What does it take to stay whole in a world that keeps trying to break you?
When Dr. Edith Langford was just nine years old, she was accidentally shot in the back, beginning decades shaped by trauma, survival, and extraordinary resilience. Years later, after enduring repeated episodes of medical racism, including waking during her own surgery, Dr. Langford--known to her clients as "Dr. Edie"--became the therapist others turned to when life threatened to overwhelm them.
In this searing blend of memoir, psychology, and stories from her clinical practice, Dr. Edie brings both perspectives of the therapy room as she weaves her own remarkable story with those of her clients. With compassion, candor, and hard-earned humor, Dr. Edie explores the realities of healthcare inequities, how trauma shapes us, and the everyday choices that allow us to stay grounded in a world that seeks to beat us down. Along the way, she exposes racialized harm in healthcare, mental health systems, and everyday American life, particularly for Black women navigating institutions not built for their care.
Wise, compassionate, and deeply honest, Protect Your Mind offers not only an unforgettable life story but a road map for remaining whole in America today.
