The Healing Power of Resilience

A revolutionary, science-backed approach to living well from ABC News chief medical correspondent and cardiologist Dr. Tara Narula, that bridges the gap between our physical and mental health to show how resilience is the key to both.

As the number one leading cause of death in the United States, heart disease has several common prescriptions from cardiologists, such as medication, surgery, diet, and exercise. There is, however, one treatment that is consistently overlooked: resilience. We need resilience to get us to face new diagnoses, to show up to doctor’s appointments, to take those medications, to make it through surgery (and to recover from it), and to stick to that diet or new workout plan.

That’s where this paradigm-shifting book comes in, connecting the worlds of medicine and psychology. Its application goes beyond heart disease to other difficult diagnoses and traumatic health events, and overall well-being.

Over the course of her decades-long career as a board-certified cardiologist and journalist, Dr. Narula noticed there was something missing in patient care: the need to address mental health alongside physical health. To thrive when faced with a medical challenge, a patient must be mentally prepared to face it. This realization transformed Dr. Narula’s career and led her down an eye-opening path, studying landmark medical trials and the latest advancements in the field as well as interviewing patients, doctors, researchers, and thought leaders.