STUCK
A new book by David Holloway
Why high-functioning people become trapped in invisible survival patterns — and how to begin interrupting them.
Out now
Paperback
UK £17.99 · US $19.99
Available now
Kindle
UK £7.99 · US $9.99
Available now
The question
Why do intelligent, capable people keep repeating patterns
they consciously want to change?
Because the brain does not prioritise growth.
It prioritises survival.
STUCK explores the hidden survival patterns that quietly shape our relationships, behaviours, confidence, and identity — often without us realising it.
Who this is for
This book is for people who keep functioning, but know something underneath is not settled.
You achieve, but still feel behind.
You understand the pattern, but still repeat it.
You look composed, but feel restless inside.
You want change, but force has stopped working.
You've done the therapy, read the books — and still feel stuck.
You function well on the outside, but quietly feel disconnected from yourself.
Motivation comes and goes without a clear reason.
You sense there's a pattern, but can't quite name it.
What the book covers
Notice the pattern. Choose a different move.
How early survival strategies become adult self-sabotage.
Why fear can feel like logic.
Why insight alone rarely creates lasting change.
How emotional conditioning shapes confidence, relationships, and identity.
How to begin interrupting old loops without forcing yourself into another performance.
The problem is not that you are broken.
The problem is that a part of you is still trying to keep you safe in a world that has changed.
STUCK — David Holloway
The author
David Holloway
David Holloway is the founder of Perennial Human and the creator of the STUCK framework. His work explores the survival patterns that keep capable people stuck beneath the surface of achievement, composure, and responsibility.
Raised in a high-control religious environment, David spent much of his life trying to outrun the patterns formed in childhood. After divorce, burnout, business collapse, and a period of deep personal crisis, he began rebuilding — through psychology, somatic coaching, behavioural science, and applied neuroscience.
STUCK brings together lived experience, grounded science, and practical tools for people ready to understand the patterns beneath their unrest.
Built on solid ground
Grounded in science. Written from experience.
Neuroscience
Understanding how the brain's survival wiring creates repeating behavioural patterns.
Nervous System
Recognising how the body holds and responds to chronic stress and early conditioning.
Somatic Awareness
Learning to notice what the body signals before the conscious mind catches up.
David holds a qualification in applied neuroscience and continues to train in somatic and behavioural disciplines.
What comes next
The book is the doorway.
Perennial Human is the practice.
STUCK introduces the survival patterns.
Begin with the Life Compass. Continue to your full results and Pattern Map, then choose one observation to notice in daily life.
The book
This is not just a book about trauma. It is a guide for anyone who learned how to survive, and is finally ready to learn how to live.
STUCK explores the patterns that can hold us back. Perennial Human helps us understand ourselves, find direction and make meaningful progress.
Begin here
If you have spent years surviving, this is the place to begin again.
Out now on Kindle and paperback.
Paperback
UK £17.99 · US $19.99
Available now
Kindle
UK £7.99 · US $9.99
Available now
Nothing here requires force. Move at your pace.