The act of caregiving is physically exhausting and emotionally draining, yet caregivers describe it as rewarding and gratifying.
Prolonged exposure to human suffering, however, is not without risks. Caregivers report high rates of burnout and poor quality of life.
Many care providers believe that their feelings do not matter; that they should ignore their pain, brush off their trauma, wipe away their tears, and just “suck it up” and keep going.
Here, Omar Reda, a psychiatrist and trauma expert, calls upon other healers to break free from cycles of secrecy, toxic stress, and silent suffering so they can continue to empower and inspire those in their care.
Self-care is not a luxury, it is a responsibility.
Untangled is a reader-friendly, visually bold, and highly practical guidebook for parents, caregivers, advocates, and professionals, written by a Harvard-trained psychiatrist, trauma survivor, and loving parent impassioned to make healing and empowerment possible for traumatized families and communities around the world so that future generations can thrive.
see on amazonIt was during the armed conflict in 2011 that a group of fighters found Dr. Reda caring for trauma surviving children in Libya.
The fighters indicated that Dr. Reda was needed on the frontlines of fighting. Dr. Reda let them know that tending to the psychosocial needs of the children was indeed his frontline.
After 12 years in exile, Dr. Reda was able to return to Libya. While the Libyan people’s physical wounds were prevalent, their psychological trauma often went unnoticed. Due to the stigma and lack of education, mental health is not typically a focus in Libya. Trauma survivors needed psychosocial care.
Dr. Reda found that trauma experienced in war zones is similar to the dysfunctional cycles and family dynamics of trauma survivors elsewhere.
His first book. On the Shoulders of the Prophet, is about the example of the prophet Muhammed (PBUH) and how he was a safe role model for the youth and everyone around him.
