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62 pages 2 hours read

Stephanie Foo

What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2022

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Essay Topics

1.

How is C-PTSD different from PTSD, and how do these differences manifest in Stephanie Foo’s life?

2.

Why did Foo initially see her diagnosis as pathological and intractable? How did this affect her actions and attitude toward herself?

3.

What kind of support did Samantha, the therapist who diagnosed Foo with C-PTSD, offer Foo over the years, and how is it different from the support Dr. Ham offers?

4.

A key insight Foo gains from her years of therapy is that treatment is most effective when the patient trusts their doctor. What experiences lead Foo to trust or distrust her various therapists, and what role does trust play in the therapeutic process?

5.

To what extent can a person be “cured” from C-PTSD? What does it mean to be “cured” in this context, and what alternative ways of measuring progress might exist?

6.

How does Foo define true mental and physical health, and what are some major factors that have encouraged her to reach this conclusion?

7.

What role does community play in Foo’s healing process? How does Foo’s community help her to heal from C-PTSD, and to what degree is healing necessary to be able to form a supportive community in the first place?

8.

Why was choosing to become estranged from her father so difficult for Foo?

9.

Compare Foo’s family in Malaysia and Joey’s family. How are they different and how are they similar?

10.

How does the COVID-19 pandemic inform Foo’s understanding of her trauma?

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