Rewarding and profoundly human.
“You don’t have to judge yourself for this. You’re human.” Isn’t this a reassurance we could all use from time to time? For Caitlin Billings, this reminder comes from a compassionate nurse she met while being held in a psychiatric ward after suffering a breakdown. The trigger? There is no simple, single answer to this question. Over a few decades of life, as relived in this heartrending memoir, Caitlin deals with abandonment, sexual assault, an eating disorder, self-injury, an unreasonable standard of self-perfection and a lurking, unrelenting mental illness. Forthright with her feelings of resentment, anger and shame, these problems inevitably circle back around as she works in a noble profession as a therapist trying to help people suffering from some of the same problems she’s struggled with for a lifetime. Beyond an ambitious career, Caitlin reveals some of the most vulnerable moments experienced as a mother, helping her own child plagued with similar struggles.
Extremely compassionate and thoughtful, Caitlin Billings writes her memoir with an intensity that will pierce readers to their core. Mental health is an epidemic, one that is more complex and multifaceted than simple medical treatments and therapies can address with a quick prescription or therapy session. Tackling crucial themes, In Our Blood is written with the rhythm of a songwriter and the grace of a dancer. Difficult topics, including gender identity, sexual abuse and suicidal tendencies, are handled openly and with a tender touch. Rather than a lengthy list of family traumas, Caitlin Billings invites readers into these intimate moments to get a taste of the desperation, the guilt and the hopelessness, engendering compassion and understanding in the hearts of readers. Honest in a way many of us don’t allow ourselves to be, Caitlin Billings takes readers on her journey ending at a place, not where her problems magically disappear, but one where contentment and true self-forgiveness can be found.
