Unspeakable: Stories of Survival and Transformation After Trauma – 'Profoundly moving' Siri Hustvedt Main Edition
Author(s): Gwen Adshead (Author)
- Publisher: Faber & Faber
- Publication Date: 26 Feb. 2026
- Edition: Main
- Language: English
- Print length: 320 pages
- ISBN-10: 0571385249
- ISBN-13: 9780571385249
Book Description
‘A wise, deep, nuanced and profoundly moving book’ Siri Hustvedt
‘Thoughtful, important and a reminder that hope belongs to everyone’ Christie Watson
‘Extraordinarily powerful . . . it’s indelibly stamped on my mind‘ Rachel Clarke
The Sunday Times bestselling authors of The Devil You Know return with a life-affirming book, taking us into the consulting room with Dr Gwen Adshead to witness her work with patients and discover how we heal after trauma. Unspeakable is a testament to human resilience and the power of therapy.
The pioneering psychiatrist and psychotherapist Dr Gwen Adshead works with patients struggling in the wake of a range of distressing and painful life events. Drawn from over thirty years of clinical practice, Unspeakable illuminates how language – and silence – can dramatically affect the quality of our recovery after disaster. Whether we’re suffering from a sudden bereavement or intergenerational trauma, assault or abuse, sometimes the hardest words to say out loud are the very ones to set us free. With Adshead’s assistance and extraordinary insight, these courageous people discover new ways of viewing their experiences and moving forward in their lives.
In a world of quick fixes, immediate heated responses and lazily applied labels, Unspeakable urges nuance, expertise and compassion. It charts the transformation of patient identities, hearts and minds through the power of language, and makes a compelling case for hope.
Editorial Reviews
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Review
Tender and brave . . . If you are therapy-curious, a therapist or simply interested in the tenacity of the human spirit, Unspeakable is for you. — Paul D’Alton ― Irish Times
Elegant work on the issue of trauma . . . Adshead’s book brims with stories of survival. — Neil Mackay ―
The Herald
Unspeakable is a wise, deep, nuanced, and profoundly moving book about traumatic experience and the muteness that so often accompanies it. Every one of Dr. Adshead’s patients responds differently to events so terrible they resist telling. And yet, through the dialogue and greater understanding that arrives with therapy, every one of them discovers a way to live on and to speak of what was once unspeakable. — Siri Hustvedt ― author of MEMORIES OF THE FUTURE
A portrait of trauma and how psychotherapy has the power to transform the lives of those who have suffered unimaginable pain. Infused with Gwen Adshead’s trademark compassion and radical empathy, this book is thoughtful, important and a reminder that hope belongs to everyone.
— Christie Watson ― author of THE LANGUAGE OF KINDNESS
Wonderful… Adshead shows how the mind is infinitely adaptable, often resilient and that memories evolve. We learn that it’s possible not only to survive traumatic experiences, but find new ways to flourish in spite of them. — Gavin Francis ―
author of RECOVERY
I was gripped by
Unspeakable. These patient stories take the reader right into the consulting room and show how psychotherapy has the potential to transform the lives of those who have encountered unimaginable trauma. — Caroline Elton ― author of ALSO HUMAN
A humane exploration of traumatic experience, and more importantly, survival, that resists simplistic formulations and captures the subtle drama of psychotherapy. — Frank Tallis ―
author of THE ACT OF LIVING
With intelligence and deep empathy, Dr Gwen Adshead and Eileen Horne bring voice to acts, experiences and emotions that defy language. This is a book that challenges assumptions, expands compassion and lingers with you long after the final page. Fearless, humane and beautifully written –
Unspeakable asks what happens when we finally face the stories we’ve spent our lives avoiding. — Emma Read Turrell ― author of WHAT AM I MISSING?
In this extraordinary book, Adshead reveals not only how trauma shapes lives but also how people can escape its legacy. Through her rich and varied clinical illustrations, she brings to life the impact of the unspeakable, experiences that previously lay buried in wordless shame. Most importantly, she highlights how therapy enables recovery and survival. This book keeps hope alight in even the darkest places. — Anna Motz
Extraordinarily powerful . . . it’s indelibly stamped on my mind. — Rachel Clarke
Deeply moving, incredibly wise and exquisitely written . . . You will find this book so very powerful and hugely affecting — Jo Cannon
Book Description
The Sunday Times bestselling authors of The Devil You Know return with a life-affirming exploration of trauma, resilience and healing.
About the Author
Dr Gwen Adshead trained at St George’s Hospital, the Institute of Psychiatry and the Institute of Group Analysis. She has worked as a forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist in the NHS for nearly three decades, within prisons, at secure hospitals including Broadmoor, and in the community. She has published over one hundred academic works; she holds an MA in Medical Law and Ethics as well as two honorary doctorates from St George’s Hospital Medical School and has lectured widely, including as a visiting professor at Yale and as the Gresham College Professor of Psychiatry 2014-2016. In 2013, she was honoured with the Royal College of Psychiatry’s President’s Medal and in 2024 was awarded with an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. She is the co-author of the Sunday Times bestseller The Devil You Know: Encounters in Forensic Psychiatry. In 2024, she gave the annual BBC Reith Lectures.
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