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Midwest Book Review
An inherently absorbing, singularly fascinating, completely compelling, and truly extraordinary memoir that is as deftly crafted as it is impressively candid, "Frida and Me: Art, and One Woman's Triumph Over PTSD" is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Contemporary American Biography collections.
Connie Shelton, USA Today bestselling author
"I cried when I read this book. Eli Weintraub grabs you with a memoir that reads like a fast-paced novel, and just doesn't let go. What an amazing journey, and what fortitude this young woman called upon, to find her life again after she nearly lost it. This is a powerful true story!"
Laurel Parnell, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and director of the Parnell Institute for EMDR. One of the world’s leading experts on Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) she is the author of Rewiring the Addicted Brain with EMDR-Based Treatment, Attachment-Focused EMDR: Healing Relational Trauma, A Therapist’s Guide to EMDR, EMDR in the Treatment of Adults Abused As Children, Transforming Trauma: EMDR and Tapping In.
Frida and Me movingly describes the slow process Eli and her therapist undertook in their work together using art to enable Eli to assemble the pieces of her shattered self that were beyond words and safely heal her pain and dissociation. The art Eli created during her healing journey is beautifully displayed in the book helping readers better understand her inner, non-verbal experience as she processed her traumas.
Frida and Me is a courageous woman’s remarkable story of healing the trauma and loss from multiple experiences of nearly dying. Eli poignantly describes the confusion, disorientation and disconnection from self a person with PTSD lives with, and how lost they feel when they don't understand what has happened to them. Frida and Me shows us how using art can help assemble the pieces of a shattered self after trauma too big for the brain to process and make sense of.
I found this personal and inspiring account beautifully written and hard to put down. As a clinical psychologist and educator specializing in the treatment of trauma, I will recommend Frida and Me to clients, their families and therapists to help them understand and recognize PTSD and how art can be used to heal.
Linney Wix, Ph.D., ATR-BC, Professor Emerita
An astonishing story of art’s abilities to heal physical and psychic trauma. The artwork and accompanying narrative of Frida and Me carry the reader through the artist/author’s difficult journey following a horrific bus accident. The account courageously highlights the witness of art in service of the soul.
Judy Wright, MS Program Manager of the University of New Mexico’s Employee Health Promotion Program (retired)
“A must-read, Eli reveals her early life, months in Mexico studying art, and then the trauma of near death after a horrible bus accident and the physical and emotional damage that resulted. She is courageous in revealing her deep soul searching experiences and years of healing, ultimately with the help of her compassionate counselor and art therapist.
KT BOWES, AUTHOR
This novel is a touching rollercoaster of transformation. Dealing with the very personal issue of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, the author allows the reader to accompany her on a journey of discovery. From the very lowest of lows, she holds nothing back. It's sometimes painfully frank.
Anyone with experience of a trauma based illness will benefit from the insights contained in these pages. Written more as a novel than an autobiography, it's a real page turner that will keep you reading late into the night. I sometimes wanted to scream at the decisions the main character made, but that's because it's about real life. The novel induces a sense of investment. It made me care about the outcome way more than other books I've read.
The writer finds peace in her own way, through grounding herself in her native visual arts. It provides her with a lifeline back to wholeness.
The book is a roadmap for anyone suffering. The route back to hope is different for everyone. The writer offers directions. Please take them.
Deborah Schroder, ATR-BC, LPAT
I was moved by Eli Weintraub Maurx’s story and the courageous healing work that she undertook, using art. She was able to trust the honesty and depth of her powerful images, and my hope is that her story will inspire others to use creative expression in their healing journeys.
An inherently absorbing, singularly fascinating, completely compelling, and truly extraordinary memoir that is as deftly crafted as it is impressively candid, "Frida and Me: Art, and One Woman's Triumph Over PTSD" is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Contemporary American Biography collections.
Connie Shelton, USA Today bestselling author
"I cried when I read this book. Eli Weintraub grabs you with a memoir that reads like a fast-paced novel, and just doesn't let go. What an amazing journey, and what fortitude this young woman called upon, to find her life again after she nearly lost it. This is a powerful true story!"
Laurel Parnell, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and director of the Parnell Institute for EMDR. One of the world’s leading experts on Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) she is the author of Rewiring the Addicted Brain with EMDR-Based Treatment, Attachment-Focused EMDR: Healing Relational Trauma, A Therapist’s Guide to EMDR, EMDR in the Treatment of Adults Abused As Children, Transforming Trauma: EMDR and Tapping In.
Frida and Me movingly describes the slow process Eli and her therapist undertook in their work together using art to enable Eli to assemble the pieces of her shattered self that were beyond words and safely heal her pain and dissociation. The art Eli created during her healing journey is beautifully displayed in the book helping readers better understand her inner, non-verbal experience as she processed her traumas.
Frida and Me is a courageous woman’s remarkable story of healing the trauma and loss from multiple experiences of nearly dying. Eli poignantly describes the confusion, disorientation and disconnection from self a person with PTSD lives with, and how lost they feel when they don't understand what has happened to them. Frida and Me shows us how using art can help assemble the pieces of a shattered self after trauma too big for the brain to process and make sense of.
I found this personal and inspiring account beautifully written and hard to put down. As a clinical psychologist and educator specializing in the treatment of trauma, I will recommend Frida and Me to clients, their families and therapists to help them understand and recognize PTSD and how art can be used to heal.
Linney Wix, Ph.D., ATR-BC, Professor Emerita
An astonishing story of art’s abilities to heal physical and psychic trauma. The artwork and accompanying narrative of Frida and Me carry the reader through the artist/author’s difficult journey following a horrific bus accident. The account courageously highlights the witness of art in service of the soul.
Judy Wright, MS Program Manager of the University of New Mexico’s Employee Health Promotion Program (retired)
“A must-read, Eli reveals her early life, months in Mexico studying art, and then the trauma of near death after a horrible bus accident and the physical and emotional damage that resulted. She is courageous in revealing her deep soul searching experiences and years of healing, ultimately with the help of her compassionate counselor and art therapist.
KT BOWES, AUTHOR
This novel is a touching rollercoaster of transformation. Dealing with the very personal issue of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, the author allows the reader to accompany her on a journey of discovery. From the very lowest of lows, she holds nothing back. It's sometimes painfully frank.
Anyone with experience of a trauma based illness will benefit from the insights contained in these pages. Written more as a novel than an autobiography, it's a real page turner that will keep you reading late into the night. I sometimes wanted to scream at the decisions the main character made, but that's because it's about real life. The novel induces a sense of investment. It made me care about the outcome way more than other books I've read.
The writer finds peace in her own way, through grounding herself in her native visual arts. It provides her with a lifeline back to wholeness.
The book is a roadmap for anyone suffering. The route back to hope is different for everyone. The writer offers directions. Please take them.
Deborah Schroder, ATR-BC, LPAT
I was moved by Eli Weintraub Maurx’s story and the courageous healing work that she undertook, using art. She was able to trust the honesty and depth of her powerful images, and my hope is that her story will inspire others to use creative expression in their healing journeys.