Customer Reviews

REDEMPTION OF THE SHATTERED: A Teenager's Healing Journey Through Sandtray Therapy

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Bob Livingstone has provided a multi-level experience in the writing of Redemption of the Shattered. The intensive analysis of his own journey, the objective commentary of his experience, using the sand tray icons, and the very insightful suggested qurestions he asks at the end of each chapter, gives the reader an opportunity to integrate the material. I suggest that the book will open avenues for personal conflict resolution no matter what the age of the reader.

Livingstone's odyssey helps us understand the terror and aloneness known to many of us and he does not hesitate to cast a spotlight on it. Through caring and careful thought provoking inquiry, Livingstone has provided the means of self discovery and a method for building a productive and meaningful life.

A blend of the spiritual and the practical, Redemption of the Shattered is perfect for the lay person and clinician alike. Bob Livingstone skillfully illustrates how sandtray therapy can move teens from despair to hope and from loss to renewal. The book is a valuable resource for anyone guiding teens through the many challenges of life.

One of the very few thoughtful, insightful and accesible books on the subject of childhood trauma thru the eyes of a therapist with personal experienbce and the journey he guide his patient through. If you as a lay person or clinician need to read any book this year on the inner life of trouble teenagters, this is the one.

Robert S. Badame, Ph.D. Clinical Psychologist

When was the last time you took a stroll along the beach at dawn, while there were very few people around? The air is crisp; the clap of the water is magnified; the bits of shell prick your soles. You kneel down and cup some of the sand in your hand, remembering the times when you played on the beach as a child. There is a peaceful aura. The ocean water washes away your troubles as it slowly disintegrates your new sand castle. If you have never experienced this before, plan a morning trip to a nearby beach, and witness the calming effects.

"Redemption of the Shattered" describes how the author used the act of playing in the sand to heal the emotional scars from his teenage years. With the help of a Sandtray therapist, he reenacts significant scenes of his life, by choosing from hundreds of miniature figures. Each chapter has a narrative, a commentary and family discussion questions. The narrative or mini "play" describes the event from his viewpoint as a teenager. A commentary follows the narrative, which explains his feelings of the event in retrospect. Then there are family discussion questions, asking the reader how they would feel in similar scenarios.

Bob Livingstone shares the tough parts of his life with the world. It takes a strong person to open up, and say, "This happened to me, and here's how I received healing." He knows how life can be dangerously cyclical, especially within families. "Redemption of the Shattered" shows how Sandtray therapy helped to mend the cracks in his circle of life. This book should be recommended reading not only for emotionally wounded teenagers, but also for adults who need to heal the sands of time.

Written and published by Bob Livingstone, Redemption Of The Shattered: A Teenager's Healing Journey Through Sandtray Therapy is a compelling blend of candid memoir with personal spiritual testimony. Here recounted is Livingstone's individual experiences and the near devastating pain of coping with the early loss of his father. Redemption Of The Shattered is highly recommended as a profound and engaging voyage of self-discovery, insight, and the recovery from familial grief.

"There can never be enough discovery vehicles to help lead people out of the all-too-often confusing wilderness of their pasts. Redemption of the Shattered is a valuable tool on the road to wellness."

Russell Friedman, co-author of The Grief Recovery Handbook and When Children Grieve.

Redemption Of The Shattered by Bob Livingstone is an emotional self propelled path toward healing. I enjoyed it for many reasons. Mainly, I was releived by the ease at which I, a lay person, could read and comprehend the book. Sandtray therapy was a foreign topic to me, but after reading this book, I feel I understand it and its usefulness. Secondly, the format of the book, sandtray, analysis, family discussion and questions is well thought out and practical. It lends to a usefulness in my own life. Finally, Mr. Livingstone connects with the reader by sharing his own struggles and pain, his "Healing Journey" through his sandtray therpay sessions. In doing so, he is a testament to the effectiveness of a therapy process in which he so clearly believes. I would recommend this book to any teenager or adult struggling with emotional pain.

Bob Livingstone offers the reader a very personal and powerful account of his story of bereavement. His journey reflects the complexity and multi-layered aspects of a central concern of the human condition: grief. Bob's struggle is our struggle, the search for meaning, integration, and resolution of loss in our lives. Bob teaches us the importance of self-exploration and how willingness to face our own demons can eventually lead to healing. This is a story of hope.

As the mother of two teenage girls, this book is especially insightful because it is not the usual litanies regarding what teenagers experience or how to cope with their feelings. This book embodies the actual thoughts and feelings of a real teenager. It is never `sugarcoated'. A boy or girl can identify with Rob because he is `cool'; he's hanging out, doing drugs, cigarettes dangling from his lips. A teenager would think, hey, that could be me.
Rob represents "everyman" We all experience some of these issues Rob has. How he works through them, for me is the key. If Rob the "everyman is helped, there is hope for me."

Redemption of the Shattered is a brave, challenging and uniquely rewarding work. Think of it as a video game where, instead of sitting safely in your room pushing buttons or pulling on a joystick, you're inside with the monsters, fighting for your life. The monsters may come from your own mind, but that doesn't make them any less real. They may attack with guilt, fear and shame, instead of with guns or blades, but they are deadly just the same.

I encourage anyone dealing with issues of grief, guilt, or buried pain to read this book. You may find within it a powerful healing experience.

Like a video game, Redemption of the Shattered plays out on different levels. To survive each level in his grief process, Rob needs to learn new skills, find new help, and discover new strengths. Each of the 24 levels brings a new treasure, too. But, like in a video game, successfully completing one level brings Rob face-to-face with old and new demons on the next level.

Having to face the same trials over and over, when you think you've beaten them, is one of the few similarities between video games and life. It would be nice if our inner demons stayed dead, but they usually don't. They have to be faced, accepted and transformed repeatedly, over time.

Redemption shows us how to follow that long, spiraling, often frustrating path. It is not a self-help book, though, and it is not easy. It is an adventure through time, space, mind and spirit. Rob moves from teenage to adulthood and back, and is sometimes in both places at once. A large number of characters come and go, and the author leaves it to us to understand their significance.

The story requires us to remain flexible about time and person, and to a certain extent about grammar. It's worth the effort, though. Redemption will challenge you, but will also reward you with scenes of great beauty, a message of profound hope, and a new understanding of grief and what it takes to over come it.