This Is How We Grow: A Psychologist's Memoir of Loss, Motherhood, & Discovering Self-Worth & Joy, One Season at a Time

I downloaded a sample of this book some time ago, liked what I read, then the sample just…sat. Until two days ago. Until I needed it most. And there it was. Waiting. Waiting until the time was right.While the trauma I have experienced is different from yours, the emotions are the same. My emotional journey toward healing has mirrored yours in so, so many ways. Reading your experiences has helped me see where I’ve been stuck at but haven’t been able to yet identify. (Its the anger stage, btw.) You’ve helped clear some of the roadblocks, given me a glimpse of the road ahead, and crucial steps to help me move forward.You’ve also given me hope, hope that if our journeys have mirrored each other this much, then there’s great assurance that I can find great healing too, even amidst the chaos.Thank you, thank you for sharing, and being so open and vulnerable. I’m sure it has helped many people. It sure has me.

First of all, this was an excellent book. This won't be an in-depth review of the book itself, but I wanted to preface and say that I will first give my (slight) critiques before the praise. I've had the privilege of hearing Dr. Hibbert teach at an intimate church gathering, and that somewhat personal connection led me to her blog, and then this book.It took me a couple of chapters to get the flow of this book. Each chapter begins with a lesson, followed by relevant journal entries from the author's actual journals. At first, this set-up seemed a bit awkward to me, and I had a hard time understanding the rhythm and sequencing of the book. However, I soon got past it and was able to even appreciate it towards the end. The second critique I have is not necessarily a critique, but just that at times I did not relate to the author since we are somewhat different in many aspects. I'm sure (100%) that this is unintentional, but I often felt lazy in comparison to Dr. Hibbert and all that she accomplished. I felt very out-of-touch with my own sense of self and my life purpose, which isn't a bad thing because this book is helping me realize where I need to GROW. (Ha?)And that is why I loved this book. It made me want to improve. I've been inspired to write in my journal again, which hasn't happened in four years. I've been inspired to write in other ways more, and to put an effort into things that make me happy--being creative. I read straight through the kindle edition of this book, but I would love to pickup a hard copy to highlight and refer back to, to actively work on each lesson. I'm inspired to work on growing where I'm at, even if it's not an ideal place to be. There have been a lot of changes in my life lately, and though I'm no psychologist and my "trauma" not so severe, I recognize in myself some of the symptoms and behaviors exhibited in this book. I've realized that I've become someone I don't want to be, and I've also been very self-deprecating. I only wish I had the means to see a therapist, because I feel I could benefit greatly from that (just as many of us could, I'm sure!).While this review is a bit lengthy and a bit personal, I felt it was the best reflection of what Dr. Hibbert was trying to inspire when she wrote her story.

I read this book initially on my phone, in the dark of night, with tears streaming down my face. I had no idea how long it was until my copy came! I laughed thinking about how quickly I read it. I was instantly sucked in to Dr. Hibbert's story. It was beautifully written, though heartbreaking to read. The strength she has is remarkable. As hard as it was to read her tender stories, I loved to hear how they helped her grow. She has an amazing ability to take a hard situation and learn from it. That is something we all need help with. I think this is a great resource for life. I think this book will be one I will read and reread, each time getting something new out of it.Additional review from my daughter who also read the book -Dr. Christina Hibbert's book, This Is How We Grow, is a beautiful story of trials and pushing through hard times. Her narration throughout the story is captivating, realistic and reassuring that you are not alone, no matter how much it may feel like it. Reading this book feels as though Dr. Hibbert is sitting in front of you as a friend, and you are simply having a conversation with her. Dr. Hibbert lets you into her life; some of her darkest and most troubling moments as a wife, mother, daughter, and peacemaker are shown to you. You are able to read through the growth of her faith, family and knowledge of how this world truly works. Through the course of the pages, you are inspired to live a better life, to love a little harder and a bit more openly and to thoroughly enjoy life. With the loss of family, the challenge of raising six children and struggiling to find herself, Christi is so open and honest about the reality of realizing that you truly cannot control everything, no matter how hard you try. This Is How We Grow is an explanation of how to bring joy and happiness into your life by simply turning and reading pages.

I am naturally a pessimist. My sister is an over the top, glass is overflowing optimist. She is one of those people who fill her FB page with corny quotes and sickly messages of how wonderful life is, whereas I don't even have a FB page.So it really surprised me how much I loved this book. On the book cover it says 'When life throws you in the mud, plant yourself and grow'. This is the kind of thing that usually I would think 'OK whatever'.I actually picked this book for two reasons. The first one is that I am about to start studying to become a Psychologist (people and the mind fascinate me). Two because the reviews were really good.From the first few pages my emotions were stirred, not long after the tears flowed.This is a remarkable story about a remarkable family. It is extremely sad (the death of her sister leading to her trying to adopt her two nephews). This book really resonates with me. I have previously suffered from depression, lost a loved one in unnatural circumstances and really have been pretty messed up in the past. Like the author i too have my faith to see me through. Sometimes that is not enough, we need to find ourselves. DO what is right for us. I think the author is a Mormon which happens to be a religion that i really admire (I am a Muslim).I really felt for Christina and her husband for what they were going through. It takes a strong couple to live through so many emotions and obstacles. I pray the children find a way to cope with what happened to their mother, as hard as this may be it seems they couldn't have a better person to help them than Christina. This is an extremely emotional book and the opportunity so see so deeply into another persons psyche is very rare. This is definitely one book I wont be selling on.

This book is good for my kindle reader. Maybe because my kindle is old? Anyway. Buyers beware and get a sample before you purchase it. It came in a microscopic size and if i re size it i only see six lines per page. Exhausting to read. I would Get the paperback.