“When Eric first shared his vision for #SameHere Global back in 2017, I could see how our experiences, though different, led us to a powerful realization: mental health impacts everyone—five out of five people, no exceptions. From day one, I’ve used my voice and platform to support this movement, and I’m still out there advocating for it. Diagnosis isn’t just Eric’s journey; it’s about giving you the tools to break free from labels, build mental resilience with a STARR gym for your brain, and join us in normalizing the conversation around mental health.”
—Theo Fleury, Stanley Cup champion; 2002 Olympic gold medalist; advocate for sexual abuse victims; speaker; bestselling author, Playing with Fire
“Eric and I bonded instantly when #SameHere launched and he shared the vision. My early manic episodes and family losses mirrored his uncharted pain, proving connection accelerates healing by sharing our common pain, not whether we have the same label. As friends working together, we've seen how sharing ends the shame for those grinding in silence. Through Diagnosis, you'll gain the playbook: less pathologizing, more proactive empathy, normalizing mental health as our shared court to conquer.”
—Chamique Holdsclaw, six-time WNBA All-Star, 2000 Olympic gold medalist, Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
“From MLS defender of the year highs to the post-2006 World Cup lows that left me questioning everything, including my ‘why,’ which then led to me facing up to past traumas that I usually hid behind a 'happy-go-lucky' mask, Eric’s #SameHere launch immediately pulled me in. It was a great platform to show all sides of the game, including the all-important mental/emotional side. As a founding member of the alliance, I have joined athletes who have stood tall together and turned those vulnerabilities into fuel for others, proving that sharing can help anyone get out of bed and push forward, which is why Diagnosis nails it! Read it for the stories dismantling athlete shame while gaining tools to track the unseen crashes so you can create a shift in understanding why mental health is the real MVP skill for life!”
—Jimmy Conrad, US men’s national team World Cup participant, four-time MLS Best XI
“The highs of All Blacks stardom couldn’t silence the roar of my mental health—rooted in family legacy and rugby’s relentless pressure, it nearly sidelined me for good. I joined #SameHere at launch, offering an international connection and proving trauma doesn’t discriminate by field or flag. Global advocates are now fueling awareness from Auckland, New Zealand, and beyond, treating the mind like any injury: intervene early, share openly. Diagnosis delivers that fire: narratives dismantling shame, strategies for empathetic regulation, and a movement making mental health a team sport for all.”
—John Kirwan, All Blacks rugby World Cup winner
“Human behavior is rooted in brain behavior. No one can know the inherent potential of their own brain until it has a chance to train by way of the Brain Gym, as explained by Eric Kussin. In Diagnosis, we see how everybody is impacted by mental health concerns and that modalities like neurofeedback can empower people to find a positive path forward.”
—Siegfried Othmer, PhD, co-developer, the Othmer Method of Neurofeedback
“The human body holds far more wisdom than most of our mental health systems acknowledge. We’ve pathologized too much of what’s simply human—natural responses to overwhelm, grief, and stress that our biology is built to resolve when given the chance. TRE (Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises) reawakens this innate mechanism, reminding us that healing doesn’t always require diagnosis; it requires connection: to our body, our sensations, and to one another. When people experience their own body trembling itself back toward balance, they realize they’re not ‘broken.’ They’re wired for recovery. What I see through TRE mirrors the message of Diagnosis: the future of mental health isn’t more labels or more pills—it’s more humanity. When we meet people where they are, help them regulate from the inside out, and restore agency over their nervous system, we dissolve shame and return to something ancient and universal—self-regulation as self-care. This book and movement are pointing in the same direction: toward a global shift in how we define, experience, and talk about mental health. Not as a disorder to fix, but as a human capacity to reclaim.”
—David Berceli, PhD, inventor of Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE)
“I found my way to #SameHere Global because Eric’s fight against labels echoed my own. After my fourth child, I was told I was bipolar—but I knew there was more beneath that label: trauma, disconnection, and a nervous system begging for care. Doing that work freed me to thrive as a mom, a coach, and a human. Eric’s journey revealed how deeply we all carry emotional load—and why his mission to connect, not categorize, felt so aligned. Diagnosis brings that mission to life. It’s not just a book; it’s a mindset shift—a gym for the brain, where we practice self-awareness, compassion, and connection over isolation.”
—Samantha Arsenault Livingstone, Olympic gold medalist swimmer, Team USA
“From the 2003 NBA Draft’s #9 spot—Times Square billboards, first pitches—to my career stalling after my dad’s sudden heart attack, my story seemed worlds apart from Eric’s, but our raw, vulnerable sharing of trauma bonded us instantly. Joining #SameHere Global gave me a group to stand with, and Diagnosis offers you that same connection—a way to ditch labels, face your pain head-on, and normalize mental health through real, shared stories.”
—Michael Sweetney, former NBA first-round pick, #9 overall, New York Knicks
“Eric and I escaped through sports—him in boardrooms burying his pain from his brother’s ailments growing up, and me on NFL fields burying mental, physical, and sexual trauma from youth. Then our open pain-sharing across states and with the US military in South Korea made us family. It pulled me into #SameHere Global’s community. It’s not just a quick fix. Diagnosis gives you the blueprint to shed labels, act on your story with empathy, and be a part of driving our global movement where mental health is real for all, no pretense required.”
