Healing Through Wonder

Val Walker’s newest book Healing through Wonder is a powerful work–urging readers to draw upon their own resilience, particularly a sense of wonder as they cope with loss. Walker reminds us to embrace our own inner strengths as we struggle with grief. This book is a gift to anyone who is bereaved. – Kenneth J. Doka, PhD * Senior Vice-President for Grief Programs, The Hospice Foundation of America, Author, Disenfranchised Grief, Grief is a Journey, When We Die *Healing Through Wonder is a luminous testament to the transformative power of awe. Blending personal vulnerability with compelling research, this book invites readers into a journey where wonder becomes a profound source of healing and hope after trauma and loss. – Scott T. Allison, PhD * Professor Emeritus of Psychology, University of Richmond, Editor of Heroism Science and the Encyclopedia of Heroism Studies, Author, Reel Heroes, Heroic Humility, Handbook of Heroism *Walker’s personal experience with trauma is both moving and beautifully written. Her study of awe as a source of healing for herself and others will bring hope, help, and pave a better future for many. – Kelsey Crowe, PhD * Co-author, There Is No Good Card for This, and Founder of Empathy Bootcamp *In the midst of illness, trauma and loss, it is easy to feel alone and stuck in darkness. By providing a platform for the sharing of awe-inspiring moments, the Healing Through Wonder project propels us toward health by reminding us to step outside of ourselves and to celebrate our collective humanity and the wonder of the world. – Annie Brewster, MD * Executive Director and Founder, The Health Story Collaborative, Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School, Author, The Healing Power of Storytelling *Val Walker’s profound journey through trauma and spiritual exploration is both heart-wrenching and inspiring. This book beautifully captures the resilience of the human spirit and the transformative power of connection and awe. A must-read for anyone seeking healing and understanding. – Shari Botwin, LCSW * Keynote speaker, media contributor, and author of Thriving After Trauma and Stolen Childhoods *Healing Through Wonder honors the truth that grief is not something to fix, but something to live within—and that awe and wonder can create space for healing without forcing it. Val Walker captures how openness and connection can gently accompany the grieving process, especially through the voices of those who have lived it. – Glen Lord * CEO, Peer Support Community Partners, MA *Val Walker is gracious enough to open up about her own experiences and show us that the space that exists between trauma and self-compassion has the potential to make us feel comfortable in who we are and how far we have come. – Lindsay Weisner, Psy. D * Co-Author of Ten Steps to Finding Happy and author of Psychology Today Blog “The Venn Diagram Life.” *In a world that often demands neat answers and swift resolutions, Healing Through Wonder offers something profoundly different: a compassionate embrace of mystery, awe, and the slow unfolding of healing. Val Walker’s exquisite blend of personal memoir, neuroscience, and community stories honors trauma and grief not as brokenness to be ‘fixed’ but as wounds that call for gentle reverence and presence. This book reminds us that the path to wholeness needs courage but also moments of breathless wonder—moments that open us to life’s beauty and connection. – Antonieta Contreras * Author of How Deep Is the Wound? and Traumatization and Its Aftermath, blogger for Psychology Today *

Val Walker is a rehabilitation consultant and blogger for Psychology Today, Social Self, and Health Story Collaborative. She is the author of The Art of Comforting, which won the Nautilus Gold Medal Book Award, and 400 Friends and No One to Call. With a Master of Science degree in rehabilitation counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University, she has led support groups for twenty-four years for people living with chronic illness, disability, grief, and trauma. She lives in Boston and teaches and speaks throughout New England at human services agencies, medical centers, hospices, universities, and community education programs.

Val’s articles, interviews, and advice quotes have appeared in national publications such as TIME, AARP, Wall Street Journal, Marie Claire, Good Housekeeping, Coping with Cancer, Boston Globe Magazine, Chicago Tribune, and others. Since 2020, media appearances include Parade, Next Avenue, Rewire, Boomer Magazine, Babyboomer.com, Healthy Aging, Caregiver Space, Caregiver Solutions, and Sweety High.