The Mountain Is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage into Self-Mastery (2020) by Brianna Wiest
Another ode to getting out of your own way…
There are things about this book that I really enjoyed. There are a fair amount of insightful messages that inspired my own self-reflection. I am always a fan of anyone spreading the message of holding yourself accountable. In fact, one of my favorite sayings is that “trauma is not your fault, but healing from it is your responsibility” (original author unknown, so please don’t quote me on that), and a lot of the messaging in this book aligns with that.
However, I do have some pretty significant concerns:
A lot of the messaging appeared very uni-directional/causational rather than allowing space for the nuances of the human experience and the multitude of reasons a person might experience the things they are experiencing, or the self-inhibiting challenges they might be facing.
There appeared to be a lot of referencing of clinical information without any citations (and to be fair, I was listening to the audiobook and have not seen the hard copy, so if there are footnote citations or something in the hardcopy, then I will re-evaluate this concern).
There was a significant portion of the book about ⅔ of the way in that addressed trauma and ways to address it (none of which encouraged therapy) that felt very inappropriate and potentially dangerous.
As such, the clinician in me got curious and started to do a little more research–who is the author? What are her credentials? How is she coming by this information (since I’m not hearing a lot of citations)? And I came across a magazine article recounting an interview with the author. Professionally, the author is a writer/journalist. And she alluded to participating in psychotherapy as part of her journey. Based on this information, it did not feel like Wiest stayed in her lane (unlike Sincero).
Because I read so many books, I regularly offer recommendations (to clients and non-clients alike). Someone once replied that they don’t really like self-help books because it is often one person who manages to find success in something and then tries to convince you that if you follow their same path, you will find success too. This book felt a lot like that to me.
How did I hear about this book: Client recommendation
Would I recommend it to colleagues: Not highly. If your client is reading it, then absolutely. I really appreciated the first ⅓ or so of the book.
Would I recommend this to clients: It might not be my first choice, and ultimately it would be on a case-by-case basis. But my recommendation would come with the caveat that we are processing it together and especially reviewing the trauma piece in session.
How do I apply this content to my work: One of my core values personally and professionally is accountability. As I mentioned earlier, this book really supports that message that it’s our individual responsibility to do the work to heal from trauma we have experienced. I also appreciate the reflections in the book about the role of emotions and somatic experiences that play a role in our healing (as a dance/movement therapist). And I do get a fair amount of resistance from some of my clients around some of those aspects. This book could be a great supplement to the work I am doing in session as it supports and reiterates a lot of the things I’m doing and saying, and sometimes people need to hear someone else say it for it to sink in (or at least need to hear things said a different way). I understand there is also a workbook that goes with the book that I have not seen, so I’d be curious to check that out as well.
Disclaimers: These reviews are based on my own personal experience reading these books and do not reflect on the book’s author or publisher. I have not received any commissions or other incentives to promote my reviews. My reviews express my own unbiased opinions.
