Thema Bryant

A groundbreaking, heart-centered road map for everyone who seeks greater fulfillment in their relationships--with family, friends, romantic partners, and themselves As a psychologist and minister with more than twenty years of experience, Dr. Thema understands how challenging it can be to create and cultivate healthy relationships--and how critical it is for our well-being. Matters of the Heart draws on the wisdom of science, sacredness, and lived experience to help readers tend to the garden of their hearts and build their best relational lives. Love is not a level playing field, and improving your relationship with yourself, which includes healing trauma and setting boundaries, is often the first step toward leveling the field. Dr. Thema shares evidence-informed practices, traits, and skills that can enhance your relationships overall, as well as solutions to challenges within common relationship dynamics. With her wise and compassionate guidance, delve into: hot topics such as control issues, emotional unavailability, and releasing someone who doesn't love youpractical activation activities to apply what you learn from each chaptercase studies that illuminate the process of healing and growing your hearthow to shift your mindset and patterns around romanceand so much more One of the major predictors of wellness is the nature of our relationships. Our culture is in a mental health crisis, exacerbated by the loneliness of the digital age and realities of post-pandemic society. Whether you are trying to level up a happy relationship or rebuild trust after an unhappy one, Matters of the Heart will empower you to connect to yourself and to others, heal your heart, and thrive in all areas of your life.

From leading mental health expert Dr. Thema Bryant, an accessible resource to process stress and take practical steps toward creating the life you want Trauma and everyday challenges can cause us to disconnect and fall into survival mode. This comprehensive workbook gently leads us back to our authentic selves by helping us process difficult emotions and identify how ordinary and traumatic stress may have led to harmful patterns, including unhealthy relationships, people-pleasing, control issues, and self-sabotage. Drawing on more than two decades of experience in clinical psychology and trauma recovery, Dr. Thema Bryant guides us through surveys and reflection questions to grow our self-awareness and understanding. She offers a diverse array of psychotherapeutic techniques based in both Western science and indigenous knowledge to help us shift our thoughts, heal our emotions, and actively take steps toward growth. Incorporating journal prompts, grounding exercises, spiritual practices like prayer and meditation, and embodied healing through dance and movement, Reclaim Yourself invites you to process your past, center your present, and transform your future.

Your journey to healing and wholeness after domestic violence begins here. Domestic violence is about power and control. As a Black woman and a survivor of domestic violence, you have had your power taken away from you against your will. You are not alone, and there are tools you can use to feel whole and in control of your life again. Written by two psychologists and experts in BIPOC mental health, this book will show you how to start healing—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Grounded in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), this compassionate book addresses the unique struggles faced by Black women who have experienced domestic violence. You’ll find practical and empowering skills to help you understand and heal from trauma, leave harmful situations, and regain a sense of safety and freedom. You’ll also learn how to build a safety net, trust yourself—and others—again, and let go of the shame and guilt resulting from your experience. Finally, you’ll discover ways to reclaim your self-worth, set boundaries in your relationships, and make room for self-care in your day-to-day life. If you’re ready to leave—or have already left—an abusive situation, this book can help you heal from the trauma of domestic violence and discover personal freedom in mind, body, and spirit.

An antiracist society starts with you. Gain the psychological skills you need to adopt an antiracist mindset and make meaningful and equitable changes in your community—and in the world. Racism has reached epidemic levels in our country, and every single day we see acts of racial injustice. From police brutality and the prison industrial complex, to crumbling infrastructure and toxic drinking water in predominantly Black neighborhoods—many people have finally opened their eyes to the harsh realities of inequality and systemic racism in America. But awareness isn’t enough. We need to take action to create real change. Written by two psychologists and experts in race, identity, equity, and inclusion, The Antiracist Handbook will empower you to make your own personal contribution to creating an antiracist society. You’ll find practical, evidence-based tools grounded in psychology to help you recognize and resist racial stereotypes in day-to-day interactions; and strategies to help you communicate with family, loved ones, and children about race and racism. You’ll also learn skills to help you navigate race in professional workspaces, and advocate for antiracist politics, policies, and practices in your community, civic, and spiritual life. By shifting your thought patterns and behaviors to cultivate an antiracist mindset, you can actively change your community—and the world—beginning with yourself. This handbook will help you get started now.

A road map for dismantling the fear and shame that keep you from living a free and authentic life. In the aftermath of stress, disappointment, and trauma, people often fall into survival mode, even while a part of them longs for more. Juggling multiple demands and responsibilities keeps them busy, but not healed. As a survivor of sexual assault, racism, and evacuation from a civil war in Liberia, Dr. Thema Bryant knows intimately the work involved in healing. Having made the journey herself, in addition to guiding others as a clinical psychologist and ordained minister, Dr. Thema shows you how to reconnect with your authentic self and reclaim your time, your voice, your life. Signs of disconnection from self can take many forms, including people-pleasing, depression, anxiety, and resentment. Healing starts with recognizing and expressing emotions in an honest way and reconnecting with the neglected parts of yourself, but it can't be done in a vacuum. Dr. Thema gives you the tools to meaningfully connect with your larger community, even if you face racism and sexism, heartbreak, grief, and trauma. Rather than shrinking in the face of life's difficulties, you will discover in Homecoming the therapeutic approaches and spiritual practices to live a more expansive life characterized by empowerment, healthier relationships, gratitude, and a deeper sense of purpose.