for therapists, pastors, social workers, teachers, and all those who work with depressed people.

Depression is one of the worst of all human afflictions, so any book that provides genuine help to sufferers is a blessing. Without question, Debbie Thurman's book will provide significant help to a great many people.

The author generously shares the details of her private life, detailing her own road to recovery. That may not sound like interesting reading, but Thurman is a marvelously skilled writer who keeps us turning the pages. This isn't just dry theory--we can see what worked for her, and what can work for others.

As a devout Christian, Thurman's own recovery is closely linked to her religious beliefs. Therefore, her book will be most helpful to people who accept Christian faith. Her insights are probably transferrable to other belief systems, and one could argue that the usefulness of the book would become more universal if the author were more ecumenical in her writing. However, she chose to write to fellow Christians, thereby probably strengthening the messages for her selected audience.

This is a beautifully written book that not only addresses the clinical aspects of depression, but one that goes to the heart of the problem and speaks to the soul. Having worked with "wounded" individuals as both a counselor and an educator, I have seen the collective pain they carry.

Depression is more prevalent today than ever. Debbie Thurman knows this and writes with an urgency and a heart of compassion that reaches out to those who live in the darkness that once enveloped her. This book belongs in a class with the finest books that have been written on this topic. It is practical, thoughtful, compelling and encouraging.

I recommend "From Depression To Wholeness" for anyone who works with young people and for anyone in a leadership capacity. It is a must-read for counselors.

From Depression To Wholeness: The Anatomy Of Healing is Debbie Thurman's personal, articulate, and engaging story of the complex and multiple issues of depression. Debbie combines a personal narrative with intuitive social observations and psycho-theological commentary, rendering From Depression To Wholeness accessible, insightful, enthusiastically recommended reading that will be of intense interest to the professional and pastoral care community as well as the non-specialist general reader trying to come to grips with their own emotional conditions.

This is a very interesting book. It takes you through a spiritual process that cannot be experienced except by one that has survived. The end result is knowing anyone can make it. The reading was captivating.

My husband and I have both read the book and have found it very well written. We have recommended this book to some of our friends and they have been extremely impressed by the frankness and the eloquence of the entire book. This book should be read by anyone who has been touched (either personally or through others) by depression. We will be giving a copy to our pastor as well, since it can be of great help to anyone who does counseling.

I can't begin to tell you how impressed I am with the well researched and articulate manner in which Debbie describes her personal journey into the pit of depression and ultimately on to wholeness.

In a leadership role with a large number of people I am often confronted with those whose lives have been dramatically impacted by depression - either personally or indirectly. As a layman, I have continually been on the alert for reliable resources to point them toward. FROM DEPRESSION TO WHOLENESS is now a valuable new resource and has already been recommended to many.

WHILE READING THIS BOOK, I WAS STRUCK WITH THE WAY DEBBIE REALLY PUTS HERSELF ON THE LINE TO TELL HER STORY AND SUCCESS IN DEFEATING HER ILLNESS. IT MUST HAVE BEEN VERY DIFFICULT TO WRITE THIS, BECAUSE I'M SURE SHE HAD TO RELIVE ALL OF THE HORROR OF HER DEPRESSION IN ORDER TO PORTRAY TO THE READER WHAT IT WAS LIKE. SHE IS OBVIOUSLY A VERY COUAGEOUS PERSON. THIS IS A MUST-READ FOR EVERYONE! EVEN IF YOU DO NOT PERSONALLY SUFFER FROM DEPRESSION, IT WILL HELP YOU TO RELATE TO THE MILLIONS WHO DO. IF YOU DO SUFFER FROM DEPRESSION, DEBBIE DOES AN EXCELLENT JOB IN SHOWING HOW YOU CAN DEFEAT IT!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has gone through depression, or knows someone who is going through it. A very well written book that can help a lot of people.