Book Review: Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown

Brené Brown’s Atlas of the Heart is a beautiful and powerful exploration of human emotion a guide to understanding ourselves and others through the language of feeling. In this book, Brown maps out 87 emotions and experiences that shape what it means to be human, helping us name and navigate the complex inner landscape we all share.

For parents, caregivers, and therapists alike, Atlas of the Heart offers a crucial insight: we can’t regulate what we can’t name. When we give language to our emotions, we increase our ability to manage them and we help our children do the same.

Brown’s research highlights that emotional intelligence begins with curiosity, compassion, and courage. Rather than rushing to fix or dismiss emotions, she invites us to get curious: What am I feeling right now? What might my child be feeling? What does this feeling need?

Why This Matters in Play Therapy?

In the playroom, children naturally express emotions through play long before they can find the words. As play therapists, we help children name, explore, and regulate these emotions safely building emotional literacy and resilience from the inside out.

Brené Brown’s work beautifully complements this process. By helping parents understand and model emotional language, they strengthen the bridge between home and therapy allowing children to feel seen, understood, and supported.

Parenting Tips Inspired by Atlas of the Heart:

1. Name it to tame it. When your child feels big emotions, try putting words to what you see: “You look really frustrated,” or “That must feel disappointing.” Naming feelings helps calm the nervous system and teaches emotional vocabulary.

2. Stay connected, not corrective. When emotions run high, focus on connection before correction. A calm presence and gentle acknowledgment of feelings can do more for regulation than any lecture or consequence.

3. Model emotional honesty. Share your own emotions in age-appropriate ways: “I’m feeling overwhelmed right now, so I’m going to take a deep breath.” Children learn that emotions aren’t scary — they’re signals that can be understood and managed.

4. Create a shared language of feelings. Keep a “feelings chart” or “emotion cards” at home and use them in daily life. This normalizes talking about emotions and builds a shared emotional vocabulary.

5. Celebrate curiosity. Encourage your child to wonder about feelings theirs and others’. Curiosity is the foundation of empathy and connection.

   
   

Atlas of the Heart is more than a book it’s a compassionate invitation to deepen our understanding of what it means to be connected, both to ourselves and to those we love. For parents raising emotionally aware children, it offers both language and courage for the journey.

Content developed with the assistance of ChatGPT, an AI language model by OpenAI. Adapted for this website by Humanistic Therapy Hub.