Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite

Beyond the Trident is a memoir by Tom Murphy, detailing his combat experiences in Vietnam, and the intense training that accompanied them as a U.S. Navy SEAL—as well as its massive impact on his life later. Murphy introduces his "three-legged stool" concept, which represents the necessity of balancing mental, physical, and spiritual health for effective trauma recovery. He speaks on his early life and its difficulties, his military career, and some of the moral dilemmas faced during combat, particularly regarding PTSD. Murphy shares how after the war, he explored metaphysical ideas, including hypnosis and out-of-body experiences, which shaped his spiritual and psychological understanding. He also discusses his post-military life, including leading disaster-relief efforts and, ultimately leaning into the integration of spiritual practices with traditional therapy to achieve holistic healing and growth.

First and foremost, a huge thanks to Tom Murphy for his service, which is the foundational source of Beyond the Trident: A Navy SEAL's Search Through Trauma For Meaning In Life. Talking about the harrowing realities of deployment and reflecting publicly on the psychological toll of war is hard, and Murphy's narrative certainly stands out for its raw honesty. The writing style is simple and straightforward, and readers who do not know, or know of, the author are likely to find it more along the lines of memoir than self-help, with introspective insights into facets of recovery that worked well for Murphy. I thought that the seamless integration of military experience with spiritual exploration was well-balanced and unique in that this is the first memoir I've ever read by a service member where holistic elements factor into that recovery. Because of this, I think that Murphy's documented quest for spiritual healing will offer some genuinely valuable lessons on resilience and self-awareness. Recommended.