It was an okay read, but I felt it lacked the depth other books on depression I’ve read have had. It felt too woo-woo for me but for some people it could work. I appreciate the author putting this together and definitely felt as a good resource and stepping stone into other modalities and types of therapy.

Good information on the topic o depression and healing yourself. It gives good information and guidance in one modality of healing that could bring ease to some people. Its not a one stop shop book but it does offer some practices that can help create awareness & ease

A very interesting book that is well written and thought provoking.
Worth reading.to get some tips and information

Unfortunately, I didn't like this book. I was really excited about reading this one because it's something most of us are struggling with during these difficult times. However, she focuses mainly on tapping therapy to help you on your energy healing journey. This book will probably help other people, for sure, but sadly it wasn't my jam!

Amy Scher calls herself an “energy therapist”, although as far as I can tell this doesn’t come with any particular credentials. This book is a variation on Emotional Freedom Technique, or “tapping”, as it is sometimes called. Scher explains EFT and also adds several energy techniques that she has created specifically for working with depression.

First a couple of general observations. If you’ve read my reviews before, you know that I am not a super big fan of this new trend to drop f-bombs and other swear words in what should be a therapeutic book. Not that I am any kind of prude when it comes to language, but 1) it seems inappropriate for this genre of book and 2) it feels affected, like the author is trying too hard to be super cool. In my view, it may make the book inaccessible to certain audiences, and why would you want to do that? However, I get that this may be my own personal pet peeve. Also, I had to laugh at a certain point in this book when she said something was too “woo-woo” for her, because I’m thinking “I don’t know, lady, energy healing is about as “woo-woo” as it gets!” That said, she quotes some people I really admire like Candace Pert (author of “Molecules of Emotion”) and some of the available research on epi-genetics and so forth. And let’s face it, depression is such a pervasive problem that if you haven’t been able to find relief in traditional methods, why would you not try anything that might work?

The book is broken into parts, with Scher first explaining the different techniques, and then going on to apply them to all kinds of different situations. Besides the traditional EFT techniques, she gives us a daily practice, temple and thymus gland tapping, chakra tapping, and a script she calls “The Sweep”, intended to “sweep away” old beliefs and challenges. All of these techniques are explicitly explained in the book, and several can be found in videos on her website, www.amybscher.com.

She goes into detail on our beliefs and how we acquire and retain them; our emotions and how they drive our unhelpful thoughts; trauma, both in our lives and “generationally”. For each of these she explains how to use the techniques and which should be used for what. Then in the “keeping the changes” part of the book, she talks about how to interpret your body’s signals, how to set good boundaries and say no, and some commitments you can make to yourself to keep yourself healthy going forward. So there is a lot of information in this book that is fairly “mainstream” as well as the instructions on energy healing.

Lastly, she talks about “muscle testing” – which is a technique you can use to determine what to work on if you don’t remember the trauma for example; or if you can’t determine which emotion you need to clear. It can also be used to decide which technique to use and how long to use it for. While this seems a little “out there”, I will self-disclose that a local acupuncturist used “muscle testing” to determine what my son was allergic to, and he was spot on. I tried her technique because it seemed a little more vague; and was shocked to find that it totally worked!!

So while this book will not be for everyone, it might be worth checking out; especially if you or your clients have had no luck with traditional depression treatment – what’s the harm? While I would never offer this as a replacement for the more traditional treatments, I wouldn’t hesitate to suggest someone try it if they are at their wit’s end. Hey, it might even really work for them, and even if it doesn’t, I bet they will still glean some useful information. This book will be out in February and can be pre-ordered now. I received my copy from Net Galley for my review.

Amy Scher takes you on a journey to heal depression through the use of energy work. I've just started to learn more about energy healing, and found the processes and techniques to be interesting. If you're also new to energy healing, this book "How to Heal Yourself from Depression When No One Else Can" is a perfect introduction and thorough examine of this kind of work.

But, it's more than that. Thoughtfully curated practices such as EFT (tapping) and "sweeping" are useful tools to help you on your energy healing journey to cure your depression. I'd recommend, if you're diagnosed with depression, to use these practices alongside the advice of your physician.

