Why this book exists
A focused place to understand what is happening
There is a part of Imogen's life that almost no one knows about. To everyone around her she is capable, funny, and kind, and that is the version of herself she works hard to present. What no one sees is what happens when the feeling becomes too much, when some pain inside her swells until it is unbearable and she cannot find any other way to make it stop. In those moments, alone and in secret, she hurts herself, and afterwards, for a while, the unbearable feeling recedes and she can breathe again. And then comes the shame, vast and crushing, and the hiding, and the promises that she will never do it again, until the next time the feeling becomes too much. Imogen has carried this secret since she was a teenager, because she is certain that if people.
The writing is designed to reduce shame, bring the underlying pattern into view and give you practical ways to respond without pretending that every life follows the same formula.
