WRITER
Breakdown: A Therapist’s Journey of Losing It and Finding It is now available in Paperback or Kindle!
This memoir details the wildly winding path of a creative and spiritual seeker as she unravels and then painfully, beautifully weaves her disparate parts back together. We follow an inspiring evolution from a young and closeted elite gymnast to a circus performer, dancer and showgirl, costumer to stars, and, eventually, licensed psychotherapist.
Through Ali’s poignant yet often hilarious storytelling, we witness the emotional, mental, and spiritual transformation possible when someone is forged in a crucible and emerges resilient with access to their inner gold.
With tremendous honesty, humor, and heart, Breakdown: A Therapist’s Journey of Losing It and Finding It gives us a rare insight into one person’s lived experience of mental illness and shows us a brilliant possibility of a path through.
Praise for Breakdown
"From the first page to the last I was captivated by sketches of a life splashed onto a canvas. Sometimes funny, sometimes devastating Ms. Psiuk shares with great honesty and depth how we can and do overcome the greatest challenges through trust, self-reflection and the simple act of moving forward."
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- Rachel Zinman, Author of Yoga for Diabetes, How to Manage your Health with Yoga and Ayurveda
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"I felt as if I was listening to a partner and wise elder with enough stories and words of wisdom to last for days. Ali Psiuk's story is proof that life doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful and inspiring. Read this book if you seek an unforgettable experience!"
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-Foluso Falaye for Readers’ Favorite
"Breakdown by Ali Psiuk is a heart-wrenching account of one woman’s journey to healing and recovery. Written with vulnerability, each page of her story is an inspiring account of her decision to persevere, overcome, explore, and push her understanding of herself to its limits and beyond. I admire the personal stories told with such honesty and self-reflection in each chapter.
The reader can begin to feel at ease with their own inner turmoil and troubles after reading this deeply moving account of brokenness and healing. The author’s journey takes the reader through many challenges and shows the importance of healing in the maintenance of well-being. Well done.
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- Sheena Monnin for Readers’ Favorite
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"There is harmony and humor amongst the truly raw, harrowing content that the book sometimes takes readers into, and this creates a wonderful balance so that you always feel in good hands with the author. No matter your own vulnerabilities and concerns, Psiuk creates a safe space in her tender, articulate narrative for one and all. Overall, I would highly recommend Breakdown to all readers interested in memoir and mental health writing."
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-K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite
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“I absolutely had to find out what Ali’s next adventure or misadventure would be on her extraordinary inner and outer journey. Her writing was generous and funny and endlessly compelling, at once self-effacing and totally self aware.”
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- Alia Beeton, Author of Lucid Lips: Life Letters on the Sacred to Awaken and the Profane to Entertain
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