About the Book
What do you do when you are terrified, yet fully aware, that you will never be the person you once were, ever again?
In And She Was Never the Same Again, Dr. Natasha Pryde Trujillo offers an authentic reflection on the many forms of grief that shape our lives-and the unexpected growth and transformation that can arise from loss.
Drawing from her expertise as a counseling and sport psychologist combined with her heart-wrenching personal and family narratives, she explores how everlasting loss does not always come with the finality of death. Sometimes, it arrives as a career that no longer fits, a relationship that ends by death or fails in life, medical scares and run-ins of trauma, or a version of ourselves we've outgrown.
Through raw vulnerability, she reminds us that grief is not something to "get over"-it is something that never goes away and something we must learn to embrace in order to fully live and experience the beauty of life.
Readers will come away from this book with a deeper understanding of their own stories. They will feel seen, validated, and feel empowered to navigate life with more compassion and authenticity. They will consider ways to make the untalkable more talkable and have more clear paths to walk down on their own respective grief journeys.
About the Author :
Dr. Trujillo is a counseling and sport psychologist, a consultant, an educator, an author, a former athlete, a woman, a daughter, a sister, a grand-daughter, a niece, a cousin, and a friend. But most of all, she is a human. None of the former labels make her any better or worse-equipped to deal with the inevitable experiences of grief throughout life. She is passionate about the power of storytelling and wanted to bring light to the incredibly nuanced and individualized ways we process and cope with grief. Like everyone else, she's had her fair share of losses and decided that taking the risk to be vulnerable may encourage others to redefine their relationships with grief to live more holistic and intentional lives. She hopes this limited collection of stories can build the realization that there is no "right" way to grieve, and that it should not be pathologized or medicated.She encourages each reader to see the vantage point from each of the characters who have played a role in her life. To empathize, to perspective-take, to look within and outside the self and find shared positive connection in the discomfort of the painful and unknown. To be willing to ask life's questions that don't have answers. To sit with the necessary acceptance that to love also means to lose, and to experience beauty also means to feel immense pain. She wants others to be open to changing the mind and the heart. To take what may be helpful and leave what doesn't. You don't need permission to feel and face what scares you the most.(Image Background BlueAuthorDr. Trujillo is currently in private practice in Denver, CO. She works primarily with issues of grief/loss, eating disorders, trauma, life transitions/identity development, perfectionism, and performance psychology. She works with humans, but more specifically with athletes and performers across the country in individual and team capacities. For more about Dr. Trujillo, you can visit her website at www.npttherapy.com or follow her on her social media accounts.
Review :
"'And She Was Never The Same Again' is an absolute must-read! Dr. Trujillo brilliantly leads the reader through specific losses that she and her family (both collectively and individually) have endured throughout the years. From death and heartache, to loss of identity and innocence. How those losses changed the course of their lives, their relationships within the family, and individual perception of themselves. In some instances, reshaping their lives entirely. The book brings an awareness to how grief can look so different from generation to the next, while also highlighting how genders process trauma differently from one another. Dr. Trujillo encourages the reader to reflect how loss has affected their own life and the lives of those they love.These stories are raw, deep and at times, truly difficult to read. Dr. Trujillo shows the courage to ask the hard questions and to be honest with the reader about how grief and loss have affected her own life. To anyone who has found themselves struggling to stay afloat in the raging sea of grief, I cannot recommend this book highly enough!"
"Heroes come in all forms. People whom change the life of others are rarely spoken of outside closed doors. Natasha Pryde Trujillo, .the author of this exceptional read is a hero. The courage to express and share with the world such intimate truths, .moments of joy, along with immense pain, ..is courageous. And the cast of characters are real life brave, proud souls, ..her family. Pick up a few copies and give to those whom are evolving and or in need of peeling the layers of emotions from their heart and mind. This book will help you go deep within yourself, while feeling safe in the process."
"Wow! 'And She Was Never the Same Again' is a must read for all of us! This is a highly personal and vulnerable journey through the life events of Dr. Trujillo. However, her story is all of us. The book takes us through the ups and downs of how events in our lives-big and small-impact us--even when these events don't directly affect us. It shows how we may need to give grace and empathy to those in our lives. Their behavior may have been molded by indirect events many years earlier. Even those people in our lives who appear steadfast and 'together' may be that way for a reason. Dr. Trujillo's story is a reminder that we are all human with events, stories and people who have shaped our lives through gains and losses in their lives that we don't even know about. As you read each chapter, you will think of someone who is or has been a part of your life. While this book is Dr. Trujillo's life, it is a reflection of all our lives and our relationships."
"And She Was Never The Same Again is a powerful memoir that takes the reader on a journey deep into the intimate moments of loss and transformation experienced by Dr. Natasha Pryde Trujillo and her family. This intriguing memoir captures the essence of how personal tragedies, rather than breaking us, can shape the very core of who we are, inspiring readers with the resilience of the human spirit."
"This memoir has a universal appeal. Everyone can relate to the shared experience of loss, and Dr. Trujillo's raw, unfiltered exploration of her own pain makes the book not just a story but a journey of healing and understanding. And She Was Never The Same Again is a touching reminder of the resilience of the human spirit and how our past shapes our present."
