Unashamed by Neha Bhatt

By -

 


 

Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins India (25 May 2024)

Language ‏ : ‎ English

Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages

Genre : Psychotherapy / Non fiction

Buy At : Amazon

 

About the Book

Dive into a transformative journey with Neha Bhat, the insightful mind behind @indiansextherapist on Instagram, as she fearlessly tackles the intricacies of sex, sexuality, trauma and shame in her groundbreaking book, Unashamed.

In a society that often hushes discussions on the most fundamental aspects of human existence, Neha invites readers to explore the uncharted territories of their own desires. With a unique blend of empathy, humor, reflection and unwavering expertise, she dismantles the stigma surrounding sexuality, in turn, asking readers to embrace the full spectrum of their desires without reservation.

Unashamed delves deep into the psychological landscape of shame, unraveling the roots that bind individuals and communities to outdated norms. Through engaging anecdotes, relatable case studies, and her own experiences as a sex therapist, Neha provides a roadmap for individuals seeking to understand, accept, and celebrate their unique sexual identities. Exercises, quizzes, and journalling prompts in the book gives readers practical tools to break free from the shackles of shame and embark on a liberating journey towards self-discovery.

Unashamed is a celebration of diversity, self-love, and the profound beauty of authentic human connections. Prepare to embark on a transformative journey that will leave you self-aware and empowered, paving the way for a more free and synchronized way of being in this complex world.

 

My Review

As Kalki Koechlin mentioned in her line about the book, I too believe, “We could all use a book like this…”. In today’s times of urban isolation, take care of our mental health has been more important than ever before.

This is the first time I picked a book related to therapy, and I am glad I did. Thanks to Blogchatter. It delves deep into the nuances of shame, traumas buried in our psyche, and the way to healing. This is an ongoing process always as no one is ever healed completely, not is unaffected by triggers that life makes us bump into here and there. This book provides the knowledge and guidance to know if at all we are in such a situation, deal with it, and recover time and again. I personally got to know about so many terms and words used in psychotherapy that my knowledge about it has grown tenfold, as only when you have the vocabulary can you describe your problem. Intergenerational conflict, secondary trauma, somatic work, holding space for feeling and triggers in intimate relationships, and so much more.

“When you are habituated to not attending to your big feelings, you might become numb to them over the years. That stored trauma then releases itself in other, indirect ways that can hurt others and yourself.”

The best thing about the book was that it provided much relevant case studies of actual people and their inbuilt trauma in every chapter. Each chapter a new story, though related. There was an analysis of their cases by the author, how she had then handled the case, and chapter takeaways along with a questionnaire to think through and ponder for ourselves. The time for reflection and ‘sitting with our thoughts’ is so important in therapy, I got to know that here.

“Writing is a process of making the intangible, tangible.”

Journaling away unhindered unchecked uncensored is sometimes so revealing, it actually makes us discover where exactly the problem lies. And discovery is half the problem solved. And how art of any kind can nurture our inner life.

Dr. Tatkin – “Everyone is a burden up close. There is no person who is low maintenance in an intimate relationship.”

This book has been immensely rewarding. I would like to revisit it once again when the mind feels weary at any point in life. And the TBR that I got from within its pages is for future reference, eg., The Joy of Sex by Dr.Alex Comfort which delves into the tenderness part of it that our culture has ‘undersold’. The Earth Has a Soul by Jung, Gary Chapman’s The 5 Love Languages, Professor Walker’s Neuroqueer Heresies and Mark Wolynn’s It Didn’t Start With You.

 

About the Author

Neha Bhat is a licensed sex and trauma therapist who practices psychotherapy from an art-based, spiritually focused, creative-wellness perspective in India and the US. She has worked in sexual assault trauma care at global institutions such as the University of Michigan, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Rush Medical Centre and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences.

This review is powered by Blogchatter Book Review Program 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Queeristan by Parmesh Sahani

By -
Image
  Queeristan (Amazon Link) Thanks to Audible Free Trial I listened to this amazing non-fiction on LGBTQ inclusion in Indian workplaces. Author Parmesh Sahani identifies as gay Indian, working closely with Godrej higher management and employees for years to create an inclusive workplace, both legally and in spirit. This book is a result of those years of experience, research, collaboration with individuals from difference spectrum of the society and organizations who has successfully transitioned into a queer friendly one.   Indian history is inclusive. From the Khajuraho temple architectures, to Konark to the Rig Veda, there is existing proofs even 2000 years ago of Indian inclusiveness of queer. It’s the draconian British law that criminalised it, which was scraped in 2009, came into effect once again following a sad judgement in 2013 and eventually was scraped off for good in 2018. I am in awe of the lawyers who fought this legal battle- colleagues and partners – Arundh...
9 comments

Popular posts from this blog

Empress Ki : A story of an epic scale

By -
Image
Empress Ki Poster (behance.net) Empress Ki is the most elaborate, gripping, and thrilling series I have watched this year. And at 51 episodes , it is the longest Korean drama series I have ever watched. Even though the number seems daunting and too much, it’s worth it all. If you like period dramas, you won’t want to give this one a miss. It was in 2016 that I first read about Empress Ki, the historical drama that had garnered much praise and accolades from the audience and critics alike. Most Korean dramas are just 16 or 20 episodes long. So 51 seemed never-ending to me then. It wasn’t until 2017 that I decided to at least try the first episode. And I was hooked. But owing to the various circumstances I didn’t continue watching it. It was just last month that I remembered this epic story and watched it to completion within just a few days. Believe it or not, midway through it, I was almost literally pulling my hair out, in anticipation of what would happen next. I wou...
Read more

