Book Recommendation: Atlas of the Heart

I want to share about a beautiful and important work written by Dr. Brené Brown. I have recommended her books to so many clients, friends and family members over the years that I often joke that I have sold a lot of books for her. Of course, she doesn’t need my help selling her books. Her research has been wildly popular and her publications and podcast widely consumed. Her two TedTalks have almost 30 million views combined on Youtube (if you haven’t seen them yet, stop reading this and go watch them. And then come back!). Clearly, her messages are relatable and deeply relevant to so many of us!

In some of the latest research by Dr. Brown, she stresses the importance of having accurate language to communicate our emotions and emotional experiences.  She states in her newer book, Atlas of the Heart, that “language is our portal to meaning-making, connection, healing, learning and self-awareness…language shows us that naming an experience doesn't give the experience more power, it gives us the power of understanding and meaning.” In this book she outlines over 73 emotions and experiences we have as humans and provides clear distinction between some that are similar or we have misused interchangeably. What a beautiful description and perhaps, an invitation to expand our vocabulary and understanding of our own feelings and experiences as we integrate these into the narrative of our lives.

This book is a beautiful resource to help us learn how to accurately tell the stories of our experiences with clear language that connects us to each other. There is power in being able to accurately describe our feelings and experiences which leads to connecting with others, healing from past events and creating the opportunity for our stories to be witnessed.

Aside from the wonderful content, this is a gorgeous book! It’s cover and internal pages feature stunning artwork and glossy pages, making for a great coffee table book!