This is type of book that will become your best friend in times of great need.

A lot of the information is redundant and she focuses mainly on tapping therapy so it's pretty much worthless if you don't believe in that type of therapy.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a bit meh for me.

The author spends a lot of time defining terms and talking about awareness. This is an important step but it takes up a lot of the book. For someone experiencing depression or who has done therapy these are probably things you're already familiar with.

The author also focuses a lot on techniques like tapping, which just aren't my jam. I appreciate the suggestions on working through trauma and experiencing feelings, but the focus on tapping, breathing, and scanning feels pretty narrow.

Overall I felt a little lost with this book but it could help others.

Had high hopes reading this book, but felt like a bait & switch once I got into the meat of it - similarly to how I felt after finishing the author's first book.

I knew this is a book about energy healing, although anyone just reading the title might not figure this out (and it seems apparent from the other, sole review on NetGalley that yes, this seems elusive to others unfamiliar with this author.

The author had a spiritual experience in India while working on healing herself from a tick bite - although what that spiritual experience was, I couldn' tell you. Nor could I tell you what helped them heal. The first book was a great travel book, and I felt it entirely accurate after having a similar experience in India.. I used the author's first book as my preparation for the culture shock that is India, even though I'd read it hoping for insight on energy healing.

The biggest issues with this book are twofold: 1- the author assumes the person reading it has zero self-awareness and needs to learn odd things they likely already have keen awareness of, such as to label their trauma (ie Grief Trauma, Medical Trauma, Collective Trauma), AND 2- all the energy healing techniques are easily found online and shared freely by those who created them although the author states they created the energy healing techniques shared in the book save EFT.

Nutshell: If you know anything about EFT, or TTT, or other 'tapping' methods, or any of Louise Hay's exhaustive work, and if you've done even a little bit of talk therapy, this book bears no perceivable usefulness other than maybe the author's personal stories.

I will applaud the author for stating clearly that working through trauma needs support from a mental health professional, and that deep-seated issues should not be dealt with solo. However, in the same paragraph the author also suggests teaming up with a friend to do the work together if they cannot afford professional help. As a former counselor and social worker, didn't sit well. The book's entire premise focuses on healing yourself from depression, tricky to deal with under the best care and tutelage. That an unaware but well-intentioned friend could help you process deep, "Capital-T trauma" ... well you'd think if someone wanted to heal themselves when no one else could, they'd have already tried talking to a trusted friend. Or getting some fresh air. Or making your bed every morning (all things suggested in the book).

It is my opinion, after reading the book (more like scanning it, because there wasn't anything new or groundbreaking here for me to digest), the author hasn't suffered from deep depression themselves. Or, if they have, they're so far removed from it they've forgotten what it's like.

Case in point: in the chapter about boundaries, the author explains how to give "a simple no". Useful, definitely, but the examples given are far from simple and sometimes involve lying or making something up. A simple no means, simple. No excuses, and no need to explain yourself. "No, and thank you for inviting me". That's a simple no. For someone that's depressed, even this might feel daunting / too much. Yet the suggestions made in the book -- well, if I were the one using them, I'd honestly need note cards. And, there's so much more to creating healthy boundaries than just saying no... yet that's all that's covered in the book.

I wanted to love this book and recommend it highly. While I no longer work directly as a social worker or counselor, I do come in contact with depressed folks multiple times a day, seeking advice and guidance. I'm a huge fan of energy work, use EFT in my personal and professional life, and am all for non-medical interventions regarding mental health where appropriate. Unfortunately, this isn't the book to do it, and after a handful of books from the author that haven't delivered on their promise, I need to stop hoping they'll satiate.

2/5, an extra star given as the author is an excellent writer and storyteller.

I was really excited about this because it's something I've struggled with overcoming. However, there were no actual legitimate methods of healing in this book. Energy system, tapping methods, emotional freedom technique??? Come back down to terra firma, please. The author is trying to be a therapist with no actual training.