For Craig resident and Licensed Professional Counselor Steven Walls, the path toward writing his new book, “Out of the Darkness: A Trauma Recovery and Success Guide for Ages 28 and Up,” began long before he ever considered publishing. 

Written from his personal experiences with trauma, loss and recovery, the book examines mental wellness through a lens shaped by a 25-year career spent entirely in the Yampa Valley. The inspiration behind “Out of the Darkness” can be traced back to his childhood in the small logging towns of the Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountains.

The release of Walls’ book comes at a critical time as the Yampa Valley grapples with a growing mental health crisis marked by isolation, economic strain, depression and an increased rate of suicide as many residents seek guidance on how to cope while supporting their friends and family.

“I’ve spent roughly 50,000 hours hearing people’s stories,” Walls said. “Each human being I worked with did so courageously. They trusted me with their most painstaking moments. This book is to honor those I’ve worked with and learned from by sharing what I’ve learned with the world.”

Walls, a registered psychotherapist since 2006 and a Licensed Professional Counselor since 2013, has completed more than 20,000 EMDR-related sessions and specializes in complex post-traumatic stress. His professional experience coupled with his personal story shaped the foundation of the book.

At the center of “Out of the Darkness” is a simple but powerful message that trauma is universal, its effects often go unrecognized and failure to seek healthy approaches to healing can have long-lasting consequences.

“Everyone on the planet has been shaped in some form by trauma,” Walls said. “Nine out of ten times anxiety, panic, depression and overwhelm are not the true root problem. They’re symptoms of trauma, but those overwhelmed systems can heal.”

Walls explains how trauma develops, how it interacts with the nervous system and how it shapes identity. The book also offers practical steps to rebuild stability, strengthen relationships and restore a sense of meaning.

While the book was written for adults, Walls said it is applicable to anyone, as he wanted to create a guide that almost anyone could use without needing clinical training.

“People in the Yampa Valley and across the country are struggling,” he said. “Trauma is everywhere. My objective was to give people a map, something real and practical, to understand trauma and find a way out.”

Though Walls’ experience spans decades and states, much of the book’s insights are grounded in his work with clients in Northwest Colorado. He said the Yampa Valley’s landscape and culture bring unique challenges to mental health, many of which appear throughout the book.

“This region is rugged and resilient,” he said. “The book addresses the unique struggles of rural communities including silence, self-reliance, isolation and unaddressed trauma.”

He has seen firsthand how many residents delay seeking help, often believing they must manage their struggles alone as others face long wait times, limited access to care or the discomfort of acknowledging emotional hardship.

“The book offers practical tools usable immediately, whether or not someone has access to therapy,” he said.

Writing the book required Walls to revisit his own experiences with trauma, panic, alcoholism and recovery, a process that he described as both meaningful and difficult.

“Writing forced me to revisit my own journey,” he said. “It was a major revelation to see how universal trauma is, even when the stories are different but follow nearly identical patterns. We are far less alone than we think.”

Walls’ wife, Jolene, contributed significantly over the past decade through copy editing and conceptual feedback, and several family members and close friends also reviewed chapters.

Mental health professionals across Northwest Colorado continue to warn that the region is facing a crisis. Long travel distances, workforce shortages, persistent stigma and rising economic pressures all contribute to elevated levels of anxiety and depression. Walls said these pressures influence both his counseling and his writing.

“Economic pressure is driving anxiety and depression,” he said. “These are unstable times. Between social media, politics, world matters, inflation and the disconnect our phones and video games have caused, every single human being on the planet is carrying valid stress.”

In recent years Walls has focused more heavily on somatic grounding, nervous-system regulation and building internal stability during external uncertainty. Those same themes appear throughout his book.

Walls said the book is meant to serve the people of the Yampa Valley, many of whom have trusted him with their stories for more than two decades.

“Strength doesn’t mean silence,” he said. “This book is my contribution to a community that has trusted me with their stories for over two decades.”

He emphasized that struggling with mental health is not a failure — it is human.

“If you’re struggling, it is because we all suffer from the human condition,” he said. “Once you understand the why and how of trauma, thriving becomes more achievable.”

The release of “Out of the Darkness” marks the beginning of what Walls sees as a broader project, as he plans to expand the series into editions for teens, couples, therapists and larger systems. He also intends to share the message through workshops, CEU training, YouTube content and community outreach.

“I’ll have a lot more to say about this in the future,” he said. “I’ve been working for the past few years on my next big project. In one to two years, I think it’ll be ready.”

For now, he is focused on bringing the first book to the community he now calls home, which served as a vital inspiration for him to take another step in making people’s lives better.

Walls will hold a book signing Dec. 6 at Gathered Grace Marketplace in Craig.

For more information on Steven Walls and “Out of the Darkness,” visit OuttaTheDark.com.