Good Morning, Monster

Good Morning, Monster is ultimately a testament to the resilience of the human psyche and the painstaking courage required to heal. Catherine Gildiner shows that trauma does not disappear through willpower or positivity. It loosens its grip through understanding, patience, and relational safety.

The book’s central lesson is that survival strategies, no matter how extreme, are intelligent responses to impossible circumstances. Healing begins when these strategies are honored for their role in keeping the person alive—and gently questioned when they begin to limit life.

Therapy, as portrayed here, is not about fixing broken people. It is about uncovering truths that were once too dangerous to face alone. Through empathy, trust, and careful pacing, individuals can reclaim agency, rewrite internal narratives, and build relationships that are no longer governed by fear.

Good Morning, Monster affirms that even the deepest wounds can be approached, understood, and integrated. Healing is not quick, clean, or complete—but it is possible.

Catherine Gildiner is a Canadian author and former clinical psychologist whose writing draws heavily on her decades of therapeutic experience. She began her literary career later in life, achieving widespread acclaim for her memoirs Too Close to the Falls, After the Falls, and Coming Ashore, which explore her own complex upbringing and early adulthood. Good Morning, Monster marked a departure from memoir into narrative psychology, blending clinical insight with storytelling. Gildiner is known for her compassionate, clear-eyed approach to trauma and resilience. She lives in Toronto with her husband and is the mother of three adult sons.