★ Amazon Bestseller: #4 in Social Psychology Books, 2,500 copies sold in the first week of release!
★ Simplified Chinese rights sold!

So verletzt! (So Hurt!)is the new book by SPIEGEL-bestselling author Philipp Ruland, focusing on the invisible wounds of emotional violence. Subtle, shaming, and often hidden, these wounds nevertheless leave traces that can last a lifetime.

Philipp Ruland knows from personal experience how deeply psychological injuries cut and how difficult it can be to recognize, accept, and heal them. His own journey—from bouncer to lawyer to psychotherapist—has taught him that healing is possible, and that every person carries within themselves the strength to learn to set boundaries and find their way back to themselves.

### Invisible Wounds, Tangible Consequences

Emotional abuse does not always manifest through visible signs. It works quietly, leaving scars on the soul and influencing thoughts, feelings, and relationships long after childhood has ended. Philipp Ruland describes with great sensitivity how these injuries arise and take effect.

This book is for you if you feel that any of the following might apply to you:
— Manipulation, gaslighting, and blame-shifting that make us doubt ourselves.
— Emotional coldness and distance that rob us of the feeling of security.
— Control, isolation, and co-dependency that restrict freedom and self-confidence.
— Verbal humiliation that cuts deeper than we think—through shame, mockery, or threats.

If you know someone this applies to and want to help them (as a relative or friend) heal their emotional wounds. This book makes the invisible visible and gives you understanding for what often remained unsaid.

### Recognizing Emotional Violence and Freeing Yourself from Toxic Relationships

Philipp Ruland guides his readers in finding their way back to themselves. His approach is shaped by personal experience, therapeutic expertise, and genuine empathy.

It is about:
Naming and understanding old wounds without shame.
Relearning how to allow feelings without being overwhelmed by them.
Learning to let go of old patterns and developing new ways of thinking and feeling.

Shaping healthy relationships, setting boundaries, and dissolving emotional dependency.

Strengthening one's own self-worth and drawing hope where there was once pain.

### A Book That Gives You Courage

Philipp Ruland goes to the places where it hurts because he knows what that feels like. So verletzt!is a courageous, deeply moving book that offers clarity, understanding, and hope. It shows: No one has to remain alone with their injuries, and everyone can begin a new chapter—filled with self-confidence, strength, and light.

Philipp Ruland is a psychotherapist. He supports people struggling with depression, eating disorders, anxiety and obsessive–compulsive patterns, as well as those affected by trauma. He understands their fears, their doubts, and their moments of hopelessness — because he has lived through them himself.

Born in 1979 in Saarbrücken, Philipp Ruland began his life journey far removed from the world of psychotherapy. He worked as a bouncer, and later as a lawyer, yet he always felt the shadows of his own childhood. Deeply ingrained scars: guilt, shame, fear.

For a long time he tried to suppress them, until he finally realised: anyone who wants to heal must face their own story.

His first book Schuld, Scham und der ganze Scheiß (published by Goldegg) became an immediate SPIEGEL bestseller, recounting this personal journey — heartfelt, unflinching, and deeply inspiring all at once.

His professional approach is profoundly human. Philipp Ruland combines psychotherapeutic expertise with empathy and the lived knowledge that healing is always possible.He helps his patients not only to ease their symptoms, but also to:

understand their own life story
recognise old wounds
walk new paths forward
Philipp Ruland shows that every person carries the inner strength to start a new chapter.

This is exactly why thousands of people follow him on Instagram and YouTube, and seek support in his practice: he is a guide who gives courage where all seems dark, and awakens hope where silence has taken hold.