In Indestructible, a successful Filipina entrepreneur illustrates the effectiveness of a variety of spiritual healing practices—prayer, visualization, forgiveness, and more—by weaving them through the story of her own life of abuse, loss, and recovery.
In her early childhood in the Philippines, Krista Nerestant’s alcoholic father abused her, her four siblings, and her mother relentlessly. Visualizing being somewhere else allowed her six-year-old self to de-escalate the violence by submitting rather than trying—and failing–to fight back.
Her mother escaped to the U.S. and returned four years later to rescue her children, moving them to New Jersey, where she struggled to make ends meet before succumbing to pancreatic cancer. A devoted Catholic, the author, then 14, released her grief and fear through fervent prayer sessions.
Left in a cruel aunt’s care, Nerestant moved out as soon as possible, working to save enough money to assume guardianship of her two younger brothers. After deciding to use her gifts as a spirit medium, cosmetologist, and life coach to start a company promoting self-care, she began working with a therapist to uncover and heal the parts of herself that, after all the upheaval, make her indestructible.
Nerestant distills her experiences into simple lessons: “1. Survive. 2. Accept reality with optimism. 3. Have faith in the future. 4. Be creative with the solutions. 5. Thrive in all the success you’ve created. Her story is painful to read, but it’s spared any air of prurience or trauma drama because she shares it so honestly in the service of recovery: “Anger and rage served me well. They protected and transformed the coward child Krista into a warrior goddess.” By sharing her letter to her father, she models how to forgive with purpose: “Dear Pa, …I release your energetic connection from me…. My boundaries are set with love, peace, and harmony.”
The writing here isn’t artful, but readers seeking relief from injury will find this a valuable, actionable guide to recovery.
Also available as an ebook.
