What to read next as recommended by our therapists - The Choice by Edith Eger
The Choice by Edith Eger
When I read the title of this book, my first reaction was: “Oh boy, here comes another one of those You just have to choose to be happy books!” But since it was recommended by a trusted friend, I gave it a chance and literally learnt not to judge a book by its cover, or its title.
Edith Eger tells her story of surviving concentration camps during the holocaust and her journey thereafter to becoming a psychologist. The choice she refers to, is her choice to acknowledge the extent of the trauma she suffered and then choosing the difficult path of deeply acknowledging the impact this had on her life.
“In running from the past – from my fear – I didn’t find freedom. I made a cell of my dread and sealed the lock with silence.” (p. 175).
She chose to take responsibility for her feelings, to stop repressing or avoiding them and to stop blaming them on other people. She also had to learn the emotional vocabulary to describe her experiences in all their horror and pain.
She was then faced with the choice of how she would like to continue living. “I can make the choice that all of us can make.
I can’t ever change the past. But there is a life I can save: It is mine. The one I am living right now, this precious moment.” (p. 308). She was faced with deciding what she needs out of life to feel fulfilled and then she had to choose to change her actions to align with the life she had dreamt of whilst in captivity.
Edith’s story culminates in the message that “Even in hell, hope can flower.
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