Hypervigilant - by Kim Sage (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A clinical psychologist's paradigm-shifting exploration of why we're wired for danger and what we can do about it

Do you...

• Obsessively monitor other people's moods and absorb their emotions?
• Frequently fear that someone is "mad at you" or you're "in trouble" even when you've done nothing wrong?
• Silence your voice because anger feels scary or dangerous?
• Have a nervous system that's always on high alert?

You may be living with hypervigilance, a state of constant anxiety about perceived threats to your physical or emotional safety. We often believe that this perpetual fear is just "who we are," but compulsively scanning for danger is not a personality trait. It's a trauma response we develop when we grow up in unstable environments, walking on eggshells around unpredictable caregivers. And although hypervigilance is surprisingly common, it has been largely overlooked--until now.

In this groundbreaking book, clinical psychologist Dr. Kim Sage, a highly vigilant person herself, draws on years of research and work with clients to offer real relief to people who struggle with overthinking, people-pleasing, perfectionism, and fawning. You'll learn how to recognize your unhealthy patterns, regulate your nervous system, and break free from the prison of anxiety.

Hypervigilant is the tool you need to let your true self shine and start living without fear.

Review Quotes

"With Hypervigilant, Dr. Kim Sage addresses one of the most pernicious and far-ranging aspects of childhood trauma: hypervigilance. It is high time for an entire book devoted to a topic that underscores so much of our adult suffering--our vigilance to other people's emotions in sacrifice of our own true nature. This important diagnosis and invaluable path to healing will truly help so many."
-Dr. Shefali Tsabary, New York Times bestselling author of The Conscious Parent

"Where has this book been all my life? Hypervigilant is the book so many of us chronic over-thinkers and people-pleasers have needed. With deep clinical insight, Dr. Kim Sage shows how the exhausting patterns we blame ourselves for often began as a child's intelligent way of staying safe. This is a warm, genuinely useful book that gives so many people an attainable open path to healing."
--Scott Barry Kaufman, PhD, author of Transcend and Rise Above

"Brains can be quick to mistake discomfort for danger, even if you had an amazing childhood. Throw the uncertainty of life and the reality of trauma into the mix, and it's no wonder so many of us feel stuck in loops of rumination and anxiety. Dr. Kim Sage offers us a way forward with Hypervigilant. Grounded in both clinical and personal experience, this compassionate guide helps demystify why our brains stay on high alert and offers practical tools to help us move from surviving to thriving."
--Britt Frank, LSCSW, SEP, author of The Science of Stuck and Align Your Mind

"Dr. Kim Sage's Hypervigilant is the first book from a clinical psychologist to help us understand--and begin to heal from--hypervigilance as a way to protect ourselves when we feel blamed, abandoned, or rejected. Blending data-driven research and personal stories in a compelling and empathetic way, Hypervigilant will help many recognize these patterns and finally find greater freedom in their most important relationships, including the relationship they have with themselves."
--Dr. Tracy Dalgleish, author of You, Your Husband, and His Mother and I Didn't Sign Up for This

About the Author

Dr. Kim Sage holds a doctorate in clinical psychology and helps clients and social media followers alike heal from wounding, emotionally unsafe childhoods and lead happier, healthier lives. Her specialties include chronic hypervigilance, eggshell parents, relationship trauma, and high-masking autism. She has four children and lives in Southern California.