Books by Faith G. Harper

In a no-nonsense guide on how to cope with mental-health issues, Harper explains what's going on in our skulls, and talks us through the process of retraining our brains to respond appropriately to the non-emergencies of everyday life.

Boundaries are the ways we communicate our needs. They are what allow us to feel safe among strangers, in everyday interactions, and in our closest relationships. When we have healthy boundaries, we have a strong foundation in an uncertain world. And when someone crosses your boundaries, or you cross someone else's, the results range from unsettling to catastrophic. In this book, bestselling author Dr. Faith Harper offers a full understanding of issues of boundaries and consent, how we can communicate and listen more effectively, and how to survive and move on from situations where our boundaries are violated. Along the way, you'll learn when and how to effectively say "no" (and "yes"), troubleshoot conflict, recognize abuse, and respect your own and others' boundaries like a pro. You'll be amazed at how much these skills improve your relationships with friends, strangers, coworkers, and loved ones.

Are other people constantly intruding on your personal space, using your stuff, disrespecting you, and otherwise violating your boundaries? You can't control what they do, but you can control how you understand and communicate your own needs and make choices about how you behave and respond to the people around you. Dive deep into self-work with this interactive guide that can be used alone or as a companion to Dr. Faith's book Unfuck Your Boundaries. You'll learn about how to give and get consent, how to make sure you're stating your boundaries clearly and being understood, how to decide what is a dealbreaker, how to deal with boundaries in group settings, how to identify abuse, and how to hold yourself accountable to respecting the boundaries of others. Helpful to anyone trying to figure out healthier intimate relationships, better workplace dynamics, difficult family drama, or just how to be more confident in your own skin.

If you've ever been so pissed off that you did things that you regretted, or ruined your own day and some other people's too, this book is for you. Or if you feel angry every single day and it's affecting your health and sleep and love of life. Or if you've got very good reasons to be mad as hell, and you aren't going to take it anymore. Or if you've repressed your anger all your life and now it's all coming out at once. Microcosm Publishing bestseller Dr Faith explains here what the hell is going on in your brain and how to retrain yourself to deal with enraging situations more productively and without torpedoing your relationships. This is Your Brain on Anger gives you a heady dose of neuroscience and cultural explanation of what anger is and what it does to you, and then gives you a handy four-step checklist to help you deal with maddening situations after (or before) the fact, guidance on getting over things, and a chapter on forgiveness. Your brain actually knows what it's doing, and anger can be a good thing sometimes--just not if it's ruining your life.

Anxiety can control your life with a tight grip. Get yourself free with these exercises and worksheets designed to help you identify, manage, and ultimately calm your anxiety, be it stress that ebbs and flows or constant, chronic panic. Work through this book either by itself or as a companion to Dr. Faith G. Harper's bestselling Unfuck Your Anxiety. Figure out the history of your anxiety and how and when it makes itself known, and learn basic tools for surviving moments of panic as well as longer-term problem solving.

When we lose someone or something close to us--a loved person or animal, a relationship, our health, our dream, our idea of who we are--it hurts. A lot. Grief is both what we experience and how we heal. Dr. Faith Harper, bestselling author of books like Unfuck Your Brain and Unfuck Your Boundaries brings us a counseling and neuroscience perspective on grieving. She explains what is actually happening in our brains and bodies and what we need in order to allow it to happen fully. She also shows us how to identify and treat traumatic grief, the variety of grieving processes we experience, what grief looks like in the long term, when to get professional support, and how to ask the people in our lives for what we need (and to give ourselves the care we need as well). You'll also find solid advice on how (and how not!) to support a grieving person in your life. Wise, a little crass, and gently funny.

Anxiety is a survival skill gone haywire. It happens when our brain is working so hard to protect us that it forgets to notice that the danger has passed. It feels like choking, stifling, smothering, tingling, panicking--our brains cut out and we start to make bad decisions--all normal anxiety reactions. Dr. Faith G. Harper, author of the bestselling Unfuck Your Brain and This is Your Brain on Depression packs a ton of knowledge and help into this practical manual. She helps us understand the history and science of anxiety, realize when it's become a serious problem, know the difference between anxiety and other conditions, and cope with it in the moment as well as addressing it long term. This book is a lifesaver for panic attacks, breaking out of flight-fight-freeze responses, similar and co-occurring conditions, and for chronic anxiety. Straightforward, funny, kind, and judgment free, it includes a wide range of tips, exercises, and medical interventions. It's also good for people who aren't burdened by daily anxiety but want to cope better with the tough life situations we all face. Read this book and breathe!

How do you raise your kids to be feminist, anti-racist, gender-inclusive, self-compassionate, and with strong respect for boundaries and consent in a society that offers mixed messages on all these things--especially when none of this was part of your own upbringing? How can you prepare the next generation to find joy and stability and also cope with economic instability, police brutality, political polarization, militant nationalism, and environmental disaster? Parents and therapists Dr. Faith Harper and Bonnie Scott have written a parenting guide for the 21st century. Drawing from their own experiences raising diverse, politically active young people, this book will help you raise a new generation of civil rights leaders and activists who will change the world for the better--all while maintaining your own separate identity and relationships, and without losing your mind.

