Fierce Self Compassion
by Kristin Neff
WHY I LOVE IT: We usually think of compassion as this soft & gentle act but Fierce Compassion is what we access when we speak up for ourselves, set boundaries, prioritize our needs & feel confident in our power.
Great book if you are working on self love, feeling worthy, speaking up or being kinder to yourself.
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Attached.
The New Science of Adult Attachment
by Amir Levin, M.D. & Rachel Heller, M.A
WHY I LOVE IT: Explains why you show up in relationships in certain ways, what created that pattern and how to work through it.
Perfect if you are working on understanding how your trauma has impacted your ability to feel safe & connected to others.
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The Body Keeps the Score
by Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D.
WHY I LOVE IT: This book is Trauma Healing 101 & one of the first books to explain how trauma gets held in the body & manifests as illness, disease & injury.
Great read if you are looking for an understanding of how trauma and the body are connected.
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The Emotion Code
by Dr. Bradley Nelson
WHY I LOVE IT: It was the first modality I came across that truly helped me heal my trauma & is the modality I use in all my sessions.
If you are tired of traditional healing therapies, this book explains how we trap emotions & how to release them with energy work.
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Somatic Psychotherapy Toolbox
by Manuela Mischke-Reeds, M.A. LMFT
WHY I LOVE IT: It's chocked full of actual practices & things you can do to help work through trauma, anxiety & triggers as they come up.
If you need more tools for healing & processing trauma this is a must have.
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Homecoming
Reclaiming & Championing Your Inner Child
by John Bradshaw
WHY I LOVE IT: Inner Child work is essential for healing Childhood Trauma & this book is a deep dive into healing your Inner Child.
If you're just beginning to work with your Inner Child, this book has plenty of exercises and affirmations to help you get started.
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Emotional Labor
The Invisible Work Shaping Our lives & How to Claim Our Power
by Rose Hackman
WHY I LOVE IT: We don't talk enough about the emotional labor we do as empaths, women & people pleasers...and this book is deeply helpful in shining light on the conversation & helping you recognize the cost in your own life.
Must Read if you are used to carrying the emotional burden or labor for others & need help identifying how it's impacting your life.
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Codependent No More
By Melody Beattie
WHY I LOVE IT: Must have for understanding how codependent behaviors might be holding you back from prioritizing your own needs & life.
Must read for anyone healing relationship or childhood trauma or if you need help breaking patterns of people pleasing & codependency.
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When the Body Says No
By Gabor Mate, M.D.
WHY I LOVE IT: Another great resource for understanding how trauma & stress impact the body and can contribute to disease or illness.
You need if you are healing the physical impact of stress or trauma in the body.
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The Empath's Survival Guide
By Judith Orloff, MD
WHY I LOVE IT: Real tools for empaths & energy sensitive people needing to understand why you feel the way you do around certain people & how to manage your boundaries.
If you are an empath constantly feeling overwhelmed or taxed around others, this is your guide.
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Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents
By Lindsay C. Gibson, PsyD
WHY I LOVE IT: If you grew up with parents who made you feel misunderstood, blamed you for being overly emotional or it felt like you were always more mature than them... you need this book.
Great resource if you are healing emotional neglect or abuse, feel like you never had parents who validated you or are struggling to understand why you can't make things "work."
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No Bad Parts
Healing Trauma & Restoring Wholeness with Internal Family Systems
By Richard Schawrtz, PhD
WHY I LOVE IT: It breaks down so beautifully how during trauma, we can break off into "parts" inside of ourselves that play many roles in blocking our healing.
Great resource if you are feeling stuck in your healing or recognize there are self sabotaging patterns at play.
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It Didn't Start with You
How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We are & How to End the Cycle
By Mark Wolynn
WHY I LOVE IT: It is a great intro into the ways generational trauma gets passed down and how to start identifying it.
Perfect if you are healing ancestral or family patterns.
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The Mastery of Love
By Don Miguel Ruiz
WHY I LOVE IT: Beautiful look into unconditional love and how you can show that to yourself and others.
Pick this book if you are working on healing codependency, relationships or self love.
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The Myth of Normal
Trauma, Illness & Healing in a Toxic Culture
By Gabor Mate, M.D.
WHY I LOVE IT: Illustrates how our society & culture contribute to trauma & illness and can get in the way of healing and living a healthy life.
Great read if you are needing a mindset shift around what is truly toxic but normalized in our culture.
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Trauma & Recovery
The Aftermath of Violence- from Domestic Abuse to Political Terror
By Judith L. Herman, M.D.
WHY I LOVE IT: An honest look at the impact of trauma and violence in Domestic Violence & Veterans of War and how domestic violence is downplayed at the expense of victims.
You need this if you are a professional looking to understand the true impact of violence or on a personal healing journey and need validation of how big your own experience of violence truly is.
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Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve
Self Help Exercises for Exercise, Anxiety, Depression, Trauma & Autism
By Stanley Rosenberg
WHY I LOVE IT: Great intro into healing the Vagus Nerve & Nervous System. Lots of helpful but practical guidance and practices to begin your own healing.
This book is for you if you are working on healing at the physical or somatic level and need extra tools to help you regulate.
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Voices from the Womb
By Michael Gabriel, M.A.
WHY I LOVE IT: A personal favorite (and sometimes out of stock book) which explores real life regressions into patients while in utero & highlights how trauma and the experience in the womb can deeply impact your life.
If you are healing birth trauma or have the feeling that there is something deeper you can't quite get to in your story, this can be an insightful read to prompt new lines of inquiry.
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Waking the Tiger
Healing Trauma
By Peter Levine
WHY I LOVE IT: It highlights the way the body & nervous system store trapped trauma and how it needs to complete the "cycle" in order for the body to release it and heal.
If you are exploring Somatic work & need to move out of survival mode, this book will help you understand how it works.
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