Review:

“She played with fear, she loved the chase,
The thrill of making heart misplace.
Watched them crumble, watched them cry,
Power was hers — it lit her sky.”

Poetry, at its best, becomes a mirror — sometimes reflecting our wounds, sometimes showing us our strength, and often asking us to sit with what we usually run from. It has a strange power — sometimes it heals, sometimes it wounds, and often, it makes us linger between the lines a little longer.

Echoes of the Mind by Dr. Amisha Vashisht is one such mirror. These 68 pages aren’t just a collection of poems — they are layered emotions, silent screams, and unspoken truths bound in verse. Reading this book was like walking through a house of memories. Some rooms held warmth, others pain — but all of them felt lived in, real, and hauntingly familiar. It took me on a journey that’s difficult to capture in mere words. It triggered memories, offered moments of healing, and held me still, suspended between pain and reflection.

Also Read: Book Review: This Thing Called Love by Deblina Bhattacharyya is a heartfelt read.

It’s not just poetry — it’s an emotional and psychological landscape, navigated through the lens of a psychiatrist who understands both the science and the soul of mental illness. Echoes of the Mind is a collection of 21 compelling poems that dive into the raw, unfiltered realities of mental health. Each piece is more than a poem – it’s a story, a moment, a silent scream. Dr. Amisha Vashisht masterfully captures the emotional landscapes of mania, schizophrenia, anxiety, the complex struggles of recovery, and the exhausting act of masking it all from the world.

What struck me most was how real it all felt — not romanticised or dramatised, but lived. You see how we carry chaos behind smiles, how much remains unseen and misunderstood. These poems don’t just speak — they echo. They echo the inner battles many of us fight quietly, relentlessly. Each poem holds a heartbeat, a whisper of something we’ve either felt, witnessed, or feared. It’s rare to find a book that doesn’t just talk about mental health but embodies it — the confusion, the numbness, the exhaustion of pretending, and the quiet moments of strength no one sees.

What makes this collection special is its honesty. There’s no glorification, no sugar-coating — just raw truths dressed in lyrical beauty. These poems will trigger you — and that’s the point. They’ll make you pause, revisit places you thought you’d buried, and perhaps, understand those places a little better. But they’ll also offer healing — in small, subtle ways — through recognition, empathy, and language that tells you: you’re not alone.

Dr. Amisha’s writing is immersive, deep, and enchanting — layered with emotion and depth. For anyone who’s walked this road — or is still walking — this book becomes more than poetry. It becomes a mirror. As someone who’s walked through shades of this journey, this book didn’t just touch me — it held me. It made me slow down. It made me feel. And most importantly, it made me stay — with the discomfort, with the memories, and with the hope.

Some poems made me pause. Some made me relive moments I’d locked away. Some made me reflect. And a few offered the softest kind of healing — the kind that simply says, I see you.
Some lines will feel like they were written for you. Others will feel like they were written about you. And in between, you’ll find words that stay — long after you’ve closed the book.

Among the many powerful poems, the ones that stood out the most to me were:
‘The One Who Drifts Between Worlds’, ‘The Girl Who Owned the Night’, ‘The Girl Who Counted Everything’. Each of these left an imprint — not just because of the subject matter, but because of the truth they carry.

In all, Echoes of the Mind is more than a poetry collection — it’s an experience. One that dares to look directly into the eyes of pain, and in doing so, creates space for healing, even if just a little.  If you’ve ever struggled with your mind — or loved someone who has — this book is a must-read. Not for comfort, but for connection. Each poem leaves a mark. A journey worth witnessing — for its truth, its tenderness, and its strength. Poetry that Echoes the Unspoken, Heals the Unseen.

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