Jukebox Time got a chance to interview Author Yushima Cherry Burks in regard to her book Picking Up the Pieces to 100 Broken Promises. We got insights into her book, her source of inspiration and much more!

Q1. Welcome to Jukebox Time! How are you doing?

Yushima Cherry Burks: I’m well, thank you for having me.

Q2. Please tell our readers about your amazing book Picking Up the Pieces to 100 Broken Promises.

Yushima Cherry Burks: Picking up the Pieces to 100 Broken Promises is a gripping nonfiction biographic collection of stories that will keep you on the edge of your seat wanting more. This book is full of shared relatable and off the wall experiences that will make you laugh, touch your heart, ignite rage, and inspire change.

Trauma changes us, and since our experiences molds us into the people we are today, our relationships are affected. The good news is that we can heal from our past and begin walking in our purpose and our healing journey simultaneously.

As a child who grew up in an abusive environment,  I learned how to compartmentalize pieces of myself, and now years later as a Licensed Therapist I’ve learned how to heal and embrace all of me so that you can too.

“Picking up the Pieces to 100 Broken Promises” is my guide on how to navigate life and heal in conditions that aren’t always pleasant.

This book consists of real life situations and the Workbook provides evidenced based solutions to your very real problems.

This story is our story. It’s about the little girl longing for love and acceptance, the teenager who wanted nothing more than to feel something other than sadness, it’s about being violated and feeling unsafe even at home.  It’s about showing up for others and learning how to show up for yourself. It’s reminder of who you were created to be. It’s about hope, healing, happiness and peace. this story is about you and me.

Picking up the Pieces to 100 Broken Promises is available online at every major bookstore.

Visit chatterboxtherapists.com for free workbooks, assessments and to schedule an appointment with a Licensed Therapist today.

Q3. What inspired you to write this amazing book?

Yushima Cherry Burks: As a Clinical Therapist, I see how trauma affects relationships and quality of life on a daily basis. As a survivor I have experienced both sides, trauma and the process of healing from trauma. We believe that what happened in our past doesn’t affect us, but it shows up in the way that we see the world. If your feelings weren’t validated as a child, you may find yourself in relationships with people who are emotionally unavailable. If you were abused as a child, you may have had to detach from the moment in order to cope with what was happening to your body, your mind, your spirit. As an adult, you may find that you dissociate from difficult situations and you may not be able to connect with your children, your partner, yourself, because that child that learned how to protect themselves by detaching hasn’t been told that they are safe now. This book shows that process.

Q4. Any tips or advice on how to work through a negative thought pattern?

Yushima Cherry Burks: This is a great question because thoughts become things. Here are a few things that I provide as options for my clients who suffer from negative thought patterns:

1. Take inventory of your support system and identify ways that each person contributes to your mental health in a negative or positive way. Then make changes accordingly.
2. Identify the negative thoughts and challenge each one against facts.
3. Replace negative thoughts with positive thoughts to counter the negative thought and rewire your brain.
4. Practice mindfulness techniques like meditation and yoga.
5. Utilize your spiritual beliefs, whatever that may be.
6. Set healthy boundaries to prevent becoming overwhelmed by outside stressors.
7. Get enough sleep for your body to function at its best.
8. Journaling: according to the University of Rochester, journaling is good for mental health and studies show that it helps to manage anxiety, reduce stress and cope with depression. Journaling helps control your symptoms and improve your mood by helping you prioritize fears, problems and concerns, tracking any symptoms day to day so that you can identify triggers and ways to control them better, which provides an opportunity for positive self-talk and identifying negative thoughts and behaviors.

Q5. What’s next? Which book or project are you working on now?

Yushima Cherry Burks: I am currently working with my publisher on publishing my third book to help heal the child inside, we are working out the title. It’s an awesome book with practical activities that will help you learn who you are and what you like. I’m excited!

Q6. Finally, as we ask all our guests on Jukebox Time, do you have any closing thoughts that you would like to share with the world and our readers?

Yushima Cherry Burks: First things first, I want you to know that you deserve to live your best life. The things that you’ve been through doesn’t define you. Once you understand who you are, and whose you are, you will appreciate how valuable you are. Last but not least, discernment is your best friend, it’s a built in mechanism that some call intuition. It’s one of the things that we ignore when we experience trauma as a way to cope with discomfort.  Seek therapy, therapy helps you identify behaviors that may go unnoticed. If you’ve tried it in the past and it didn’t work out, try another therapist. Be sure to do the work and you will benefit from it. Contact us today for a consultation, https://chatterboxtherapists.com Thank you for having me.

About the Author: Yushima Cherry Burks is an internationally known published author of, “Picking Up the Pieces to 100 Broken Promises” and the “Companion Workbook to Picking Up the Pieces to 100 Broken Promises.” With almost two decades of experience working with families and survivors of abuse and other trauma, her nationally recognized program “JUST US” was the main program for the YWCA for seven years. Yushima’s passion is helping survivors heal from the trauma of abuse and empowering others to understand their potential and worth. Yushima is known for her bubbly and sometimes goofy personality, but when it comes to advocating against injustice, abuse and neglect she is all business.