Which Way Is Up?

A heartfelt guide for meeting difficult times with mindfulness, compassion, and courage—from a psychotherapist and Buddhist practitioner who learned from her own crisis.

Features explorations of the three types of fear and practices to transform into opportunities for personal growth.

This heartfelt guide transforms challenging times into surmountable journeys that we can emerge from by learning how to work with—rather than against—fear. Drawing from traditional Buddhist teachings on the bardo, a Tibetan word most often associated with the period between death and rebirth, Buddhist practitioner Susan Gillis Chapman offers guidance for those times when life seems to turn upside down. Amidst such difficulties—whether it’s navigating the end of a relationship, a health scare, or other unexpected challenges—the fearful mind tends to panic. But Chapman, informed by her years working as psychotherapist, skillfully intercepts our uncertainty to show how we can let go of assumptions and allow something new to be reborn.

Using personal examples from her own bardo crisis—navigating a cancer diagnosis during the pandemic—and offering contemplative prompts for inner-reflection and meditation practices throughout, she demystifies the main kinds of fear people experience and reveals how to meet them with love. This powerful resource will help restore equilibrium when life feels chaotic, and what’s more, uncover truly transformative opportunities for personal growth in even the most difficult circumstances.