Unseen: A Memoir of Trauma, Ireland's Psychiatric System and a Lifetime spent Healing

'As Dr Eger would say, "you cannot heal what you do not feel." We applaud Breda for having the courage to face her past so that all of us who read this book will connect to our own purpose and story.' Jordan Engle, grandson of Edith Eger, author of The Choice Breda O'Toole's early life was marked by abandonment. When she sought help, she entered a mental health system that continued the pattern – misdiagnosing her, medicating her into silence, binding her in a straitjacket for 11 days and subjecting her to 29 rounds of electroconvulsive therapy. Refusing to be defined by the failures of the system, Breda fought to reclaim her health, her voice and her life. Through courage, determination and a relentless search for dignity, she uncovered a sense of self that had long been buried. Unseen is the story of a mental health system that too often ignored the human being at its heart. More so, it is the story of the fierce capacity of the human spirit to heal when we are safely allowed to reveal and feel our pain so that we can move forward with hope. 'When a dysfunctional system adds trauma to the already traumatised, it takes a powerful person to overcome it and thrive. Breda O'Toole is a shining example to us all of the courage of the human heart.' Fiona Brennan, author of The Positive Habit

© 2025 Gill Books (Ebook): 9781804583371

Release date

Ebook: 4 September 2025