Friendship deserves more credit in a society obsessed with romantic and sexual relationships. In reality, friendship is the key to our mental and physical health, happiness, and social cohesion. Dr. Faith Harper, therapist and bestselling author of Unfuck Your Intimacy and Unfuck Your Boundaries applies brain science and her clinical and personal experience to help understand this vital type of relationship, offering insight into how to choose and make friends, sustaining and strengthening your friendships, friend group dynamics, friend breakups, setting excellent friendship boundaries, handling conflict, and managing all the different kinds of relationships we encounter in our lives. Includes a series of original advice columns honing in on the details that make our friendships work.

Penises rejoice! Here is the expert guide you need to the art and science of giving and getting oral pleasure. Learn techniques for causing great pleasure and for communicating desires, needs, and boundaries. Find out the science of why oral sex feels so damn good, work through societal and cultural messages that might get in the way of full enjoyment, and get a good grip on the health, safety, and hygiene stuff you need to know.

It''s time to reconnect with your body and yourself!

Untangle your emotions and expectations about money so that you can live your best financial life. Without fear and shame holding you back, it''s easier to move past social barriers to actualizing whatever your money aspirations are, whether that''s getting a raise, getting out of debt, having honest conversations about money with your family, raising your kids to be savers, or wherever your aspirations lead you. This workbook can be used alongside the book Unfuck Your Money or on its own to help you plot out your values, dreams, and cold, hard numbers.

Let this handy workbook guide you on your quest for healthier relationships and more excellent sex. These exercises can also stand alone. Includes a ton of good stuff, like body maps, communication templates, boundary-setting exercises, a sexual history questionnaire like the ones therapists use, and of course help with understanding and coping with anything upsetting that might come up. Almost all the exercises can absolutely be done with a partner, but the focus is on getting to know your body, your desires, and your needs, to explore on your own or together.

Dr. Faith explains the fundamentals of adulting in this handy guide. Spoiler: None of the requirements are about having certain jobs, kids, possessions and debts, or being totally bored and stressed out and hating your life. This book will not teach you to change your oil or fold fitted sheets. Instead, Dr. Faith offers wisdom from her life experience and counseling practice like, "If it's not yours, don't touch it," "Love people but not their bullshit," "Invest in small comforts," and "Either win or learn." It's hard work to do adulty stuff well, but the kind of work that's satisfying because it's about being good to yourself and other people and building a life that you're okay with waking up to every day. Keep these hot tips around for when you're making big decisions, dealing with difficult situations, or to give to a friend or kid who's making any kind of big life transition. The truth is, adulting is way more fun than kidding. You got this!

Explore your relationships and sexuality, with yourself and with others, with this new book by Dr. Faith, author of bestselling Unfuck Your Brain. Written particularly for people who are in intimate relationships, but also incredibly useful if you're single or dating and trying to unpack your past or plan for your future. With science and humor, Dr. Faith demystifies topics such as kink, consent, shame, and trauma recovery. Contains many exercises and questions to think, talk, or write about, on your own or with a partner. Read this book to learn vital life skills like listening to your body and your gut, setting boundaries, and communicating your needs. If you're looking to heal from past wounds, make better choices, or improve an existing relationship, this book is for you. Better sex and relationships are totally possible! You've got this.This book speaks to so many of the possible ways of being intimate with yourself and others. Whether you're queer, straight, trans, ace, demi, aro, are dealing with past abuse or societal bullshit, or have no freaking clue what's going on with you yet, Dr. Faith's got you covered.

You know those days when you just can't even? When everything is haywire and everyone, including yourself, seems to be against you, not to mention against reason? Your to-do list is a mile long, your kid is sick, traffic sucks, and you just spilled coffee all over yourself as you were about to walk out the door? How do you cope? Most of us don't have great coping skills, and turn instead to addictions, zoning out, or freaking out. Dr. Faith, author of the bestselling Unfuck Your Brain, offers a range of healthier strategies for getting through tough moments, gaining perspective, and shifting your attitude.This book teaches you different strategies for different types of situations, and includes skills from many methodologies, including CBT, DBT, ACT, Positive Psychology, Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction, Somatic Experiencing, Jungian therapy, and more.

Our brains do their best to help us out, but every so often they can be real assholes - having melt downs, getting addicted to things, or shutting down completely at the worst possible moments. Your brain knows it''s not good to do these things, but it can''t help it sometimes - especially if it''s obsessing about trauma it can''t overcome. That''s where this life-changing book comes in. With humour, patience, science, and lots of good-ole swearing, Dr. Faith explains what''s going on in your skull, and talks you through the process of retraining your brain.