Return to Joy

What if the wounds we carry from childhood are the ones that quietly shape us for life?

In Return to Joy, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Keith Kahle offers a raw, deeply personal exploration of the long-term effects of “father-wounding”—a form of trauma rooted in unmet emotional needs, silence, or absence from a paternal figure. Drawing from his own life experiences, Kahle examines how these wounds manifest throughout adulthood in relationships, physical and emotional health, and personal identity. With a blend of memoir, medical insight, and compassionate storytelling, he shows how seemingly minor childhood messages can create lifelong patterns of shame, reactivity, and self-doubt.

Structured around the journey from order through disorder to reorder, the book charts a path toward healing. Kahle shares vulnerable stories of his upbringing, marriages, parenting missteps, and physical ailments, all through the lens of trauma and recovery. From traditional therapy to psychedelic-assisted healing, he explores the tools that helped him shed a “cataract of the soul” and rediscover joy. Return to Joy is a moving guide for anyone confronting inherited pain, offering hope, recognition, and a path toward wholeness.