“The Fall” [2006] – A Tribute to the Power of Stories

By -
Image
   I welcome Arun Kumar of Passion For Movies whose reviews have an identity of their own and shows his undulated love for movies. I thank him for finding time and agreeing to do a guest post in Magic Moments. It's a huge privilege. So here's a guest post by him on one of his favorite movies.   “The Fall” [2006] – A Tribute to the Power of Stories   Sometimes, you make an emotional bond with a film and dissect or interpret its vision in different ways, while a fellow movie-lover would pan it by using the most loathful words. Tarsem Singh’s visually exuberant movie, “The Fall” (2006) falls into that category. Many critics deemed it as a self-indulgent, vanity project; or as a preposterously intolerable, childish story. Does Tarsem have abundant directorial ego that drove the likes of Jodorowsky, Lynch or Gilliam, who all persistently came up with outlandishly inventive visuals? I would say yes. As a movie-lover, this so-called ‘directorial eg...
Read more

The Baztan Trilogy

By -
Image
The first movie 'The Invisible Guardian' begins with the killings of several teenage girls and elaborate staging of their bodies by the river in the damp valley of Elizondo. Amaia Salazar, our protagonist, returns there, her hometown, as the Chief Investigator for the case. She heads the homicide department. The serial killings seem aimed at young girls who don't uphold the traditional norms and have begun exploring their sexuality. Through the case, Amaia grapples with her own demons, her relationship issues and traumatic memories of abuse from her past. We get to know that her mother had abused her, being seemingly senile herself, and was then admitted to a facility. The setting of the damp valley where it rains all hours of the day, the cloudy scenery, the fog covered thick forest maintain a sinister vibe throughout the movie. It is an apt backdrop for a crime thriller, with supernatural undertones. The mythical beast  basajaun , the big hairy beast of the forest, seems ...
Read more

Reading Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

By -
Image
Reading ‘Norwegian Wood’ by Haruki Murakami is a very revealing experience. I encounter my own thoughts, views, and somewhere somehow suppressed opinions, wishes and teenage dreams. The growth and the development in Naoko and Watanabe’s relation is very memorable, has a nostalgic essence to it. Naoko is Kizuki’s girlfriend, who is Watanabe’s best friend. They are just acquaintances, at first, meeting up in double dates, but with Kizuki’s suicide, they are devastated and broken with only each other to care for as an integral part of their adolescence vanished along with Kizuki. They grow close with time, as years pass by, taking long walks in the meadow, through the streets of Tokyo, riding together in the metro, and discussing everything under the sun except Kizuki’s sudden death. On Naoko’s birthday when Watanabe mentions him, she snaps, crying violently. She leaves the town without notice. The story turns sad and melancholic at this point as Watanabe misses Naoko terribly, w...
Read more

A Gathering Of Friends By Ruskin Bond

By -
Image
a gathering of friends is a collection of 21 short stories. The twenty-one stories in the book are the greatest pieces of fiction written by Ruskin Bond. Chosen by the author himself, from a body of work built over fifty years (starting with his award winning first novel, ‘The Room on the Roof’, and ending with ‘Tales of Fosterganj’), this collection includes well-known masterpieces like ‘The Night Train at Deoli’, ‘The Woman on Platform 8’, ‘Rusty Plays Holi’, ‘Angry River’, ‘The Blue Umbrella’, ‘The Eyes Have It’, ‘Most Beautiful’, ‘Panther’s Moon’, as well as newer stories like ‘An Evening at the Savoy with H.H’ and ‘Dinner with Foster’. Taken together, the stories in A Gathering of Friends show why Ruskin Bond has long been regarded as one of the pillars of Indian Literature. Timeless tales Ruskin Bond's stories have the essence of the hills, the trains through the deodars, uninhibited exploration of childhood and other vagaries of life. They have suc...
Read more

E[x]ploring Odia Literature Through 'Punyatoya'

By -
Image
Odia is my mother tongue but I had never really focussed on Odia novels, given that I love reading. Of late I realised that I should explore the culture and language of my native land, and see for myself whether it suits my reading sensibilities. I read “Jagyaseni” by Pratibha Ray a few years back, over a span of several months. It is a retelling of Mahabharata from Draupadi’s perspective, which brings about her inner turmoils, confusions, decisions, desires and dreams, really well. It was the first Odia novel I ever read. Three days back, I completed reading my second novel in Odia, coincidentally it is by the same author. “Punyatoya” - literally it means the river, or ‘as pure as the river’. It is also the name of a revered river in Indian mythology. The book has been translated into Hindi with the same title, with the tagline “the story of a village girl Meghi”. Other translated versions are in Marathi and Malayalam. The story follows a young girl named Barsha, ...
Read more

Kill Me Heal Me: A Review

By -
Image
Kill Me Heal Me ‘Kill Me Heal Me’ has a great storyline, a plot that doesn’t adhere to any of your active imagination, presumption, preconceived notion or stereotypes. About the series- a bit of the plot: "A romantic comedy between a third-generation billionaire with Dissociative Identity Disorder and a first-year Psychiatrist resident who treats him secretly. After a traumatic experience in his childhood, Cha Do Hyun suffers memory lapses and his personality then fractured into seven different identities. He tries to regain control over his life with the help of Oh Ri Jin, a first-year psychiatric resident who treats him secretly. But Ri Jin’s twin brother, Oh Ri Ohn, is a famous mystery novelist who investigates about Do Hyun and his family." Acting Skills of the Lead Actor You wouldn’t want to miss the great acting skill of the lead actor- the one having multiple personality disorder. Every personality has different fashion sense, gait, body languag...
Read more