—Reggie Walker, former NFL captain
“I’ve spent over forty years showing that losing mental health and resilience isn’t about ‘hidden diseases’ you ‘have’—it’s about how everyday human processes can combine to overwhelm us all. People are different, and a system that ignores that reality and treats everyone in an over-medicalized ‘one size fits all’ way is a system doomed to failure. Eric’s raw crash story echoes that truth. I’ve supported #SameHere’s mission because we can create a more psychologically flexible world by helping people to take proactive steps to turn pain into purpose. Eric did that, and Diagnosis provides readers with tools that can help make that shift: practical insights to normalize struggle, track emotional undercurrents, and foster self-compassion and empathy that heals communities.”
—Steven C. Hayes, PhD, originator and co-developer of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT); Foundation Professor of Psychology Emeritus, University of Nevada, Reno; president, Institute for Better Health
“Eric Kussin didn’t set out to be an entrepreneur. But when confronted with a severe mental health crisis, that’s exactly what he became. Diagnosis is a powerful reminder that even our darkest moments can be the seeds that change the world. When we see a need and find our common ground, we all persevere and anything is possible.”
—Josh Linkner, five-time tech entrepreneur, New York Times bestselling author, venture capitalist
“Trauma, even when caused by momentary events, causes a cascade of physiological dysregulation events, and that is a distress call that should be paid attention to. But not as a mental health disorder as currently defined. Instead, the resolution of trauma requires an awareness of how the stress mechanism keeps the body in balance unless and until it becomes overloaded. In my more than forty years as a neuroscientist, one thing became clear—that both a cognitive and physiological intervention is necessary to resolve trauma. One simply does not obtain the desired results without the other. The simplest pairing is talking honestly to someone who truly cares about you plus breathing exercises. Eric’s #SameHere promotes connection over isolation, along with his brain gym’s full spectrum of therapy, blending for example, my cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) brain tech with other tools leading to a full recovery not typically obtained by the conventional interventions of talk therapies or drugs. Diagnosis delivers the guide: strategies to intervene electrically and empathetically, fostering normalization and mental health as accessible neural tuning. Take the time to read this book for the promise of a happier, healthier life”
—Daniel L. Kirsch, PhD, FAIS, president of The American Institute of Stress, inventor of Alpha-Stim Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation (CES)
“Diagnosis is a powerful look at the importance of taking care of our mental health. Eric’s story exemplifies how stored stress blocks everyone, diagnosable or not, until we learn to manage it. #SameHere’s revolution is the perfect stage for this universal reset. I’m honored to have my work with EFT/Tapping as part of the STARR Brain Gym, where we can turn emotional floods into flow. We all deserve to feel better, do better and live better—and there are tools to help us choose that.”
—Brad Yates, EFT Tapping Expert and creator of Tap with Brad
“If it could happen to Eric Kussin, it could happen to anyone. Diagnosis exposes the razor-thin line between being okay and not being okay at all. To fall to such depths and return with this level of clarity and honesty is a gift. This book is for anyone struggling—and for anyone who loves someone who is. Even in the darkest moments, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and Eric proves it.”
—Darren Rovell, Emmy Award-winning reporter, formerly at ESPN and CNBC, entrepreneur
“I used to think grinding through everything made me invincible: Super Bowl champ, Hall of Famer, keep your head down and go. What I didn’t see was how much of that drive came from old wounds I never dealt with. Eric’s story is a wake-up call that mental health isn’t a luxury; it’s real life for all of us . . . athletes, CEOs, students, parents. That’s why I’m all in on this movement. Diagnosis gives you a way to track what’s happening under the surface and respond before it breaks you. It’s not about labels; it’s about understanding what life handed you, owning it, and building a comeback with tools that actually work.”
—Aaron Taylor, college football Hall of Famer, Super Bowl champion
“Eric’s raw crash reveals what Brainspotting has revealed for decades: where we look finds the key to trauma’s charge, affecting us all beyond any and all diagnoses—a #SameHere truth that flips suffering into relational recovery. In Brainspotting, a proud part of the STARR gym, eye position attunement that promotes profound regulation. Diagnosis equips readers: less pathologizing and more intuitive spotting, sparking empathy that heals the brain-body divide universally.”
—David Grand, PhD, developer of Brainspotting
“Eric Kussin’s Diagnosis is the book our world desperately needs right now. In a culture overwhelmed by labels, he offers a bold and life saving truth: label less, connect more. As someone open about my bipolar diagnosis, I know firsthand how isolating it can be to live inside a label, believing only those with the exact same diagnosis can understand your pain. But the truth is, we all carry brain pain at different levels, and it is in that shared human experience where real healing begins. As a survivor of a Golden Gate Bridge jump at nineteen, I know this to my core: isolation can make tomorrow feel impossible, but genuine human connection can make it possible again. This book is not just important, it is essential. Read it. Share it. Live it. Be here tomorrow.”
—Kevin Hines, Golden Gate Bridge jump survivor, mental health advocate, bestselling author and documentary filmmaker
