About this book
Why do so many people still struggle after years of therapy, self-help, and genuine effort? We have learned to challenge unrealistic thoughts, only to find ourselves caught in endless cycles of internal arguments and back-and-forth. We have learned skills to regulate our emotions and practised mindfulness, only to find that those emotions return — sometimes with greater force. We know more about trauma, mental health and emotional wellbeing than ever before, yet so many of us continue to struggle with self-doubt, anxiety, stress and depression. The answer isn’t to try harder. It is to recognise that we often see our internal struggles — the fear, shame, insecurity, sadness and even inertia — as enemies within ourselves. We fight them, resist them, try to control them or push them away. And when they return, we assume we have failed. In No Parts Left Behind, clinical psychologist Dr Maria-Elena Lukeides draws on almost thirty years of clinical practice, bringing together mindfulness, compassion-focused and acceptance-based therapies, and modern neuroscience to offer a different way of understanding emotional suffering. Anxiety, sadness, shame and fear are not the enemy. The suffering begins when we decide that these experiences mean something is wrong with us, and turn away from the parts of ourselves we would rather not feel. These parts are not only not the enemy; they are often the parts of us that need our attention, care and nurturing the most. The goal is not to get rid of these parts or become someone who never struggles. It is to change the relationship we have with ourselves, so we can stop fighting and start living. No Parts Left Behind is an invitation to end the war within — not by becoming a different person, but by learning to make room for every part of who you already are.
