An empowering trauma therapy book about finding your voice, reclaiming your story, and rebuilding your life from the inside out.

We are all born with resilience—the quiet force that helps us rise after life knocks us down. But trauma can shatter that foundation, leaving us silent, disconnected, and unsure of how to move forward.

With four decades of experience as a licensed psychologist, Tom Glaser, MS LP, offers a compelling blend of clinical insight and personal childhood trauma memoir that illustrates how healing truly happens.

From a childhood shaped by bullying and emotional abuse to a career dedicated to helping others, he reveals how therapy helped him rediscover his voice, rebuild his inner world, and reconnect with purpose.

Through deeply human reflections and real-life trauma therapy stories, this book explores

• how psychotherapy helps survivors move from surviving to thriving
• the Seven Building Blocks of Trauma Resilience—research-informed trauma therapy tools for healing and reconnection
• candid case studies drawn from clinical experience—ideal for those seeking books about trauma survivors
• what to expect from trauma resilience therapy and how to find the right therapeutic support
• gentle guidance for loved ones of trauma survivors—and for recovering from trauma yourself

Set against the backdrop of a seemingly picture-perfect neighborhood filled with secrets, this is more than a story of overcoming hardship. It is a story of transformation. Because while trauma inevitably causes harm and suffering, it can become the very foundation upon which a survivor builds a stable, meaningful life.

Whether you're a survivor, a therapist, or someone seeking to better understand a loved one, The House That Resilience Built is a rare book about resilience that speaks to both the mind and the heart—validating, inspiring, and illuminating the path forward.

Tom Glaser, MS LP, is a licensed psychologist with forty years of professional experience helping individuals heal, grow, and reconnect with their innate resilience. After enduring significant childhood trauma, Tom embarked on a powerful journey of recovery—one that led him to specialize in working with trauma survivors. These personal and professional experiences inform every aspect of his work, blending clinical insight with hard-earned wisdom and deep compassion.

Tom is a lifelong meditator and yoga teacher, and the mind-body connection infuses his own life as well as his psychotherapy and teaching. He has appeared on more than one hundred podcasts, sharing his expertise on emotional healing, happiness, and the science of resilience. His first book, Full Heart Living: Conversations with the Happiest People I Know, became an Amazon bestseller and inspired both a stage performance and a documentary.

When he's not writing or working with clients, Tom revels in simple joys: celebrating life, creating community, and relishing connections. He and his husband, along with their dog, divide their time between Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Palm Springs, California.

"In The House That Resilience Built, author Tom Glaser presents a beautiful unfolding from trauma to growth, and darkness to light, in this comforting guide to healing the emotional wounds of our past." — Steve Leder, NY Times Bestselling Author

"The House That Resilience Built inspires us to do the unimaginable—to use the pain of personal trauma as a springboard for growth. Tom Glaser is a master of resilience, both in his own life and in his healing work. Sometimes it seems impossible to stay afloat, much less be resilient. This book shows us how to regain our inborn resilience, no matter what we've been through, and then tap into an even deeper reservoir to create a thriving life." — Henry Emmons, MD, author of The Chemistry of Joy and The Chemistry of Calm

"A masterpiece of compassion and understanding, and a guide for anyone who has experienced trauma in their lives and is looking for therapy to find resolution, resilience, and ultimate strength and wellbeing." — Eli Coleman, PhD, professor emeritus, University of Minnesota Medical School

"The House That Resilience Built is a massive achievement that ought to be required reading for all those who work with, struggle to recover from, or are on the path to healing from trauma—which may mean all of us. Author Tom Glaser's honesty and openness in describing his own journey are markers of the integrity and deep thoughtfulness with which he explores the terrain of childhood trauma. The book includes helpful and actionable chapters on how to handle a partner who is a survivor, what to look for in a therapist, and what to expect in trauma therapy. A must-read guide to developing resilience, understanding, and ultimately healing from traumatic experiences." — Kirsten Lind Seal, PhD, LMFT, WCCO-TV Relationship Reboot co-creator and contributor

"It is rare to feel such a strong presence of an author through the pages of their book. In The House That Resilience Built, Tom Glaser reflects on how the pieces of a heart broken by trauma can be restored through the moment-by-moment meeting in the therapeutic encounter. While love is not often a word associated with therapy, this book confirms that the loving presence of the therapist can provide the support that is needed for the client to find their way back to loving themselves. Beginning with his own journey back to wholeness, he brings you into the heart and mind of a master therapist as he offers his care and knowledge in the service of healing and resilience, for his clients and for his reader." — Ryan C. Van Wyk, PsyD, LP, founder of the MN Trauma Project

"The House That Resilience Built provides a brightly lit path for trauma survivors, and for those who love them. Tom's ability to connect deeply with his clients, really see and hear them, and gently help them move from feeling frozen and stuck to liberated is nothing short of revolutionary. And it's the kind of revolution our world sorely needs." — Rachel Awes, psychologist, author, and art playgroundist

"Many years ago, one of my teachers warned me against making 'ending trauma' a goal. This, she said, sets up a kind of never-ending desire for something that could be confusing or even get in the way of noticing when we have gained capacity and connection. Tom's framing focuses on building resiliency, an old word that means to leap again or to rebound. He in no way minimizes the impact of trauma, but he gently nudges the reader to notice how to build our capacity to, well, leap again, even after we have fallen. Weaving together elements of his personal story with reflections from his practice as a therapist, Tom offers concrete and caring suggestions for how to imagine—and practice—rebounding. His section on things a therapist would say to the voice in your head had me laughing out loud, whether or not that was intended." — Susan Raffo, author of Liberated to the Bone

"In this heartfelt and compassionate book, therapist Tom Glaser shares relatable stories that highlight the resilience born from early trauma. He invites readers to reclaim their narratives, build healthier relationships, and take steps toward a hopeful future. Through his inspiring examples, readers will uncover the strength within to heal and grow." — Kris Jennings, author of Inspired by Fear: Becoming a Courageous Change Leader

"Powerful and moving, The House That Resilience Built is packed with wisdom, compassion, and inspiration, serving as a balm to anguished souls." — Patrick Dougherty, MA, licensed psychologist and author

"In The House That Resilience Built, author Tom Glaser offers a heartfelt invitation to remember that healing is possible—and that resilience lives within us, waiting to be strengthened through intention, connection, and care." — Patty Hlava, PhD, author of The Spectrum of Gratitude Experience