Long Haul COVID: A Survivor's Guide

Transform Your Pain & Find Your Way Forward by Dr. Joseph Trunzo and Julie Luongo is a much welcomed and needed book that not only addresses the severe emotional impact of COVID-19 but more importantly, offers a unique method for living a fruitful life once again. This book is appropriate for both the public and professionals. Dr. Trunzo is an expert in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), an evidenced-based contextual behavioral approach aimed at increasing psychological flexibility in order to address a number of emotional and behavioral-health issues. As he did in his previous book Living Beyond Lyme, Dr. Trunzo again lays a creative foundation for applying the processes of ACT to Long Haul COVID sufferers. This is not your everyday run-in-the mill self-help book. It is well constructed, offering numerous experiential exercises, metaphors, and mindfulness meditations. Throughout the book Dr. Trunzo starts with an overview of each ACT process, then Julie Luongo illustrates how these processes are applied via her real-life experience. A running theme that restores the reader’s hope in regaining emotional wellness is a constant emphasis on achieving psychological flexibility; a perspective that shows how to live a value-chosen life even in the face of hardship. As Dr. Trunzo states very clearly, this comes in the way of practicing the six ACT processes. This book is a special gift to humanity given the immense amount of loss, isolation, and sadness that we all have experienced. Dr. Trunzo eloquently captures the power in all of us to transform desperate conditions into positivity, and by doing so, provides a beacon of hope for living a fulfilling life after the pandemic.