How to Breathe While Suffocating
A Story Of Overcoming Addiction, Recovering From Trauma, and Healing My Soul
1. Edition April 2024
240 Pages, Hardcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
Let go of negativity, rediscover your inherent worth, and unlock your true potential
How To Breathe While Suffocating is your antidote to the all-too-common tendency to surrender, giving up on your life's ambitions. You don't have to give up! For anyone who has gotten caught in the trap of "I can't do it," this book reminds you that you are enough, you possess value, and your unique ability to engage with the world can and will get you to where you want to be. Through simple positive affirmations, unflinching first-person stories, and insightful analysis, author Bruce W. Brackett helps you focus on the positive and keep moving forward.
Society today is experiencing a hidden pandemic of loneliness, disconnection, and resistance to recovery. After the life-altering shutdowns of COVID-19, many of us have simply remained in shutdown mode. This book uses universal concepts, expressed through engaging narrative, to help you grapple with issues like mental health, isolation, gender identity, disconnection, and the overwhelming sense of negativity for our collective future. By the end, you'll learn to turn it around and get back to the business of living. The message of How to Breathe When Suffocating is simple--spread love, inhabit joy, and embrace the power of positivity.
* Gain the inspiration you need to seize your potential, find confidence, and step into your authentic self
* Change your outlook on life with simple slogans and mantras for developing a healthier, more positive attitude
* Realize that you aren't alone in your struggle, and see how others are finding the strength to move forward in difficult times
* Read the compelling story of one man who overcame insurmountable odds and found salvation from negativity and self-doubt
After a two-decade healing journey of intensive trauma therapy, psychiatric treatment, and rehab, Bruce W. Brackett has emerged a survivor. Anyone in the midst of their own healing journey will resonate with benefit from his lived experience, portrayed here with intimate vulnerability and universal appeal.
Chapter 1 Born into It and Removed from It 1
Chapter 2 The Foster Family 13
Chapter 3 It Takes a Village, for Pain or Glory 21
Chapter 4 Bullies Be Gone! 35
Chapter 5 Am I a Star? Meh, Same Difference 43
Chapter 6 The Foot That Should Have Kicked Me 55
Chapter 7 The Runaway 63
Chapter 8 Journey to the Dream 75
Chapter 9 Oklahoma City 89
Chapter 10 Angels in Dallas 97
Chapter 11 A Flight to Freedom 109
Chapter 12 Boystown 119
Chapter 13 Salt Lake City 131
Chapter 14 Las Vegas, Do or Die 145
Chapter 15 On My Way 157
Chapter 16 The Diagnoses 167
Chapter 17 Hurricane Bruce 177
Chapter 18 Crystal in the Rain 191
Chapter 19 Photo Gallery 199
Epilogue 207
Resource Guide for Help Hotlines 213
Acknowledgments 217
About the Author 219
Index 221
"Brackett's autobiography invites you to tightly hold his hand as he guides you through the treacherous terrain of his traumatic beginnings. Brace yourself for an emotionally charged journey that delves deep into the heart-wrenching experiences of addiction and mental health challenges, which have profoundly shaped his life. Touching you with the revelation of the power to turn tragedy into opportunity." - My Mental Health Inc.
"As you grasp Brackett's hand and delve into his turbulent beginnings, you'll vividly experience the tumultuous journey through trauma, addiction, and self-destruction, finding a profound connection with your own emotions. Through Brackett's narrative, you'll journey from despair to a place of empowering self-love, showcasing the incredible ability to turn life's tragedies into life-changing opportunities." - My Mental Health Inc.
"Let's be clear. Bruce is a survivor in the highest order! There's a Buddhist saying that you can turn 'poison into medicine'. Mr Brackett has done just that with their life. I felt like I was right there in parts of his life through the detailed writing as he painted a picture of incomprehensible poverty and mental illness and through their triumph against seemingly insurmountable odds. It's a story hard to be believed. And yet, alive and well, Bruce stands." - James T. Lane, Broadway Star
"Bruce Brackett delivers an authentic story filled with moments of overcoming adversity and moments of triumph. This is an inspirational read that motivates oneself to help others, to look for the possibilities, to dream big and to become your own best advocate." - Christian Parker, Founder, Gay & Sober
"Bruce is a star that sparkles as brilliant as Alpha Centauri. Despite the odds and all the danger that he lived through-he is a survivor. BWB took control of their life that was in shambles and asked for help and got the help that he needed. Thank you BWB for being a light in our lives. His will to live and thrive is a miracle. Now remember to breathe and keep moving forward." - Michael Alago, Author, Photographer, Music Executive
