FROM CHAINS TO WINGS - THE WORKBOOK: A POETRY REVOLUTION FOR HEALING
A practical, encouraging workbook for finding and maintaining serenity.
Aguided workbook about noticing and adjusting nervous-system patterns.
Stephenson-Laws’ compassionate workbook based on her self-help tome From Chains to Wings (2025) outlines nonjudgmental self-awareness and strategies for maintaining mind-body balance. The approach consists of three steps: Notice, validate, adjust. Stephenson-Laws recommends observing one’s behavior patterns nonjudgmentally and shifting from “I am anxious” to “I notice anxiety.” She provides tools to track how stress shows up in the body—headaches, clenched jaw, stomach upset—and invites readers to become their own “Body-Stress Detective” and document their somatic experiences. When panic hits, Stephenson-Laws recommends finding parts of the body that are not in crisis, like the earlobes, and focusing on them as a reminder that “there’s at least one safe place in your skin.” The book’s second part covers cultivating new responses. The author distinguishes between “window days,” when you have the capacity to handle various challenges, and “keyhole days,” when you don’t; she suggests adjusting your expectations accordingly. A checklist outlines factors that affect capacity—poor sleep, weather, and even anniversaries. Window days are best for complex projects, challenging conversations, and difficult tasks, while keyhole days involve canceling or postponing nonessential commitments, practicing self-care, and resting. The “Both/And Practice” acknowledges that self-worth isn’t tied to amassing achievements and includes ideas like “I want to help AND I need to protect my energy.” The book’s third part, which advises readers on how to stay regulated in relationships by protecting boundaries, covers topics like “emotional contagion” and consciously connecting with others. The book concludes with the reminder that “the real practice begins now—living with just enough consciousness to have choice when it matters.”
One of the workbook’s greatest strengths is that it doesn’t overpromise outcomes. At the outset, Stephenson-Laws reassures readers, “You cannot fail these exercises.” She doesn’t sugarcoat the process of healing. Instead, she gently nudges readers toward new perspectives with self-talk (“Some good things might actually be safe now”) and reconsiderations of prior beliefs (“Your body is trying to protect you, not punish you”). The book’s measures of success are actionable: “Not from tense to relaxed, but tense to slightly less tense.” The streamlined structure follows a predictable pattern, including reflection, recognition, and mental and behavioral experiments. The book offers a variety of creative exercises and tools, like a permission slip to “not be ‘over it’ yet” and to “take as long as I need,” and a script for talking to the inner protector (“What are you worried will happen?”). Stephenson-Laws offers sample responses to buy time in boundary-pushing situations, such as, “Can I let you know tomorrow?” She also validates readers with statements like “You’re not broken. Your patterns make sense.” The guide proactively prepares readers for hard times with an “Emergency Keyhole Day Plan,” which includes space for names and numbers of supportive people to text, things that can be canceled, and self-care strategies. Concepts like the “10/90 Rule” (a framework for identifying triggers) explain how little things can cause outsize reactions. Readers unfamiliar with the author’s accompanying self-help book may occasionally feel that context is lacking.
A practical, encouraging workbook for finding and maintaining serenity.
Originally published by: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/joy-stephenson-laws/from-chains-to-wings-1/
