Janina Scarlet - Super-Women: Superhero Therapy for Women Battling Anxiety, Depression, and Trauma

If you remain unconvinced that from our deepest darkness and most crippling wounds springs our brightest light and transcendent strength, for you there are the words of Janina Scarlet. For those whove lost faith that recovery from lifes abuses is truly possible, Super-Women will restore you, persuade you the work is worth it, and show you the way to home. Innovative, inclusive, and expansivethis book is for ALL women!

Erica Mather, yoga therapist and author of Your Body, Your Best Friend

In her therapy workbook, Super-Women, psychologist Janina Scarlet leads her reader through a journey of virtual group therapy to create the emotional safety and connection they need to thrive. In it, Scarlet presents a vibrant and diverse cast of female characters whose own healing experiences support the readers healing from chronic shame, trauma, and disconnection. Framing pain and vulnerability as portals to compassion and strengthand ultimately their own superhero storyScarlet has masterfully integrated the most advanced narrative and cognitive behavioral techniques available.

Aprilia West, PsyD, MT, psychologist, executive leadership coach, author of What You Feel Is Not All There Is, and coauthor of Emotion Efficacy Therapy

Super-Women by Janina Scarlet is the book you didnt know you neededbut you do. This book lets women know that it is o kay to have emotional needs. I love that this book integrates diverse voices, amplifies womens experience, and addresses the context in which women live today. Janinas calm and steady voice invites you into a sanctuary where you can put downfor a momentyour arms, your masks, and just be. And in this stillness, you can find your strengths. I highly recommend it!

Lisa Coyne, PhD, founder and director of New England Center for OCD and Anxiety, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, and coauthor of Stuff Thats Loud

Super-Women by Janina Scarlet walks women through a healing journey from building emotional safety to cultivating compassion. This ACT-based self-help book is a must-have for women struggling with the pain of trauma and other emotional challenges in their lives. I will be recommending it to my women clients. It will support them to not simply recover, but to fully engage in growth and meaning as they step forward into values-based living.

Robyn D. Walser, PhD, licensed clinical psychologist, author of The Heart of ACT, and coauthor of Learning ACT and The Mindful Couple

Janina Scarlets compassion, courage, skillfulness, abundant wisdom, and expertise shine through in Super-Women. Through many super-women sharing both their own personal experiences and their experiences of applying the skills necessary to become a superhero in real life, you too will get the opportunity to experience emotional safety and connection to give you the courage, compassion, and skills to become a superhero yourself in the face of the anxieties and traumas you have faced as a woman.

Aisling Leonard-Curtin, chartered psychologist with the Psychological Society of Ireland, peer-reviewed acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) trainer, codirector of ACT Now Purposeful Living, and coauthor of The Power of Small

When I finished reading Super-Women, I immediately texted Janina to share my appreciation and excitement for this manuscript. It is beautifully narrated, illustrated, and it does an incredible job blending ACT skills throughout every single page. This self-help book is a resourceful guide for readers on how to shift from painful experiences into personal moments of growth, purpose, and meaning. I hope every reader finds their superhero within!

Patricia E. Zurita Ona, PsyD, author of Living Beyond OCD Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy a nd The ACT Workbook for Teens with OCD

Janina Scarlet has provided a map for the journey to discovering your inner super-heroine. With compassionate courage and wisdom, this book will help you navigate the challenges of trauma, anxiety, and depression. Filled with helpful exercises and real-world examples, this book will be an indispensable companion for you as you join the ranks of real-life super-women that have faced dragons and unleashed their power into the world.

Laura Silberstein-Tirch, PsyD, founding director of The Center for Compassion Focused Therapy, and author of How to Be Nice to Yourself

Publishers Note

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering psychological, financial, legal, or other professional services. If expert assistance or counseling is needed, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

NEW HARBINGER PUBLICATIONS is a registered trademark of New Harbinger Publications, Inc.

Distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books

First published in Great Britain in 2020 by Robinson

Copyright 2021 by Janina Scarlet New Harbinger Publications, Inc. 5674 Shattuck Avenue Oakland, CA 94609 www.newharbinger.com

Cover design by Sara Christian

Diagrams on pages 20, 21 and 93 Liane Payne

All other illustrations Christy Jedigoddess

Acquired by Ryan Buresh

All Rights Reserved

To all the Super-Women who face their own dragons on a daily basis. You are my role models. Thank you for your courage. Thank you for being wonderful.

To be a woman

To be a woman means feeling not thin enough,

Lost in the distorted image of every mirror.

Its to be blamed about how your skirt

Or your tone caused the pain you endured

At the hand or the fists of someone

Who promised to never hurt you.

It means being told that sex is an obligation

To be had without any detestation.

It means being called crazy

For asking for fidelity

Or for having emotions

Such as insecurity or jealousy.

It means being praised for starvation,

Always anxious about a negative evaluation.

It means being a contradiction,

Self-evaluating like its an addiction.

It means being an impossibility,

It means having a super ability

To be in multiple places and play multiple roles,

To face the world and the internet trolls.

And what it really means

Is the courage to meet our own needs,

To stand up after constant defeats.

It means to look in the mirror

And see the superhero,

The one that has been there

More times than you could be aware,

As your power shines through

Brighter than you ever knew.

Contents

Foreword

Where are your feet? Her voice was gentle and calmbut I looked up incredulously, perceiving this question as a jolting departure from the subject. Through hauntingly quiet tears, I had just resolutely told Janina that the pain was too much. That if brokenness could actually stop a heart from beating, I would be long gone. And I just wanted to die, so the pain would stop. Janinas face was open and gentle, full of compassion, yet unshaken. Im here, Chase, she said. Id like to ask you to put your hand on your heart and breathe with me. We did. Now tell me, where are your feet?

And so began the journey of my healing with the work of Dr. Janina Scarlet. By that chilly winter afternoon in 2016, Janina was already my colleague through Pop Culture Hero Coalition, which I founded in 2013 with author Carrie Goldman. Through the years, I had produced and moderated panels all over the country with Janina brilliantly teaching self-compassion and empowerment, based in her own journey from arriving in the United States as a child refugee and navigating unthinkable pain, to her earning two doctorates and becoming an acclaimed author, therapist, podcaster, and speaker. I had already volunteered my work with the Coalition for years because I saw firsthand that the healing Janina brought for countless people was real.