Book Recommendations
Complex PTSD: Pete Walker, MA
An essential read for those who have post traumatic stress disorder. Great ideas for flashback management and how to manage even emotional flashbacks (flashbacks without images that only have feelings), which is often not discussed in other trauma books.
The Power of Now: Eckhart Tolle
Tolle teaches you how to be present despite your circumstances. He explains that our circumstances are just stories we tell ourselves that manifest in the mind that are a result of judgement of 'what is'. Not a religious book but a spiritual book that helps you get in touch with your inner being in order to bring you back to calm.
Healing Trauma: Peter Levine
A somatic healing exercise book that also comes with a DVD of guided exercises. His somatic exercises help you learn how to regulate your arousal response in the face of trauma and normalize one's experience and physical feelings that have manifested as a result of traumatic experiences, many of these experiences we have all faced.
The Body Keeps The Score: Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.
A popular book that explains how trauma reshapes the brain and how that compromises a sufferer's capacity for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust. Van Der Kolk, M.D., explores innovative treatments such as neurofeedback, mediation and yoga and how they offer new paths to recovery through activating the neuroplasticity of the brain.
When Things Fall Apart: Pema Chödrön
A Buddhist nun that shows us how we can live our lives when everything has fallen apart. She teaches us how to move towards difficult situations instead of away from them, as a way to have a deeper more meaningful emotional intimacy with oneself. Beautifully written book that is both meditative and practical.
The Power of Self-Compassion: Mary Welford, DClinPsy
"In The Power of Self-Compassion, you will learn that focusing on self-compassion, rather than self-esteem, is actually the best way to build true, lasting self-confidence. For too long self-esteem has been based on the idea that if you achieve certain goals you are doing okay. This can lead to comparing yourself with others as a way to build confidence. The skills and behavioral techniques outlined in this book are drawn from the groundbreaking compassion-focused therapy (CFT), which holds that being compassionate to yourself-even when things are not going well-is central to building real self-confidence." (Such a good explanation I took it directly from the website).
Please note: I do not get any personal benefit from the sales of these books.